The move to remote and hybrid work enables businesses to hire more diverse workforces. Yet building connections between distributed teams is a challenge. Poll Everywhere helps, by powering hybrid work and inclusive conversations through live online polling, surveys, Q&As, quizzes, word clouds, and more.

The startup’s technology aids massive brands like Target, Google, and AT&T — proof that small teams can have a large impact. This is something Benefits & People Operations Specialist Tanya Perez knows well. As part of a small HR team, she relies on strong partnerships with human resources vendors to deliver the best support to Poll Everywhere employees. Perez worked for years with the company’s previous broker, but when her point of contact left the team 4 months before open enrollment, she was left without a clear line of support.

Leaning on Nava resources for self-support

During that time, Perez took on much of the work that her previous broker was responsible for. “We were having issues with sending information between our systems and I was the one corralling everything. It was frustrating not really knowing where to go for support — and when I asked for help, it wasn’t there,” she shared. Each time she had a question or answer, it went to a different person within a centralized support team.

She was also doing research for open enrollment. “Open enrollment is my baby. I look forward to it and always want to make sure we have our ducks in a row ahead of time,” she said.

As part of her research, she came across a health benefits survey template from Nava that she could tailor and send to employees, and Nava’s Slack community. “I really like the community and having the ability to talk to and learn from other HR professionals, especially in the benefits field,” she said.

The more she explored the Nava website, the more she found — also appreciating Nava webinars featuring guest speakers from other companies on a range of HR topics.

Making the switch, and consolidating employee benefits management into the Nava Benefits App

Perez was at a crossroads. There was just enough time before open enrollment to make a change, but not enough time to feel confident about a transition. Still, she was open to a conversation with Nava to learn more and approached her manager about exploring the option to change brokers.

What followed was a short exploration. “I was sold on Nava’s mission and confident that Nava could solve all our pain points. And I knew we’d have a dedicated team for continued support,” she said. “We decided to just do it.”

Perez also loved the option to roll out the Nava Benefits App, empathizing with employee frustrations around creating and managing multiple online accounts, tracking group numbers or Member IDs, and locating in-network providers. “When I learned about the app, I was like, ‘That’s beautiful’ and I love that the app is available to all clients. Another one of our pain points was that once employees are enrolled in their benefits, they often don’t know where to go afterward to manage their care.”

Poll Everywhere wasn’t looking to make major changes to its plans and carriers, though the company did introduce a new dental carrier and a buy-up plan for dental and vision. These were some of the first plan changes introduced to employees in years.

“We started the open enrollment process with Nava and were able to get it done,” she said. “We had many touchpoints and the Nava team was very communicative, which I appreciated. It was a quick onboarding and now that we’re in the new plan year, the team is just as communicative. They’re always there to answer my questions.”

The value of a trusted broker partnership

Perez appreciates having more access to her Nava partner and support team than they had with their previous broker.

“Our broker is an expert, and even if she doesn’t have an answer to a question, she gets right back to me,” Perez shared. “It’s the type of relationship I want with my broker — one where I feel comfortable, we can have a constructive dialogue, and where there’s trust. The Nava team knows that all clients are different, and they’re helping me learn more about benefits. Now I can better explain our plans to employees — what we’re offering, and why.”

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Perez’s team rolled out the Nava Benefits App after the calendar year turned over, which immediately led to a decrease in benefits questions from employees — saving her approximately two hours each week. Now she spends half as much time on benefits.

“The app frees up a lot of my time to focus on all the other things I have to do,” she said. “Some days I used to dread getting questions because it would take so much of my day. Now, if something comes up, I reach out to the Nava team to clarify or resolve. In the last few weeks, I haven't had anyone reach out to me with questions about benefits. Employees are using the app and getting the support they need.”

Perez looks forward to having more time with Nava ahead of the next open enrollment cycle and using data from this year’s plan to inform upcoming renewal meetings. “The team is great about sharing about new benefit trends, so I'm excited about the conversations we'll have to continue improving open enrollment,” she said. “I am always hoping to do 10% better each year.”