Building a culture of service

We all hear a lot of talk about “culture” in the workplace these days.  It’s one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around a lot – especially with the current challenge employers face with attracting and retaining talent. But, what do we mean when we say “workplace culture”? What does a good workplace culture look like? What does bad culture look like?

Honestly, it’s a pretty broad topic encompassing a range of things: benefits, a company’s mission, leadership, attitude towards employees, general workplace environment. But, to me, workplace culture is also about how you treat your clients. I think the way you treat clients is indicative of the kind of environment you foster within the walls of your office.

Needless to say; one of the main reasons I’ve joined Trustmark is the culture. Plain and simple, from day one I’ve seen the company adhering to a culture of service that makes sense to me and makes sense for my clients. To me, there are four key aspects of a culture of service which brokers and employers should look for from a carrier:

Accountability

It’s funny how sometimes the way you approach challenges says more about your company and your culture than how you handle smooth sailing. Mistakes happen; the person or carrier who tells you otherwise is either being dishonest or exercising a bit of wishful thinking. What really counts for your culture is how you respond to those challenges. 

Do you own mistakes and try to make things right? Do you take accountability and try to improve on things even if it isn’t yours to own? Or do you point fingers rather than looking for solutions. I think a positive culture of service is one that feels accountable for creating positive outcomes and doesn’t shy away from that accountability.

Responsiveness

Responsiveness is critical to me.  And, I was very curious to find that when I joined Trustmark, they’d conducted research which showed that brokers and employers felt the same way.  A recent study found that more than 40 percent of brokers consider “responding to service requests within 24 hours” a motivating factor for choosing a carrier to work with.¹ When a broker or an employer needs a solution, they often can’t afford to wait 2 or even 3 days, they need a response quickly.  Being responsive is key for creating a positive culture of service and it leads to my next point…

Urgency to take care of the group

That importance of being responsive also supports my next point: urgency to take care of the group. Responsiveness is certainly a part of this, but it extends beyond just responding, it includes being proactive and actively looking out for the needs of clients and their employees.  It means planning ahead and thinking about things outside of benefits which impact your offering: communication, technology and ancillary programs to name a few.  Thinking ahead to address these, actively engaging to try to improve a benefits experience is critical and essential to Trustmark’s culture of service.  Of course, as carriers, we won’t catch everything which is why the following point is so important.

Listening

This is perhaps the characteristic that resonates most strongly at Trustmark.  I look at our product lineup and it is evident to me that each product offering was built as a direct result of listening to our customers.  It’s not just products, our service solutions and processes have been carefully developed by simply listening.  In fact, we have our own phrase for it that we reference constantly, “the voice of the customer”.  

Listening means a lot, internally and externally.  It shows that you’re really going to hear both employees and the clients you serve.  It clearly illustrates a willingness to learn, adapt, grow and change – traits which are essential for providing an outstanding benefits experience.

Culture matters – both internally and externally.  More often than not, the internal culture of a company is a reflection of their external culture and how they treat clients.  It is just one of the many reasons I’m so excited to be embarking on my journey here at Trustmark – because of the way we treat our clients.  This unique and meaningful culture of service matches what I value for my clients.

¹ “Keep it Simple: 4 Keys for Voluntary Benefits Success” -Trustmark and C+R Research. 2020.