Empowering clients with new technology and services IN ASSOCIATION WITH
PPI BENEFITS
DIGITAL REPORT 2020
02
Empowering clients with new technology and services WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY
ARRON RAMPLING
03
w w w.ppi .c a /e n/ b en ef its
PPI BENEFITS INC.
Ed Hofstede, President, and Inthida Ngeth, Vice President of Operations, explain how PPI Benefits is prepared to deliver a modern benefits programme
P
art of Canadian insurance and financial services company PPI, PPI Benefits is an experienced team of consultants
and third-party administrators for group benefits. With a reputation for outstanding customer service and cutting-edge proprietary solutions, the 04
organisation provides access to plans that cover over 1,000 businesses across Canada, tailored to suit that particular enterprise’s individual needs. An expert in its field, the company offers technical support, consulting services, comprehensive implementation services, a range of benefits plans and more, all for an affordable, manageable cost. The success and results of PPI Benefits are driven by its leadership team, who join together in a united effort to promote the best services for clients. Ed Hofstede, President, has been in the insurance sector for over 30 years and calls PPI – “a major player in the Canadian insurance marketing sector” – a natural evolution in his career. Joining the company almost 15 years ago, he started out as a Regional Leader at PPI Financial Group before going on to become the
05
1995
Year founded
60
Number of employees
w w w.ppi .c a /e n/ b en ef its
The group benefits market has changed. Have you? Whether you’re an insurer, MGA, or broker, your customers are demanding more from you today than ever before. Faster time to market when designing plans, group on-boarding and employee enrolments are table stakes. Your customers are now looking for efficiency with real-time integrations that lower manual processing, personalization and mobile enablement, all with the idea of shifting focus to a customer-centric approach. Oliver Enterprise Digital Platform is backed by our comprehensive premium billing engine that enables better customer engagement and improves overall operational effectiveness. Oliver is a platform you can trust to deliver a digital-first experience for your customers. Learn more at Oliver.app
Helping People Thrive in a Digital World Learn more at Oliver.app w w w.c o mpa ny we bsite. com
PPI BENEFITS INC.
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Ed Hofstede Title: President Location: Toronto, Canada
Vice President (VP) of Marketing at PPI Advisory, the VP of PPI Benefits and finally President in 2016. Inthida Ngeth, VP of Operations, on the other hand, came up via a slightly less linear path. “I don’t have much background
08
Ed Hofstede is President of PPI Benefits and its fast-growing administration division, CustomCare, where he has embraced technology to build one of Canada’s leading Third Party Administrators (TPA’s). As a prolific idea generator, Ed has reshaped companies through focus on a differentiated customer experience, team building, and revenue growth. Ed believes that people perform their best when they enjoy being at work so he tries to keep things light and even serious meetings are rarely concluded without a few rounds of laughter. His formula for business is: (Innovation + Execution) X Caring = Success Ed is a passionate, vibrant speaker and an active advocate for workplace and youth mental health initiatives. When not working, you will likely find Ed with family, golfing, exercising, or playing guitar.
in employee benefits or insurance per se,” she explains. “My background is in technology, consulting and telecoms; I worked in different roles across various industries before focusing on technology transformation.” Ngeth states that PPI’s open attitude towards digital innovation and its desire to
leverage technology to improve its
change should look like. “I’ve tried to
customers’ and advisors’ experience
always view our business as working
is what encouraged her to join in early
through advisors to help their clients
2019. “I wanted to be part of something
create healthy, engaged, loyal and
exciting and evolutionary; the industry
productive employees,” Hofstede says.
is changing right now.”
He identifies this simple strategy as
Change is certainly in the global zeit-
integral to helping PPI’s clients provide
geist – whether socially, economically
necessary services and be success-
or technologically motivated, in the
ful. “ We believe our role goes beyond
digital era, most businesses are finding
simply employee benefits and pension.
that the only way to stay relevant is to
Our mission is to help clients improve
identify trends and adapt to them. In
their work environment and build an
this regard, PPI Benefits has a clearly
exceptional employee experience for
defined view of what good industry
the modern world.”
