Comments or suggestions?

about this or future e-newsletters.

Customer spotlight: Getronics USA Inc. on Ceridian Health & Welfare Administration

Getronics is an international information and communications technology services company with direct operations in more than 25 countries. With some 25,000 employees, Getronics designs, builds, deploys and manages services in five primary areas: application services, workspace management services, security services, communication services and technology transformation services. They have been a Ceridian customer since 2003.

In the U.S., Getronics has about 2,800 employees nationwide with larger offices located in Houston, Reston, Virginia and Boston. As an IT outsourcing company, Getronics didn't need to be convinced of the value of using an outside vendor for their benefits administration. However, the company worked with a provider for two years, starting in 2001, and during the contract period identified several areas that weren't meeting their needs.

Making the switch to Ceridian
That's when Getronics looked to Ceridian and was pleased to find a solution of superior technology along with flexible, dependable service capabilities. The ability to move to a paperless environment also impressed everyone, including members of the senior management team. In addition, Getronics wanted to simplify reporting and Ceridian offered the ability to conveniently run ad hoc reports.

As part of the vendor decision-making process, Getronics IT professionals looked closely at Ceridian's infrastructure and asked questions about business back-up plans and the caliber of staff on the immediate team as well as at the call center. According to Getronics Benefits Manager Linda Higgins, these were areas of concern with their previous vendor, and Ceridian was able to answer all of their questions.

Business solution
With a learned lesson from their previous vendor, Higgins mapped out all of the "pain points" in advance of a vendor review. The Getronics and Ceridian teams generated a lot of chemistry right away, which was the foundation of a collaborative working relationship. Getronics chose Ceridian Health & Welfare Administration, including Employee Service Center with Knowledgebase, COBRA, Retiree Billing and FSA.

The Ceridian solution has changed open enrollment at Getronics in several ways, starting with system availability that stays above 99 percent and the ability to correctly maintain eligibility. "With Ceridian, I'm confident that we designed a best practice solution and ensured that the right individuals are really getting the right services," says Getronics Director of Benefits, Joan Pulaski.

In addition, the capability to track the election process and record calls to the service center has been invaluable. Ceridian also helped Getronics streamline its benefits appeals process, a huge timesaver for staff. The tracking technology helps everyone concerned objectively adhere to the eligibility rules and regulations.

The pluses for Getronics
Since our partnership began in 2003, Higgins and Pulaski have shared their experiences with other professionals and frequently mention the features and services that Ceridian provides, including:

• Web enrollment with an intuitive system that generates comments such as "wow, that was easy" from employees.
• Quality reporting with ease.
• Premium billing generates a monthly report that captures data and pays benefits vendors.
• The call center is available during business hours for a nationwide workforce.
• Recorded phone calls objectively monitor appeals process.
• Measurement standards for service delivery are agreed on in advance and are set forth in the agreement.
• Monthly operational reports are delivered in a comprehensive format by a Ceridian account representative.

The future
The partnership with Getronics and Ceridian continues to grow. Getronics recently signed on for Ceridian Exit Interviews to learn more about why employees choose to leave. "We have enjoyed so many levels of collaboration through our partnership with Ceridian, from our daily contact to the company's ability to identify new HR trends," says Pulaski.

If you'd like more information on Health & Welfare services, contact your Ceridian representative today.