Boomi’s data management platform helps leading Australia-based superannuation fund HESTA develop and launch Member Online customer portal, driving greater engagement and offering tailored support during COVID-19.
Boomi, a Dell Technologies business, has announced that superannuation fund HESTA has leveraged the Boomi platform to launch its Member Online portal, enabling it to provide 24/7 personalized member experiences and support an increased number of queries as members sought information on their superannuation in response to the pandemic.
HESTA is a national industry superfund for people working in health and community services. It supports more than 870,000 members – more than 80% of which are women – and manages US$52 billion in assets.
As part of a strategy focused on digital innovation and using data insights to deliver seamless, personalized experiences for its members, HESTA used the Boomi integration Platform-as-a-Service (iPaaS) to help build its own online member portal to deliver tailored support to each of its members.
Sheena Peeters, General Manager Technology at HESTA, said the Members Online portal was a critical customer engagement channel as it enabled members – many of whom are shift workers managing irregular hours – to access the services and information they need when they needed it.
“Our members are critical frontline workers,” said Peeters. “Not only are they incredibly busy, but many of them do shift work. Digital channels like Members Online allow us to be there for them 24/7, and ensure we’re serving them the right information at the right time.”
Peeters said in order to provide personalized member experiences, HESTA needed real-time access to its customer data, the ability to rapidly innovate and deliver customer value, and connections between multiple cloud applications and the superannuation fund’s core data sources.
The ability to easily integrate 150 processes and connect almost 30 corporate systems in a hub-and-spoke architecture with a low-code design empowered HESTA to design, develop and deliver its own online portal. More recently, it also successfully built a cloud-based call center in under a month, integrating with its CRM, online portal and other digital channels so frontline staff have real-time data at their fingertips to give members personalized services in their time of need.
“Building our integration layer with the Boomi platform allowed us to quickly adapt Members Online to deliver to evolving member expectations as we go,” said Peeters. “It has also given us the ability to constantly iterate and release new functionality very quickly because it’s so easy to use. When you’re integrating the multiple systems and processes required to drive an online portal, there’s no room for complexity or extensive coding.”
Unlocking data to overcome newfound challenges
Katrina Waghorne, General Manager Digital at HESTA, said this ability to rapidly respond to member demand and integrate the necessary data across multiple applications proved pivotal in response to COVID-19.
“Last year we saw high volumes of traffic to the portal and website. Through Member Online, we were able to very quickly deliver specific messages that assisted our members.
“Before implementing a data integration layer, we didn’t have access to the data needed to create personalized experiences at scale. Boomi has supported us so to deliver individually tailored experiences to members that will help us make a real difference to their financial future.”
Waghorne said as a result HESTA had greatly increased member engagement, including a 92% year-on-year increase in Member Online traffic in June, with average time on site up 143%.
Nicholas Lambrou, Managing Director Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) at Boomi, said many Australians were not aware of how important it was to take an interest in their superannuation. By driving more frequent engagement through personalization, HESTA has inspired members to take control of their financial futures.
“HESTA’s devotion to its members is clear in the way it used digital technologies and the power of data to build truly tailored experiences and support its members as they face their greatest challenges.
“By gaining control over their data and using it in new and powerful ways, HESTA made it easier for members to engage with their superannuation and take action to set themselves up well into the future.”
We asked Stephen Reily, COO at HESTA, further questions about the deployment.
What necessitated your decision to utilize the platform?
HESTA is ambitious in its purpose to make a real impact on the financial outcomes of members. This ambition drove the need to connect an increasing number of digital businesses and platforms. One option was building point to point system connections between ourselves and our internal and external partners, but this would only lead to complexity and no easy way of it being centrally managed. So we chose instead to pursue modernization of our platforms and processes through an API-led approach and avoid lifting and shifting later.
How far is the platform delivering on your objectives?
Our driving objective was the ability to create a hub and spoke architecture that allowed critical platforms to connect and deliver the right information to business services through a catalog of APIs. This enables us to leverage the data we have to create services more seamlessly and with velocity through best-of-breed solutions. The Boomi platform plays a critical role in delivering on this objective.
Our digital services enable members to get guidance, access information and make decisions through our Member Online Platform across a 24/7 time period, with information available in real-time through the Boomi platform. It also helps to support on-going innovation and more efficient solutions.
What are the practical benefits of the platform’s ease of use?
We have an API-led principle to connect platforms and leverage data across the organization and drive business change to maximize member value. The ease of use has created velocity in our ability to build solutions. The platform has helped HESTA deploy a new digital member online platform to members, continue to extend and uplift this service with new features, and enable the sharing of information across channels so that we can support members through digital, phone and face-to-face engagement channels.
In addition, corporate and investment platforms have also been connected providing opportunities to streamline processes and leverage data across more business functions. Recent automation of the platform means HESTA is able to develop, test and deploy with increased deployment velocity with confidence on quality and security.
How has the system improved your company’s performance?
Our purpose is to make a difference to the financial outcomes of our members. We want our members to connect with us and feel confident about their decisions. Since June 2020, when our Member Online Platform was deployed, we have seen an exponential increase in digital engagement and our net promoter score – a key indicator of our member satisfaction which we know directly impacts retention and better financial decisions. These improved experiences and processes have also helped us to grow members despite the Covid-related disruptions.
Why did you choose to work with Boomi?
HESTA did a market scan and narrowed down to three platform providers. We knew that we needed a platform with high ease of use and which enabled APIs to be crafted with velocity. While the other vendors discussed features akin to drag and drop to build connections, the demonstrations didn’t show this potential.
We wanted the ability to work with APIs without the need for extensive coding. Boomi were able to demonstrate through a POC that they could connect with ease and without complex coding. Furthermore, they were more focused on customer outcomes and showed an alignment to HESTA’s purpose of making a real impact to our members.
Boomi engaged with HESTA directly to understand who our members were and what business problems we were keen to solve. Three years later, we still have this engaged relationship with Boomi who work closely with us through their Architecture As A Service to continuously help drive customer outcomes.
What is the most significant benefit members have profited from because of the work you’ve done using the platform?
Members have the ability to self-service, get information and take action such as change investment options or increase their contributions 24/7. This is incredibly valuable to a large percentage of our members who are front line health workers and work in rostered shifts during all hours across the day and week. We know that when our members take action, it makes a real difference to their financial future so we want to provide them with the opportunity when it suits them
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