How this National Manufacturing Employer Elevated Their Benefits Strategy

Our client, BASF, has a diverse workforce that needed help understanding which benefits were available to them and how those benefits support their wellbeing. Here’s how they transformed their benefits administration strategy.

When it comes to transforming employee benefits, BASF didn’t just make incremental changes, they completely reimagined their approach by leaning into data insights, employee feedback, and their vendor partners.  

With thousands of employees across diverse roles and locations in the U.S., BASF faced a daunting challenge: How could they connect with every individual, improving benefits engagement while balancing cost-efficiency and employee satisfaction? 

The answer? A partnership with Businessolver designed to revolutionize their benefits strategy using innovative tools, customized communication, and empathy-driven solutions.  

Here’s how we help clients like you dig into your data and insights to craft an effective benefits administration strategy that reduces risk, encourages year-round engagement, and gives HR more time and flexibility back in their day. 

See how the right technology drives more results for our manufacturing clients. 

Why BASF needed a fresh approach to benefits communication

With more than 12,000 employees across 100+ locations in the U.S., BASF’s workforce is quite diverse. Spanning manufacturing, sales, administration, and laboratory roles, workers also include multi-generational employees, a heavy proportion of male employees (70%), and union workers. 

BASF’s workforce created unique communication challenges: 

• Fruitless print communications: The team relied heavily on print communications, such as hefty benefits booklets, which were costly and ineffective. 

• Complexity vs. accessibility: Benefits communications were riddled with jargon and acronyms that added unnecessary complexity for employees unfamiliar with HR terminology.  

• Addressing all needs: From office workers to unionized manufacturing employees, BASF needed a strategy that could connect with every employee while respecting their unique contexts, including dependents and decision-makers at home.  

5 ways BASF transformed their benefits strategy (that you can use, too) 

It was clear to Sam Elliott, Wellbeing and Digital Health Senior Specialist at BASF, that they couldn’t simply continue with their traditional approach. They needed to innovate. So, together, we created a strategy rooted in digital tools, user-friendly communication, and custom engagement.  

Here’s how BASF worked with us to pull it off: 

1. Harnessing the power of digital with Virtual Benefits Fairs  

Printing annual enrollment booklets for a diverse, nationwide workforce proved to be both costly and rigid. Instead, we introduced Virtual Benefits Fairs—engaging, flexible, and accessible digital spaces where employees could explore their benefits. 

Each vendor hosted their own “booth,” complete with explainer videos, downloadable materials, and key information. BASF further gamified the experience by incorporating raffles that offered fun, branded items like Yeti coolers and tech gadgets to employees who engaged with the fair.  

The results? Over 2,100 unique users attended the fair, creating buzz and improving benefit visibility without wasting paper or resources. 

2. Centralizing key information with a clean and clear design  

Businessolver provided critical support as BASF transitioned from print-heavy materials to a clean and easy-to-navigate Reference Center. All benefits-related information, including health insurance, retirement plans, and wellness programs were digitized, simplified, and made searchable.  

Removing acronyms and layering in helpful notes ensured the content was accessible to all generations and education levels. This design wasn’t just about aesthetics, it was about boosting self-service capabilities for employees, so HR teams could focus on higher-level strategies.  

3. Encouraging Long-Term Digital Adoption  

Recognizing that behavior change doesn’t happen overnight, BASF took a gradual approach toward encouraging digital interaction. They promoted the use of the MyChoice^® Mobile App and enabled SMS notifications.  

By creating QR codes for on-site posters and workplace materials, BASF made it effortless for employees, including those without company-issued devices, to access benefits on their personal phones or tablets. Mobile adoption rates increased year after year as employees grew comfortable with the new tools. 

4. Delivering Education Through “Take Five” Videos  

One of the smartest tactics BASF employed was providing short, digestible Take Five Videos. Tackling common questions like “What’s a copay?” and “How do HSAs work?”. These five-minute videos offered employees clarity on tough topics without overwhelming them.  

Hosted on the benefits platform homepage and integrated within the Virtual Benefits Fair, these videos proved valuable during annual enrollment and as evergreen resources for new hires. Complaints and customer service inquiries dropped significantly. 

5. Effective Pre-Enrollment Campaigns  

Reducing the annual enrollment stress cycle was another big goal for BASF. We worked together on a Benefits Enrollment Success Checklist. This checklist included pre-enrollment videos and FAQs that helped familiarize employees with high-deductible health plans and supplementals insurance options. Plus, it encouraged visits to the Reference Center in advance of enrollment deadlines. 

By breaking enrollment tasks into smaller, manageable steps, BASF helped employees to prepare without feeling swamped. 

Transform your benefits administration today 

Are you ready to revolutionize your benefits strategy like BASF? Our tools and expert guidance can help you create a benefits experience that drives meaningful engagement and yields measurable results.  

Schedule a demo to learn more about our technology and service.