PPI Business Formula CLICK TO WATCH
|
1:32
w w w.ppi .c a /e n/ b en ef its
09
Group benefits made easy Insight-driven integration and innovation Insurance & Investments Simple. Fast. Easy.® The Empire Life Insurance Company. ® Registered trademark of The Empire Life Insurance Company. Group-PPI-Custom-Care-Ad-half-page-2020-05-EN-v3.indd 1
beyond
Enhance value. Extend experience. CustomerPerks from Venngo is a fully-managed discount program that helps your organization engage with customers while they save on life’s essentials. With a broad range of special discounts, we can uniquely extend your client experience and value proposition nationwide. Contact us today to learn more about how you can leverage CustomerPerks as part of your digital customer strategy.
1.866.383.6646 x227
2020-05-19 2:21 PM
PPI Benefits: The Advisor centric TPA CLICK TO WATCH
|
0:29
11 This ability to see beyond the mere
contrast that with the Actual results
product or service which it provides is
they are currently achieving,” explains
what gives PPI its edge and continues
Hofstede. Focusing on the two ‘Ps’ –
to inform its approach. Having worked
Possibilities and Priorities – PPI helps its
with some of the top advisors in the
clients identify what’s important to them
country, PPI has developed a sophisti-
and how to execute an effective plan.
cated mode of operation which factors
Access to the latest technology and
in high business ethics, technological
an integrated system for deploying it
innovation and a strong, customer-
is crucial to this operating model, and
centric philosophy. “We use what we
that, in turn, requires a well thought
call a ‘G.A.P.P. consulting methodology’:
out digital transformation. “We know
we look at the goals set by the client,
what our member and advisor jour-
understand why they are running a
ney should look like in terms of what
benefits programme and what they
we aspire to and how we want to
are trying to accomplish, and then we
transform in each of the steps,” says w www.c w w.ppi o mpa.cny a /e wen/ bsite. b en ef com its
PPI BENEFITS INC.
Ngeth. Taking an iterative approach,
problems and allows staff to focus their
PPI Benefits has begun to deploy AI
energy on more critical client-facing
(artificial intelligence) in increments to
activities. “I want to automate the
automate less crucial functions whilst
predictable so we can humanise the
gradually developing larger tech solu-
exceptional,” he adds. “It’s all about
tions. It’s an approach that allows the
making PPI Benefits really effective
company to constantly be achieving a
and efficient on the predictable pro-
string of small victories which will add
cesses so that we’ve got more time
up to a larger goal. After all, Hofstede
to deal with people.”
says, repetitive data-entry tasks are
12
Handling the vast amounts of data
tedious for employees and subject to
relevant to the insurance sector and
manual error. Transferring the respon-
placing it in an integrated environment
sibility of these tasks from humans to
for analytics software led PPI Benefits
machines eliminates this margin for
to start moving to a cloud-based
PPI Automation & AI CLICK TO WATCH
|
2:16
platform – the company as a whole is actively transitioning to the cloud. Gathering, analysing and presenting that data to advisors and clients forms one of the company’s biggest techno-
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Inthida Ngeth Title: Vice President, Operations Location: Toronto, Canada
logical challenges. “We’re looking to evolve how we gather the information in a way that is easier and more consolidated in one location. From there, we can slice and dice it any way we want and structure it accordingly to make it meaningful,” Ngeth states. In the digital era, where data is king, knowing how to extract value from it and use historical
Inthida Ngeth is Vice President of Operations at PPI Benefits. She oversees P&L performance across divisions and leads all facets of operations. As a value builder and connector, Inthida thrives on bringing vision, ideas, and people together to create new potential. With 15 years of experience across the insurance, tech, consulting and telecom sectors, she has led organisations and teams to exceptional growth, by leveraging her diverse operational, marketing and strategic background to deliver impactful results and create customer-first solutions and services. Passionate about helping others develop and succeed, Inthida is a coach and mentor, and serves as an advisor for a portfolio of emerging startups. She is also an active champion for diversity and inclusion and the advancement of women in leadership.
w w w.ppi .c a /e n/ b en ef its
13
To us, innovation is only worth it if it makes it easier for you and your employees to…
– enrol on any mobile device, even for complex flexible plans
Innovate to alleviate
– file claims or manage retirement savings in our mobile app – administer the plan and automate data exchange across systems – maximize member engagement and the value of your group plan Discover a redefined group insurance and retirement plan experience at ia.ca/group
iA Financial Group is a proud partner of FYidoctors.
