Sitel Group® Builds a Bridge for Onboarding Associates

MyChoice^® Market is a versatile solution

Managing benefits for a large population is a large job, no matter how you cut it. When that population has multiple eligibility categories plus ever-shifting staffing needs, it adds a whole new level of difficulty to the task. Sitel Group^® operates hundreds of contact centers around the world for clients across multiple industry types.

Company Snapshot

A global leader in customer experience management with more than 100,000 associates around the world
More than 12,000 US-based associates
Needed a simple retention and benefits solution for non-FTEs

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Challenge

Contact centers have special needs when it comes to HR, with historically high turnover rates and clients’ shifting needs throughout the year, based on busy seasons and sales. Sitel Group prioritizes the agent experience to drive down attrition and positively impact the bottom line. Additionally, Sitel Group needed to solve for a separate eligibility class and how to streamline benefits access across all populations. Sitel Group continuously works to improve the associate experience and sought a flexible and cost-efficient benefits solution that would meet the needs of their diverse workforce. Finally, with their sustained, high onboarding volume, they wanted to be able to mirror an FTE benefits experience and continue to provide one benefits enrollment platform and one resource for all employees.

Solution

Sitel Group borrowed a strategy from the temporary staffing industry and defined a “variable hour employee.” This definition allowed them to create an eligibility status while allowing for clients’ varying needs and flexible schedules required by the industry. They were able to create a bridge program for these variable-hour employees that would last for 12 months until the employee could be eligible for full-time employee status.

Sitel Group was already a valuable Businessolver client. Anna Ortiz, benefits manager, recalls, “With Businessolver, Sitel Group have found a great partner to support us in extending benefits to our workforce and delivering additional value within our employee experience strategy. By leveraging technology from Businessolver, we have been able to make the process even more simple for associates.”

When Businessolver approached the Sitel Group team with MyChoice^® Market, Ortiz knew that this might be just the thing to solve their “bridge problem.” MyChoice Market was originally created and pitched as an offboarding solution, with a full marketplace of voluntary benefits such as accident and hospital coverage, access to the ACA marketplace, medical plans known as minimum essential coverage (MEC) and dental/vision options. Employers needed a COBRA alternative, and MyChoice Market was established to fill that gap. However, for Sitel Group, that gap was at onboarding, and Ortiz pitched the idea back to Businessolver as a bridge for their incoming associates.

“Customer experience management is a unique environment. You really have to take care of your own associates. They’re essential to our customers’ success, so we put our people first,” Ortiz explains.

Results

Simplified Communications

Ortiz loves that regardless of employee status, there is only one benefits URL to maintain. Because of Benefitsolver’s robust eligibility processes, Sitel Group associates are able to view the benefits they’re eligible for upon login to the enrollment platform. This feature simplifies communications and creates a more cohesive associate experience throughout their tenure at Sitel Group.

“It’s so much easier when we can say, ‘Hey, we offer part-time benefits,’ and they say, ‘OK, I want those. Where do I go to enroll?’ And it’s that simple.”

End-to-End Associate Coverage

Many part-time or variable-hour employees don’t know where to turn for benefits. Ortiz reports that onboarding associates are delighted with having options to opt in to benefits, especially in the volatility of the health care climate throughout the pandemic.

How does Ortiz know it’s working? “I know it’s working because I no longer get emails from associates asking about the waiting period or asking questions about the healthcare.gov website. It feels good to be able to offer our people this robust and easy to use solution.”

Sitel Group offers MyChoice Market for both onboarding and offboarding employees, creating an alternative to the sometimes-high COBRA rates.

Employee Adoption is High

For employees and former employees looking for coverage, the election response has been incredible. From January 2020 – January 2021, 82% of the variable hour group elected coverage; and for the terming employees, 78% elected coverage.

Benefit offerings currently include the MEC health coverage and dental and vision options, and Sitel Group is looking to expand the offering to the additional products in the near future to increase their associates’ coverage options with affordable and easy-to-access voluntary benefits.

With 100,000 associates around the world, Sitel Group needs an efficient, effective solution. “The Businessolver partnership helps us achieve our goal; we need just two people to run our benefits program.” said Ortiz.

HR Experience		Member Experience	Careers	Who We Serve
Enrollment & Eligibility	COBRA Administration	Sofia^SM Personal Benefits Assistant	Open Positions	The Businessolver Way
Reporting & Analytics	Verification Services	MyChoice^® Recommendation Engine	Leadership	Businessolver Foundation
Consumer Account Administration	Payroll & Billing	MyChoice^® Mobile App	News	Submit an RFP
Direct Bill	LiveKinnect^SM Connections	MyChoice^® Market	Partners	Corporate Responsibility
Communications & Fulfillment	Client Delight	MyChoice^® Accounts
Exchange	Retiree Administration	Service Center
Compliance		Employee Benefits Engagement