Bill Alvin saw the need arise soon after the economy turned south in 2008.
Companies would need more affordable health insurance options for employees, and that meant that insurance providers, such as Health Alliance Plan, would need to find new ways to meet the needs of customers — both the companies that subscribe to HAP plans and the employees who receive the benefits — as all parties involved became more cost-conscious.
It was a challenge any way you slice it. But to Alvin — the company’s president and CEO — it also presented an opportunity to strengthen HAP’s positive reputation for customer service, a reputation that helped them generate $1.7 billion in 2009 revenue.
“A lot has changed over the past several years, with the economic decline,” Alvin says. “But we want to make sure our products serve the needs of customers today, both companies and individuals, and are affordable options for both members and companies. That is our most immediate challenge.”
To keep the needs of customers at the top of HAP’s priority list, Alvin needed to take steps to ensure that his company would stay close to customers by facilitating an ongoing dialogue with leaders of the companies that HAP serves. He also needed to ensure that his company would employ a strategic plan that would allow it to flourish in an era of tighter purse strings and health care reform.
To make it all a reality, he needed defined processes and engaged people.
“You need to have a clear vision and mission for the company; you need a well-thought-out and defined strategic plan, a well-thought-out plan for bringing that process to life and talented, committed people as part of the company,” Alvin says. “You need all of those pieces in order to bring your plan to fruition.”