Member Spotlight

One of the most valuable resources for plan participants as they prepare for retirement continues to be face-to-face educational events such as seminars and one-on-one meetings. Recordkeepers are often tasked with providing participants with face-to-face education on behalf of plans as a part of their contracted services. Although recordkeepers’ field representatives successfully connect with many individuals, some participants view them as external vendors and choose not to take advantage of the valuable education. One NAGDCA member found success in addressing the perceived disconnect between the recordkeeper and the Plan by bringing their field representatives in-house.

In July 2017, Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System (MOSERS) transitioned six field representatives, otherwise known as education specialists, from their recordkeeper to MOSERS employees under the guidance of Cindy Rehmeier, Manager of Defined Contribution Plans; Brooke Rowden, Education and Marketing Coordinator; and Kelsey Harris, Marketing Specialist. Transitioning the positions in-house created an immediate connection between the education specialists and participants simply based on their shared employer, the State of Missouri. That connection opened up agency doors creating opportunities for more presentations and one-on-one meetings, and aided in establishing trusting relationships.

In their 2019 NAGDCA Leadership Award winning nomination, MOSERS shared that the Plan “uses several methods to communicate with state employees, including face-to-face events, email, text, website articles, social media channels, and print. Of all these methods, our face-to-face education is one of the most valued and important parts of our education and marketing strategies. Unfortunately, having the education specialists employed by the recordkeeper created a disconnect in the eyes of state employees and employers, as well as serving as a communications barrier at times. Bringing the field team in-house helped the plan overcome this hurdle, as well as resulting in many positive changes to the plan’s education and marketing efforts.”

Those positive changes include:

• building a better employee and employer relationship with the Plan,
• increased participant and event reporting,
• streamlining education and marketing efforts.

When asked about the transition, the MOSERS team shared, “It’s been just shy of three years since the transition and when we think about it, one word comes to mind: control. The transition has given us more control over our education efforts. Before we simply controlled the messaging we sent out: emails, newsletters, videos, web updates, etc. We had no control over what the team of education specialists did in the field, who they spoke to, what messaging they pushed, or how it was presented to state employees. Bringing the team in-house gave us that control we had been lacking and helped create a stronger, more unified approach to our education and marketing.”