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30 Most Innovative Companies 2019
CIO Bulletin
Employee benefits are a key component of compensation. Leveraging great technology to deliver and communicate benefits is critical to the success of any Human Resources organization.
Benefit administration technology, commonly referred to as “ben-admin”, requires service providers to track the usage and availability of benefits for both employers and employees, and at the same time ensure compliance. While there are many service providers who provide benefits technology, there are none better than the widely popular Web Benefits Design based in Orlando, Florida. Web Benefits Design (WBD) was founded in 2001. It offers best in class employee benefits technology solutions to employers with 100 to 45,000 employees. Well known for its data accuracy, rapid implementation, and a full suite of HR outsourcing signature services, WBD has become the one-stop solution for employees and HR to manage benefits. The company stands out against competition due to their innovative style and focus on a modern consumer experience.
WBD today counts big names like Coca-Cola, Ruth’s Chris, Aveanna Healthcare, Endeavor Air, Zaxby’s, Flex-N-Gate, Orlando Magic, Spirit Airlines, multiple school systems and many more as its clients.
This is a testament to the high quality of work they’ve delivered since their inception almost two decades ago. Recently, we interviewed Bethany Schenk, CEO of Web Benefits Design to know more about the company.
Please help us understand the current market landscape.
Most of our competitors fall into 3 categories: technology only, licensed “do-it-yourself” 3rd party software, and patchwork partnerships with multiple vendors to complete offering. These approaches, however, fall short of providing holistic solutions, and leave employers frustrated with disjointed integrations between multiple data sources.
Further, these leave the employer with a tremendous responsibility of managing complex data, system integrations, multiple insurance carriers, and third-party stakeholders. The hardest part is data management - and most likely you’re on your own to manage and prepare census data.
Web Benefits Design is highly unique in that we offer a full-service solution with rapid implementation. We do all the work, our team manages the process and we stand up faster with the highest data accuracy rate.
How is your company positioned in the current market scenario?
Web Benefits Design is a leading benefits technology firm and is widely recognized for our ability to customize the HR and employee experience. We are known for our engagement and communications, evidenced by the prestigious 2018 industry award of the Top Employee Engagement Firm by HR Tech.
Let me share a few differentiatorsabout which we are particularly proud:
How does Web Benefits Design address the pain points of the industry?
The biggest pain points for HR and Benefits professionals are long, costly implementation processes and inability to effectively customize software to manage complex benefits.
WBD provides a strong value proposition to multiple constituents like HR professionals, Brokers and Consultants, Carriers and Payroll Providers, and Employees.
Let us consider HR professionals. HR and benefits professionals are 100% reliant on ben-admin systems to automate enrollment, communications, compliance, payroll connectivity, benefit onboarding, and PHI transmission. These ben-admin systems drive efficiencies by automating tasks, billing, reports and changes, correspondence tracking, and transparency tools. Our offering to HR professionals eliminates the need for paper and enrollment meetings. We also provide a fully integrated single data source solution for insurance benefits, payroll deductions, COBRA, ACA and recorded call center enrollments. Our team serves as an extension of the HR and benefits department.
Our solution for Carriers and Payroll Providers promises seamless implementation and a high-quality, full service offering. It has helped us achieve preferred status with carriers, who now subsidize select clients’ cost. The offering further promises to accommodate worksite and voluntary benefits to drive additional revenue for carriers. We also cater to customers by providing customized file formats with client structure and carrier file specifications.
Tell us about the products and services offered by your company.
CORE PLATFORM
OPTIONAL SERVICES
-1094 / 1095 forms
-IRS E-filing
What was the motivation to start the company and how did it all come together?
In an already complicated insurance world, people are endlessly confused about benefits. Transparency and engagement were completely missing concepts. I set out to simplify a complex insurance system. In partnership with my husband, Ron Schenk, we found an innovative ben-admin solution and named it Web Benefits Design (WBD).
WBD combines state-of-the-art technology with turnkey benefits administration to bridge the gap between a client’s need for automation and the reality they live in. Ron and I created a business that harnesses the power of emerging technology to create transparency and simplification for the insurance industry. WBD builds customized solutions that connect hundreds of old and new technologies, and tackles data problems that most insurance companies struggle to solve. Web Benefits Design is now known for having the fastest implementation and highest degree of accuracy in the industry. The 20 years of experience in dedicated problem solving, unique technologies, and a service business model makes WBD unmatched in the industry.
What are the differentiating factors that set your company apart from your competitors?
What helps us stand out is the unique blend of culture of ownership, benefits and brokerage expertise, cloud-based single-source technology, member engagement and superior delivery model. Our full-service model manages everything from a client’s supersite content to benefit logic, implementation, updates, renewals, and more. Further, it also organizes and maintains website content, manages dual-plan year logic during enrollment, builds custom reports, manages carrier and payroll feeds, build SSOs/ APIs to third parties, etc.
Our proprietary implementation process is highly efficient, collaborative and transparent and is the key to our rapid standup and execution. Moreover, the EDI dashboard provides 24/7 status of feeds, files, and workflow processes. Apart from this, I have already talked about our proprietary unified codebase which allows us to provide proprietary configuration tools and experienced team enable WBD to manage complex logic and large, complicated clients. The entire codebase was developed by one cohesive team that continues to innovate and create – no third-party software.
On top of these, we also offer proprietary data aggregation tools which help clients cleanse and reconcile multiple conflicting benefits and payroll data sources. These tools conform to any carrier and payroll specifications which are handled by an experienced team. This allows us to manage complex logic and complicated large employers.
WBD’s journey so far
Leader Extraordinaire
Bethany Schenk, CEO & President
Mrs. Schenk has over 22 years of industry experience in the healthcare, benefits, and information technology industries. As the leader of the company, she creates, communicates, and executes the organization’s vision and mission. She also maintains the awareness of both the internal and external landscape opportunities for expansion, customer acquisition, distribution channels, market dynamics, industry developments, and technology trends.
Mrs. Schenk earned her degree in Risk Management Insurance and Actuarial Science from Florida State University.
FLEX-N-GATE: A case study
Flex-N-Gate (FNG) is a renowned manufacturer of plastics, metals, lighting, and mechanical assembly for the automotive industry. FNG has just one HR/benefits professional managing 17,000 employees, represented by multiple unions across 88 locations. Web Benefits Design was engaged to implement a mid-year, efficient rollover of benefits administration for FNG.
WBD was able to implement a comprehensive, full-service platform and service package within 58 days. This upgrade allowed FNG to significantly improve its payroll efficiency. WBD also implemented several key services including a highly customized, mobile benefits website which allows FNG to easily communicate with its decentralized network. In addition, a ben-admin system for employee status tracking, employee communications, and open enrollment was installed. FNG finally had the resources to manage its complex ACA reporting. With WBD’s help, FNG now offers multi-lingual call center services which are used by FNG’s 24/365 workforce.
"Our team of Supersite content stylists will infuse energy and spark into your benefits program!"
“Our services consolidate benefit information, minimize confusion and enable employees to have instant access to specific benefit and human resource information.”
“We understand that no two employers are alike and tailor our benefits administration solutions to meet the needs of each individual client."
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