“Thinking in terms of opportunities rather than obstacles”
SD Worx recently completed a challenging implementation process at insurance company Scildon (formerly Legal & General) in Hilversum. Scildon was looking for a software solution for a specific compensation group, namely benefit recipients. Wim van Huizen, Manager Finance & Control, talks about the challenge they faced.
“We were looking for a new compensation package that would be less labour-intensive than the system we have been running to date, less error-prone and which would allow us to pay this specific target group in a customer-friendly and simple way.”
“SD Worx did not top our list immediately”
“I have to be honest, when we were sending our first feelers, SD Worx did not top our list immediately. We knew the name, but had no experience with the company. In addition, disbursing benefits to beneficiaries is different from remunerating regular employees; we did not know if their Cobra software package could handle it. For the sake of fair comparison, however, we invited them to submit a proposal anyway.
“What struck me back then was that SD Worx immediately showed commitment to the project, while at the same time sketching a realistic picture of what was possible and what was not. Even when we wanted to see an extensive demo in January, they honestly indicated that, at the time, they had prioritised providing support to existing customers over making demos for potential new customers. They therefore thought it was important to first satisfy their customers and that, as a prospect, we had to wait a bit more. Even though this might not be something you’d want to hear, it did make me feel I should trust them. If and when we became their customer, we would also like to be their priority.
In addition, it soon became clear that there was a great range of possibilities in the features that we were looking for in a new package. All desired options could be implemented in the standard Cobra solution. Moreover, SD Worx prefers to think in terms of opportunities rather than obstacles. The project team took a very flexible approach and managed to surprise us positively again and again. Whenever something seemed impossible at first, the team would work tirelessly behind the scenes to turn things around and make it possible. The functions were not tested until they met our expectations. As a result, SD Worx has provided us with a package that enables us to achieve our own objectives: to pay compensation benefits to our customers optimally, whether as one-off or periodic payments. And the fact that we were able to implement the solution in such a short time - just a few months - validates the professionalism of an organisation such as SD Worx.”
Satisfied end users
Although Scildon's insurance and pension policies are sold through advisors, it is of course essential that the end-user, the insured person, is satisfied with the services provided by Scildon. "Customer expectations are paramount and that is the yardstick we used when purchasing a package such as Cobra," Wim emphasises. "We therefore expect that the satisfaction of our customers will increase even further with this software. Our goal is also to achieve strong growth and the software solution will certainly help us."
"I hope that we will start a collaboration with SD Worx to develop the disbursement services package further. Other target groups, such as pensioners, will also receive their benefits via this software in the future.”
Customer expectations are paramount and that is the yardstick we used when purchasing a package such as Cobra. We expect the satisfaction of our customers to increase even further with this software.
– Wim van Huizen, Manager of Finance & Control at Scildon
“Dare to change”
“Finally, I’d like to share this tip with other players: dare to change. Switching to software that is deeply embedded in the organisation may seem like a major undertaking - and it is. This is where a flexible partner really makes a difference. A partner with whom you immediately have an affinity, a team you feel comfortable discussing ideas, who brainstorms with you and makes sure you don’t meet any obstacles. It may be an investment but, ultimately, it is such a great relief to have such a package that actually works in practice like you want it to work. SD Worx has proven to be the right partner for us in any case.”