The Heart of Customer Service – The Winston Benefit Service Center Team

The Benefits Service Center team is comprised of Licensed Benefits Specialists who handle inbound and outbound calls from our customers and their employees. Their primary role is to facilitate benefit education related to core and voluntary benefits and enrollment support across multiple platforms. Our Benefits Service Center Team is extensively trained and knowledgeable about all our customers’ benefit programs and processes. While the team provides consistent support throughout the year, their efforts are particularly critical during the Open Enrollment Season.

Our vision includes continuous improvement in our processes, workflows, and technology to ensure we remain at the forefront of the industry.

Statistical Highlights

1. • 99.63% of calls handled out of 250,209 total, ensuring employees get the help they need when they need it.
   • Average speed of answer: 22.44 seconds, reflecting our commitment to responsiveness.
   • 94.7% rated our soft skills as Excellent, showcasing the empathy and professionalism of our team.

With over 12,800 hours of total call time and an average call length of 7.09 minutes, our team is doing more than answering  questions, they’re delivering value and clarity on complex topics like benefits, eligibility, and enrollment.

These results reflect our ongoing commitment to delivering a seamless and supportive experience that empowers employees to make informed decisions about their benefits and overall well-being.

How does the Benefit Service Center tailor its support to meet the unique needs of each employer’s workforce?

Meticulous planning, cross-functional collaboration, and accountability tracking are essential to the success of our annual forecasting model. Internally, we partner across teams and leverage advanced analytics and reporting tools to collect the data needed to address each customer’s unique requirements. To ensure a smooth transition during peak season, we work closely with our staffing partners to quickly scale our workforce. Our cloud-based telephony systems, quality management tools, and continuous process improvement strategies support this rapid ramp-up and help maintain optimal service standards.

Can you speak to the new enhancements being rolled out to improve the enrollment experience for employees? 

As part of our ongoing commitment to improving the employee experience, we’re rolling out several enhancements to streamline and elevate the enrollment process. One of the most impactful changes is the integration of Zendesk into the agent work environment. This will allow for centralized interaction tracking, faster resolution times, and a more personalized support experience for employees.

In addition, we’re deploying new Agent Assist tools that provide real-time knowledge prompts and intelligent search capabilities. These enhancements are designed to improve speed, accuracy, and consistency across all employee interactions.

What kind of training do our Benefit Service Center representatives receive to stay current on benefit trends and compliance?

Licensed Benefits Specialists are required to complete continuing education every two years. The requirements differ by state of residence. New Jersey for example requires 24 hours of continuing education every two years, including 3 hours dedicated to Ethics training. There are additional CE requirements for agents selling specific products.

Long-Term Care (LTC) Partnership Training: Producers must complete an 8-hour initial training course and a 4-hour refresher course every renewal period following to sell or solicit Long-Term Care Insurance. All Brown & Brown teammates are required to complete annual compliance and Ethics training.

As leaders, we pride ourselves on cultivating an environment that fosters our teammates’ growth and provides them with the tools they need to succeed. We lean on our Training & Development efforts to build and deploy a fully immersed and interactive training approach, including knowledge assessment and retention. During client implementations and annual enrollments, counselors receive training and testing on client specifics: their culture, eligibility, benefit offerings, system navigation, and client specific processes. All counselors must maintain the 85% or above benchmark to assist callers. Throughout the year, counselors receive coaching and refreshers to ensure knowledge retention.