Since 2006, Wider Plan has been a growing organisation committed to making a positive difference to working life. Working with thousands of employers and their employees across public, private and voluntary sectors, Wider Plan provides a wide range of employee benefit schemes and wellbeing campaigns so as to take care of any workplace’s most valuable asset: its people. Following their recent recognition in SME News’ SME Business Elite – Engagement, we took a closer look at the firm to discover how they earned the title Best in Employee Engagement and Benefits Solutions, 2020
Wider Plan is a UK-based organisation providing employers access to a range of employee benefits including salary sacrifice, health and wellbeing, and reward and recognition schemes. In this way, Wider Plan is able to help employers increase employee engagement and retention, whilst alleviating administrative burdens.
All of Wider Plan’s product can be accessed either as stand-alone products or within the market leading Wider Wallet Benefits Hub, a dynamic, secure and versatile platform that integrates all of the chosen schemes into one location. Moreover, Wider Plan’s comprehensive services include a full marketing package for each of their products, award-winning customer services, online accounts and secure payroll reports for salary adjustments.
Wider Plan first entered the market in 2006 under the trading name, KiddiVouchers, to offer employers a simple, flexible and cost-effective childcare voucher solution. The success of this project led to the firm launching the Wider Wallet Benefits Hub in 2011, beginning the company’s foray into the employee benefits market.
Since then, Wider Plan’s product range has continued to expand, and now includes Workplace Bikes, HolidayFlex, Wider Tech, Wider Skills, Wider Wellbeing, Wider Rewards and more. Whilst the firm has grown, Wider Plan’s commitment to a simple, flexible and cost-effective approach to its products ensures that their clients are able to enjoy great value for money, delivered with exceptional customer service.
Wider Plan constantly strives to be a good company to work with and the reputation for award-winning service exemplifies this approach. Having proven most effective in the SME market and public sector, Wider Plan’s affordable employee benefits package allows its clients to compete with corporates in the market, facilitating business growth through retention of talent.
Wider Plan has grown from a small to medium sized company, and therefore is able to identify with the pressures of growing a business. This is enhanced by avoiding high pressure sales, preferring instead to engage in discussions about the needs, demographics and objectives of the clients business, in order to provide the best employee benefits solutions for the best value for money. Wider Plan takes great pride in their personal, flexible and efficient service which ensures clients’ needs are completely satisfied. The results are high customer retention and employee benefit engagement rates.
As an ethical company, Wider Plan is committed to donating at least 5% of their profits to UK charities, working with both nationwide and local charities that are nominated by clients. Currently, the charities that Wider Plan regularly supports are Action for Children and Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, as well as World Vision as Wider Plan’s long-term partner for overseas aid and development. Built on the foundations of a ‘can-do’ attitude, Wider Plan is not only able to help their clients, but the wider community.
This mindset has been created by the team itself, and Wider Plan puts its successful client retention and customer satisfaction down to the talent and dedication of its teams, in customer service, product development and technical. In the last ten years, Wider Plan has watched its team grow and flourish, many members of which have served most of their careers within the firm and experienced both professional and personal development there.
Much of Wider Plan’s own development has been driven by changes out of their control, such as the launch of Tax-Free Childcare and closure of the Childcare Voucher scheme to new entrants. However, as a leading provider of Childcare Vouchers, Wider Plan was invited to the HMRC discussions on the subject. Wider Plan was able to calculate and conclude that the majority of Childcare Voucher scheme members saved more with Childcare Vouchers than with Tax-Free Childcare, and could therefore advise clients and their employees on how to protect their savings before any of their competitors.
In order to continue helping their clients in 2021, Wider Plan intend to launch Wider Health and Wealth, an affordable solution for SMEs to provide a range of finance and protection products, with the added benefit of basic pensions administration and financial wellbeing information. Employers will be able to tailor their health and wealth package to their employees and employees will have the choice to opt-in or out and change their benefit levels. Wider Plan will be on hand to offer expertise and administration support in implementing these schemes, to ensure employers and employees are both able to enjoy the full benefits of Wider Plan.
Company: Wider Plan Ltd
Web Address: www.widerplan.com
