"We can rely on the KMH teams to really go above and beyond to make our clients happy"
Reda Bellakhdim is Assistant Vice-President of global benefits at OneDigital, a company specializing in employees benefits consulting. He shares with us how his company works with Nicolas Medan and his team at KMH Benefits.
Reda Bellakhdim is Assistant Vice-President of global benefits at OneDigital, a company specializing in employees benefits consulting. He shares with us how his company works with Nicolas Medan and his team at KMH Benefits.
Tell us a little about OneDigital's activities.
OneDigital is a global benefits broker and consulting firm. We are based in the US with about 4000/5000 employees. Within OneDigital’s umbrella, there is a team that focuses on US multinational companies and helps them setup benefits programs around the globe. We work with all industries, but a big majority of our clients are in the tech industry, and also in financial services.
So OneDigital supports companies in the research and construction of benefits packages for their employees.
Yes, our role is to support these companies in order to help them understand the benefits landscape in each country as well as help them manage these programs.
In this context, you have called on the services of KMH Benefits for companies whose employees work in France. How did your collaboration come about?
One of our favorites partners is KMH Benefits in France. We work extensively together to provide our common clients with competitive benefits in France, support them with the day-to-day management of these plans as well as a become a resource for their employees locally. The first time I met the team was trough ABG France, which was their name before, about ten years ago.
How many companies have you helped to find healthcare and life solutions in France?
I would say probably between twenty to thirty companies with Nicolas’ team.
Why is it important for you to be able to rely on a local player in this field?
We rely on our partners in each country. For us, the key for being good consultants is to rely on the expertise of our partners in each country, as they know the market very well and can advise on the laws and regulations that may apply.
What are the main issues you face on healthcare and life plan subjects for your clients in France?
France has a very complicated system, so we face a lot of issues in understanding how benefits work, understanding the regulations in the country and how to comply with them. Also, everything is provided in French which adds another layer of complexity in translating the technical terms so our US clients can understand.
With other brokers, we used to face a lot of hurdles bridging the gap between our clients’ expectations with the norm in the French market. This becomes accentuated when it comes to supporting employees directly. KMH Benefits provide amazing support to employees. A lot of our clients are US clients, so they don’t have an HR representation in France. They rely on a broker like KMH Benefits to help them with their employees on the ground.
KMH Benefits team is able to explain the complexities of the French system to our customers in a straightforward manner. On the other hand, they excel in understanding the needs of US companies: expertise, ease of administration, translations, quick responses, meetings at less-than-ideal time (due to time zones), etc. They are facilitators for us and for our clients.
Can you describe the collaborative process between your team and the KMH Benefits’ team, from the transmission of a file to the management of contracts?
On a regular basis, we talk to KMH Benefits’ team to understand how benefits work in France. With this information, we are able to advise our clients on the best approach considering their strategy, philosophy and any other deciding aspects (budget, legal entity setup etc.). We then move to working with KMH to follow through with the planned project.
We ask KMH Benefits to help us design a benefits’ package that will fit their goals.
In the case of an annual renewal, does your client discuss this directly with KMH Benefits?
It’s actually both. The corporate team works with us directly and we then connect with KMH Benefits. Unless, if it’s an employee-related matter in France, then they work with KMH Benefits directly.
What distinguishes KMH Benefits' approach from other brokers you work with?
Where do I start? I believe their number one strength is their level of service and expertise in the market. We can rely on the KMH team to really go above and beyond to make our clients happy. Their knowledge and expertise is excellent. They help us find really creative and unique solutions that allow our clients to excel in the country. They deliver a high level of service.
What feedback do your customers have on the solutions offered by KMH Benefits?
The feedback has always been very positive. It’s a feedback of “they are making the benefits in France very easy”, “our employees are very happy when they talk to the KMH Benefits team”, they get all problems solved whenever we have an issue with payroll or finance. They actually step in and work with the insurance company and solve them quickly”, “every time we need help from them with a question about compliance or new law they are available to meet with us and explain it” …
Given your position, how do you see the benefits market in France? What are its main specific features compared with what you see elsewhere?
I personally have been working in this industry for more than 15 years and I would say that France is, at least in Europe, one of the most complicated systems. The reasons for that is there are a lot of requirements like collective bargaining agreements, specific laws requiring to provide certain levels of benefits, etc.… It is really different from other countries. Having KMH Benefits helps us a lot understanding the system.
The French system is certainly complex, but it also offers many possibilities. How does KMH Benefits help you offering your clients certain new solutions?
KMH Benefits comes up with innovative ideas to provide benefits to employees while adopting to new laws and requirements in the country.
Sometimes we have clients with employees in France, but the legal entity is set elsewhere in Europe. They are always creative in coming up with ideas to work around this kind of situation. Another example is their recent support with the applications of the profit-sharing law and how to best capitalize on it from the company’s side as well as looking at it as a benefit for employees.
Is the French market set for growth for OneDigital?
From probably most of our clients, Europe is a focus area for growth. Within Europe, France is one of the countries that we see a lot. I think there is a high interest in finding talent in France, especially for tech market, financial services, retail or fashion industries.
How does invoicing work for a company that contacts you and wants to take advantage of KMH Benefits' services in France?
KMH Benefits will charge fees or collect commissions directly to the client, while we have a sperate consulting fee arrangement with the corporate team.