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The Challenge
The corporate printing services department of Highmark, one of the largest health insurers in the U.S., was facing a growing demand for materials. Production capacity had to be added, but costs and complexity needed to remain under control. What’s more, the entire process required more efficiency and flexibility

The Solution
Highmark increased capacity and efficiency with Xerox® iGen™ systems, which have provided over $5 million in savings to date. In addition, Xerox is developing a new automated workflow with a customer portal. According to Jeffrey S. Taranto, Highmark’s Manager of Corporate Printing Services, the portal is “a one-stop shop where everyone can order and track their jobs.” The solution’s ultimate benefits? “Quality, automation, cost savings and profit.”

Real Results

  • Savings of over $5 million to date
  • Significant increase in production volume with minimal increase in staff
  • Elimination of waste and cost through implementation of print on demand
  • Increased response rate via customization of messages using XMPie variable data, (e.g., 400% increase in member engagement due to personalized mailer)
  • Cost-effective addition of color to virtually all print materials in support of corporate rebranding initiative

Ensuring Peak Performance at Highmark Highmark, based in Pittsburgh, has been helping families and companies with their health insurance needs for more than 70 years.

Today, 32.6 million customers rely on Highmark for their claims and coverage, expecting nothing less than the highest quality service. Highmark’s commitment to quality created a Screen Shot 2013-10-25 at 2.03.13 PMunique challenge for the company’s in-house printing group: their work was so good, people wanted more. The team needed to meet this growing demand without adding excessive cost, complexity or staff members. In addition, their processes had to remain nimble enough to adapt to the ever-changing world of healthcare. Highmark addressed these challenges by partnering with Xerox.

Staying on Top with the iGen™ FamilyHighmark’s Xerox relationship began in 2005 with the installation of an iGen3® digital press. As the company’s print workload increased, their infrastructure expanded. Taranto explains:

“When we got the first iGen3®, I was floored. The quality was lights out. Then the iGen4® came along and it knocked our customers’ socks off. Now with our new iGen4s, we can print on a larger sheet size and our designers are already creating pieces to fit the new format.”

Each iGen added new levels of efficiency and quality. As a result, marketing staff began using Highmark’s in-house printing for everything from applications to brochures to postcards, decreasing reliance on outside resources. This led to greater control and lower Screen Shot 2013-10-04 at 9.47.03 AMcosts. Plus the swift handling of a robust workload. Keeping Production SoaringTo lighten Highmark’s load further, Xerox is developing a new automated workflow that will drive efficiencies throughout production—from initial customer inquiry to chargebacks.

This fully integrated solution combines Avanti’s FreeFlow® workflow software, RSA QDirect™ print job manager and a customer portal that will be used “to get quotes, check job status, and track jobs from start to finish. No more phone tag.”

Our staff’s not going to have to re-key jobs into three different systems like before. That’s done up front by the customer using one system. We’ll save a ton of administrative time. And we’ll be able to work on other initiatives, which is huge. ”Higher Satisfaction, Lower Costs Highmark has saved over $5 million with the Xerox systems. But that’s just one measure of success. Says Taranto:

“One of the biggest measurements is customer satisfaction. Customers submit a survey with every job we produce. We’re approaching a hundred thousand positive customer satisfaction feedbacks.” That explains why print volume has increased from 27,328 jobs in 2010 to 75,510 jobs in 2011. Much of it is print on demand, which means less waste.

In addition, the Xerox solution supports the company’s rebranding effort, which requires color on virtually every document. And it enables Highmark to create customized, variable data materials using XMPie®, greatly increasing response rates. Notes Taranto, “With the amount of work we’re touching, we can’t be automated enough.”

Going Above and Beyond
When asked to define the Xerox solution’s greatest value, Taranto is direct: “Quality is first and foremost— quality of the equipment, the response time, the output. But it’s really quality and trust.”

“Xerox doesn’t try to sell me something just to sell it. They’re always working to improve my architecture. They’re like an extension of my own team. You don’t get that from other vendors. With Xerox, it’s about trust and the team we built.”

Click here to download this Xerox Case Study