posted October 14, 2008
Unum has created a specialized approach to serving its Spanish-speaking customers, from customized employee education and enrollment materials, to bilingual call centers and on-claim support.
People of Hispanic origin comprise the largest ethnic minority in the United States, making up 15 percent of the nation's total population. The estimated Hispanic population is expected to more than double to 102.6 million by 2050. Unum's approach meets the needs of this growing demographic by bridging the gaps that have hindered effective benefit communication.
"Through the company's expanded Spanish-language capabilities, Unum is connecting Hispanic workers to their benefits," said Bilda Acuña, assistant vice president of Hispanic markets. By evaluating the benefit needs and the cultural dynamics of Hispanic workers, Unum has expanded its bilingual customer service model and Spanish-language communications capabilities to ensure clear communication through the entire benefit process.
"Understanding benefits can be challenging for everyone, but it is especially difficult for Hispanics who come from countries where certain employee benefits do not exist," said Acuña. "As the Hispanic population continues to grow in the U.S., it is imperative for benefits providers to help these employees understand the benefit options that are available to them and their families."
Benefits education
The first step in the benefits process is education. Unum has created an entirely new portfolio of Spanish education and enrollment materials that is culturally relevant to this demographic group. "For instance, many Hispanics come from countries where long term care services are not commonly used; therefore, long term care insurance is an unknown," said Acuña. "Education must extend beyond just our products in order to sell a need that has likely never been considered."
Contact Centers
Officials said that Unum's dedication to servicing Hispanic workers extends into the support provided on a day-to-day basis. Data trends show an increase in the demand for Spanish-speaking support in customer service departments. Unum's contact centers have seen a dramatic increase in calls to the Spanish line.
To help meet the demand, the company recently added a bilingual call center at its Worcester, Ma., location. Contact centers located in Chattanooga, Portland, Me., and Glendale, Ca., currently employ bilingual employees, and Worcester will now play a significant role in the company's Hispanic initiative.
Claims Support
Unum's office located in Glendale will begin processing all new short term and long term disability claims for Spanish-speaking customers. Not only does the Glendale benefits center have a long track record of offering superior service to Unum's customers in English, it will now leverage that expertise and its existing bilingual staff to better serve Spanish-speaking customers.
The team dedicated to this new initiative consists of more than a dozen bilingual benefits specialists with an average of 12 years experience at Unum. Customers can expect to not only speak to someone in their own language but to someone who has a deep knowledge base of the benefit products they service.
"Investments in additional bilingual staffing, infrastructure and robust training programs reflect Unum's long term commitment to making benefit communication and customer support easy for Spanish-speaking customers every step of the way," said Acuña.
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