UNPARALLELED RESOURCES. AT YOUR COMMAND. As a national marketer of insurance and financial services, PPI’s mission is to connect more than 5,000 independent advisors, and their clients, with what they need to achieve leading edge financial solutions. Our deeper role is to challenge people to dream – to plan and create a legacy – for their family, their business and succession planning. And today that’s more important than ever.
www.ppi.ca
patterns to determine decision-making,
we also know that there are a growing
predict and inform risk assessments
number of millennial clients coming
is PPI’s objective. However, far from
through, and sometimes they may also
being purely utilitarian, Hofstede
value interacting with a chatbot, so we
emphasises that a technological
need that capability too.”
approach is crucial to business conti-
Despite a strong tech underpinning
nuity with a new generation of people
to its operations, PPI Benefits ensures
with different expectations. “PPI is
that the human touch is never lost at the
starting to use AI in the customer ser-
customer service level. The company is
vice realm and there’s an opportunity
also careful to ensure that its staff can
to use it for some of our narrower prod-
wield the digital tools they are equipped
uct deliveries. Our wonderful people
with securely. Indeed, cybersecurity
have always been an important part
is a top priority of both clients and the
of PPI Benefits’ value proposition, but
modern, digitalised insurance sector.
PPI AI + Machine CLICK TO WATCH
|
1:54
w www.c w w.ppi o mpa.cny a /e wen/ bsite. b en ef com its
15
PPI BENEFITS INC.
16
“ Our role goes beyond simply employee benefits and pension. Our mission is to help clients improve their work environment and build an exceptional employee experience” — Ed Hofstede, President, PPI Benefits
The company’s focus on digitisation couldn’t have come at a more fortuitous time; the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has made global businesses question the integrity of their previous ways of operating and seek out more advanced solutions. In this uncertain, new environment, Hofstede says that forging a way forward is “about picking partners that PPI can work with to deliver the digital employee and advisor experience” that it envisions. Critical to helping PPI Benefits on this journey so far have been companies like Oliver, a modern benefits and pension administration software company; and Venngo, a work-perks group discount programme, and IA Financial Group. Although they all collaborate with PPI Benefits on different things, Hofstede explains that there’s one consistent element that these relationships are based on: trust. “One of the first things PPI Benefits does is assess the reasonableness of their promises and commitments. We deal with partners and suppliers every day, so we have to ensure we’re comfortable dealing with them. If we choose to work with them, it’s because they provide high-quality goods and services, they’re ethical and they work well with our team.” w w w.ppi .c a /e n/ b en ef its
17
PPI BENEFITS INC.
18
“ I think, more than anybody else, we’re poised for success with our foundation of technology. PPI Benefits is optimistic because we know the possibilities and how to reach them” — Inthida Ngeth, Vice President, Operations, PPI Benefits
Although the rest of 2020 will be a challenge, both Hofstede and Ngeth are confident that PPI Benefits has hit the ground running. The changes being ushered in are all about creating a better experience for the people who need PPI’s services, and the company is not being complacent in trying to find out the best way to secure that goal. “These days, you’re not just being compared to other advisors, administrators or insurance companies,” Hofstede says. “Now, you’re being compared to the best experience a customer can
19
have anywhere, dealing with anybody.”
to empowering advisors with new
With companies like Amazon revolu-
technology and services to deliver bet-
tionising the convenience of shopping
ter value for corporate clients. “We’re
and same/next day delivery, why
excited about the future and how we’re
shouldn’t PPI Benefits try to do some-
doing it differently,” Ngeth concludes.
thing similar in its field, he asks. “In
“I think, more than anybody else, we’re
addition to just the traditional benefits,
poised for success with our foundation
dental plan and pension, maybe there
of technology. PPI Benefits is optimis-
could be an employee assistance pro-
tic because we know the possibilities
gramme, a mental health programme,
and how to reach them.”
alcohol treatment program, employee discounts, etc.” Clearly, the sky’s the limit for what a modern benefits programme could be, and PPI is dedicated w w w.ppi .c a /e n/ b en ef its
PPI BENEFITS 235 ARDELT AVENUE, SUITE 1A, KITCHENER, ON N2C 2M3 T 800-463-4161 W w w w.ppi.ca/en/benefits
P0WERED BY