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CASE STUDY

Alight Case Study: Benefits Communications Kitted and Mailed at Scale

Open enrollment is unforgiving. Every employee gets different information, the deadline does not move, and a mistake means someone makes a benefits decision on the wrong facts. This is the story of how Drummond took on benefits communications for one of the industry’s largest providers.

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How it started: Hodges-Mace

Servicing 125 different client medical offices across the U.S., Hodges-Mace faced the challenge of fully outfitting those offices across seven regions and hundreds of local sub-cultures. Each office had its own specifications — branding, creative assets, collateral, services. Hodges-Mace needed a partner who understood the business and could deliver on time, every time.

Hodges-Mace turned to Drummond when their original partner quoted a print solution at $130,000. Drummond identified a way to leverage shells and overprints to outfit the offices instead — saving the client $100,000 without compromising quality, service, or delivery.

The challenge: Alight

In 2019, Hodges-Mace was acquired by Alight, one of the benefits industry’s top providers. A primary Alight service is supplying employers with accurate benefits communications so employees have what they need for open enrollment. Having seen Drummond perform beyond expectations, Alight brought Drummond forward for all projects going ahead.

What Alight needed help with

  • Adapting to the new normal. The chaos at the start of the pandemic, layered on top of open enrollment timing, left Alight with an extremely tight turnaround and only one way to reach employees: in their homes.
  • Timely benefits communications delivered at scale. Alight needed a partner who knew the ins and outs of benefits communications, could accurately differentiate hundreds of thousands of personalized documents, and had the capacity to get the right kit to the right employee.
  • Precise, accurate communications. Alight serviced 40 different unions, all with very different deductibles. In the past, people had received the wrong information — or none at all. Attention to detail could not be sacrificed.
  • Finding the most efficient way to communicate. How do you mail sensitive, complex, personalized information to employees’ homes and have it actually land?

Having trusted Drummond for nearly 15 years, Alight handed over the project, knowing the team was deeply familiar with benefits communications and the regulations governing them.

The solution

  • Print, kit, pack, and ship. With warehouses spanning the U.S., Drummond had both the capability and the capacity to ensure fast turnaround while maintaining quality.
  • Easy visibility. Addressing the larger issue — mail that never gets opened — Drummond recommended placing an orange sticker on each shipment so recipients could immediately identify an important piece of mail.

The results

  • A partner who took on 100% of benefits communications and distribution, saving Alight hundreds of hours and a considerable sum of money.
  • Hundreds of thousands of employees receiving the right personalized benefits package.
  • An exponential increase in employees opening and comprehending their personalized information.

A broken process of mixed-up communications became one running at nearly 100% accuracy. The orange sticker became a permanent part of the program.

From project to partner

What Alight says about Drummond:

  • Reliable and on time — Drummond keeps an open line and keeps Alight current on every project.
  • Empathetic — the team operates with the same urgency as if it were part of Alight’s business.
  • Relationship-oriented — from consultant to mentor to trusted friend.

“We know we can count on them. The benefits industry is very last second but they always step up. We very much appreciate their speed and attention to detail.”

“They do a pretty good job of bringing new ideas to us — posters, wall clings, samples of what other clients are doing.”

Running open enrollment this year?

If personalized benefits communications at scale is on your plate, we should talk.

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