SimplyWell, Inc.

Business challenge

As a leader in workplace wellness solutions, SimplyWell continues to look for new and innovative ways to engage wellness program participants and inform them about new activities.

Transformation

SimplyWell is preparing to use IBM Watson Campaign Automation to offer personalized communications that encourage program participants to complete wellness activities and keep track of their health.

Results

Business challenge story

Helping people stay fit and healthy

Many of us want to enjoy a healthier, happier lifestyle; however, getting there is often easier said than done. Falling back into old habits is all too easy, especially when there's a lack of motivation and support.

SimplyWell, a workplace wellness provider, helps employers build cultures of health and improve the well-being of their employees with comprehensive solutions, including biometric screenings, health assessments, challenges, coaching, condition management, and educational resources. SimplyWell manages member health data and personalizes wellness programs to address client needs and create engaging wellness experiences.

SimplyWell serves over 600 workplaces, each with their own unique goals and a diverse employee community. Inspiring employees to engage in their wellness programs and make the most of the opportunities available is a constant challenge.

Kristi Harrington, Director of Digital Strategy and Partnerships at SimplyWell, explains: “It can take up to three years for a healthier lifestyle to translate into measurable improvements in health plan costs. To keep members engaged in our programs for the long haul, we set out to inspire non-registered members to take the initial steps in transforming their health and well-being.”

In the past, SimplyWell relied on an in-house email marketing platform to interact with members, but communications were limited to transactional messages such as password reset requests. The company realized that more targeted and relevant communications had the potential to spark greater member participation and decided to look for a new approach to digital engagement.

Transformation story

Single platform for targeted initiatives

SimplyWell built a central communications hub powered by IBM Watson Campaign Automation to deliver targeted, multi-channel marketing campaigns that help engage and motivate employees throughout the program year.

“We wanted a way to communicate based on members’ actual interaction with our services. IBM Watson Campaign Automation delivered exactly the capabilities we were looking for,” says Harrington. “With the IBM solution, we can create triggers to communicate with a member who hasn’t completed their initial biometric screening or remind them to hit an upcoming health challenge target. Better still, IBM Watson Campaign Automation supports push notifications—opening up a new channel to connect with our members.”

To help ensure a smooth and successful implementation of the IBM solution, SimplyWell engaged IBM Business Partner Revenue Automation.

“We’ve built a great partnership with Revenue Automation over the past two years,” continues Harrington. “Revenue Automation’s consultants took the time to fully understand our unique business model. Getting them on board was a clear choice for us. Our relationship with Revenue Automation continues to be extremely valuable, and we are very pleased with the quality of support the team provides us.”

SimplyWell is now preparing to harness push notifications to deepen member engagement with its mobile app.

Harrington continues, “Although our work with push notifications is still in the development stage, we’ve already seen the powerful impact they can have on engagement. Early in the process, we shared a test push notification with all of our mobile app users. Shortly after, we saw a massive 715 percent spike in mobile app traffic—significantly higher than we’d anticipated when we embarked on the project. While we haven’t officially started sharing push notifications yet, we are excited by their potential to transform participant engagement.”

Results story

Keeping members engaged

As SimplyWell prepares to launch its first targeted email campaigns with IBM Watson Campaign Automation, it is confident that the new approach to engagement will give every member the opportunity to make healthy lifestyle changes.

“IBM Watson Campaign Automation has opened the door to a whole range of exciting possibilities for our marketing team,” says Harrington. “We’re currently in the design phase of our first marketing initiatives and are looking at ways to encourage different user groups to lead a healthier life. For example, we’re planning a messaging strategy for our new health coaching offering. The communications will notify members of health coaching services available to them at no cost through their employer’s wellness program.”

In the past, SimplyWell lacked a straightforward way to identify which of its members had yet to register an account, attend their health screening, or take action on a personal care plan. Now, that’s changed.

Harrington comments, “IBM Watson Campaign Automation provides us with a 360-degree view of individual member behaviors, so we can create tailored messages that are relevant to their unique situation. Once we go live with our email and push campaigns, we expect to see a dramatic surge in wellness program engagement.”

By customizing the visual identity of its emails in IBM Watson Campaign Automation, SimplyWell can ensure that every message is eye-catching and on-brand.

“We offer our clients the ability to theme and brand their wellness portal, so it’s important that our member communications follow their brand guidelines,” explains Harrington. “With IBM Watson Campaign Automation, we can ensure that every message a member receives looks and feels like it came directly from their employer.”

Harrington concludes, “With IBM Watson Campaign Automation as the foundation for our digital engagement strategy, we are in a better position to encourage members to stay active in their wellness programs—helping our clients build happy, healthy, and productive workforces.”

SimplyWell

SimplyWell balances culture and care by bridging the gap between the support employees want and the solutions employers need. The company’s simple, configurable wellness programs deliver results by connecting individuals to the technology, partners, and people needed to drive meaningful results and create healthy workplace cultures. SimplyWell’s workplace wellness programs are compliant with Affordable Care Act requirements and applicable law, and National Committee for Quality Assurance and national health advocacy group standards.

Solution components

• IBM Watson Campaign Automation

Take the next step

To learn more about IBM Watson Campaign Automation, please contact your IBM representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit the following website: ibm.com/marketplace/digital-marketing-and-lead-management.  

Based in West Vancouver, Canada, Revenue Automation specializes in full-service campaign management, data integrations, creative design, and advanced reporting. An IBM Gold Business Partner with deep expertise in the IBM Watson Marketing solution portfolio, Revenue Automation provides clients with ongoing support to track activities, improve key metrics, and provide new insights. To learn more about Revenue Automation, please visit: revenueautomation.com.

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