Case Study

TSB

British retail bank
TSB Bank operates multi channels for customers
Money Confidence. For Everyone. Every Day
Passionate about giving colleagues a great career experience

Introduction

With their existing provider leaving the market, TSB needed somebody to carry on with their flexible benefits offering.

We recently sat down with Jo Bootle, Senior Reward Manager at TSB, to discuss their relationship with Zest, how their engagement continues to thrive and the simplicity of their online platform.

What was the onboarding process like? And how long did it take?

Initially, onboarding took a bit of a back seat due to NDAs and a number of protected legal discussions when we were transitioning over to Zest. Once TSB and Zest started to deal with each other directly, the process moved forward at pace within a matter of weeks. It was quick, and by talking to each other direct it was much more simple.

How did you find the process of launching your platform with Zest for the first time?

As we had already been using Zest’s platform through our previous provider, we were already familiar with its great functionality and with the switch over, we didn’t have to experience change. The look and feel is still the same and it’s very simple for our colleagues to navigate through.

Woman stood up and smiling during meeting

What do you think of your relationship with Zest?

We think it’s a good relationship in these first few months, and we continue to build on it.

The relationship will go from strength to strength and everybody is approachable, experienced and professional. Zest tick all of those boxes.

Would you recommend working with Zest Technology Ltd? If so why?

Yes, we would recommend Zest.

I would recommend everybody in the teams. They are professional, knowledgeable and friendly to work with.

The portal is simple to use, and if we ever have any issues, then we’re confident that we can fully discuss them together and resolve swiftly. Neil is always there to talk about the portal functionality, and we have greater access now than we did with our previous provider. Because of that, we’re planning additional enhancements.

It’s certainly an exciting time to be working with Zest.

What they say

'Yes, we recommend Zest. We recommend everybody in the teams we work with. They are professional, knowledgeable and friendly to work with.'

Jo Bootle /
Senior Reward Manager at TSB

Were there any specific customization or integration requirements for the platform to align with your company’s needs?

The platform has remained the same and works well for our colleagues. As our relationship with Zest is relatively new, I think we will be best-placed to talk customisation after our annual enrolment later in the year. We are excited about the use of the Zest app.

Based on our discussions so far, we know that Zest are there to help and support us. We’re working really well together. If anything isn’t 100% clear our queries are answered promptly.

Could you share a specific success story or scenario where Zest platform played a crucial role in addressing a particular challenging or enhancing positive outcome?

The switch over was seamless, which was critical for our colleagues.

What was the initial impact of partnership with Zest (e.g improvement in take up of benefits in the first month/quarter)?

It was a very smooth transition over to Zest. The portal still had the same look and feel, and our colleagues were very familiar with the platform.

We’re really looking forward to our next annual enrolment later in the year. When we first started working with Zest, it was all about continuity and stability, not changing anything dramatically.

We don’t set ourselves benefit targets for annual enrolment but we always look to increase colleagues’ understanding of the benefits that we offer.

Do you have any data on % increase in engagement with benefits?

We know that over the last couple of years – following the launch of our Total Reward survey (when a significant number of colleagues fed into this) – there has been greater engagement and further understanding, linking to when we widened our corporate paid Private Medical Benefit out to all grades. We did a number of roadshows (virtual and in person) which reached the majority of colleagues.

We recognise that colleague engagement and understanding of the reward package was up thanks to the changes we made following the survey – and continued communications.

What they say

'We know that Zest are there to help and support us. We’re working really well together. If anything isn’t 100% clear our queries are answered promptly.'

Jo Bootle /
Senior Reward Manager at TSB

What tailored benefits are you looking to offer?

Currently we have a well understood and stable benefits offering for our colleagues and their families. Naturally, we’re always looking to see what the possibilities are for enhancing those, including wider or extended cover as appropriate.

We’re not looking to increase the number of benefits at the moment on our Zest platform. For us, we’re looking for stability. We continue to listen to colleague feedback and are aiming to be as digital as possible, including the launch of the app.

We continue to make significant investment with our benefits package. We continually look to review this, and as previously mentioned, improve it where and when we can.

At a previous annual enrolment we widened our corporate paid Private Medical Benefit to all colleagues, regardless of grade and increased our flex allowances for selected grades too – in effect, rebalancing our overall reward package for certain grades to help with the cost of living crisis. We wanted to put more money in their pocket every month. This has proved very successful.

We continue to attract and retain talent at TSB. We use our Total Reward Statements to highlight the great benefits that TSB have to offer. It’s all on our Reward portal on the Zest platform, along with flex, annual payround letters and links to pensions and our share plans.

Related case studies

When we launched with Zest at the beginning of April, our engagement went to roughly 88% of employees signing in, whether that was through the app or through their desktop.'

Talent & Reward Manager, Aliaxis