I recently sat down with our President and CEO, Bill Delmage, at the WDA office in East Providence to talk about why we do what we do. Here is what he had to say:

What is it that sets WD & Associates apart from other Broker Advisers?

We find solutions for people. Our clients come to us when they have a problem and we help them find a solution and then implement that solution. I think it is the combination of our deep product knowledge with a service mindset that makes us special. Those together help us solve problems and improve people’s lives.

In your opinion, what is the most important thing your team does?

I teach my team to be curious. Our value proposition is: What information do I need to solve this problem for this client? On the service side they do not accept no for an answer and when talking to insurance carriers and healthcare providers, “no” is usually the first answer you get. You have to press on and do your homework, asking lots of questions. So often the game changing answer is only the next question away. In cases when no is the answer, I know we have done our very best for the client. That’s why our work matters; that’s why we go the extra yard for our clients.

You’re talking about customer service, how about the sales team?

I think curiosity is a key trait there too. We are very interested in what our clients are experiencing, where they have problems and what is holding them back from reaching their goals. By really listening we are often able to match the right product that can solve their problem. The other side of the coin is education, do they understand their products and services. We want our clients to have appropriate protection and we want them to succeed in their businesses. 

Can you give me some examples of how you've helped your clients?

Sure, we help with a broad range of issues. For instance, a client's employee needed a family member admitted to an out of state residential rehab center that said it didn't take insurance but we pushed. It happened to be during their open enrollment and we found a plan that would cover the center and got that person into treatment quickly. The father called me recently and said "you saved my son's life." To have that kind of impact, that’s pretty special!

Another recent issue had to do with a life insurance settlement. The insurance company denied the claim citing part of the policy that made the deceased ineligible for coverage. We asked some questions and found out that the insurance company was operating with incomplete information. With the correct information there was another clause in the contract that allowed for a payout. The client had given up hope so it felt great to be able to deliver that good news. 

We worked with another client to put a wellness plan in place and really engage their employees with the program over several years. They are seeing great results in both their population health and also their health insurance renewal rate. 

(You can read more about their multi-year benefits strategy on the WD Blog and another story about how we used consolidation to save the client substantial time and money.)

You sound pretty pumped up about what you do. What has you most excited right now?

We are expanding. Our business is growing and we are in hiring mode. That means we have been doing a lot of the deep thinking about who we are and what makes us tick. Some of the things we are implementing internally might wind up in our webinars and consulting portfolio very soon.