Tata Steel selects PeopleValue Advantage voluntary benefit

This article has been supplied by our channel sponsor, PeopleValue.

Company background
Tata Steel Europe (formerly Corus) has main steelmaking operations primarily in the UK and the Netherlands. The company supplies steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering and other demanding markets worldwide.

It is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, one of the world’s top 10 steel producers. The combined group has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and approximately 80,000 employees across four continents.

Tata Steel supplies a variety of innovative solutions to a broad range of markets.

Programme background
Within the UK, as part of its ongoing programme of offering 20,000 Tata Steel employees market-leading and valued benefits, in 2005 Tata Steel embarked on a search for a voluntary employee benefit that had a high perceived value. An additional objective was Tata Steel’s desire to reinforce its intent of being employer of choice.

Any solution that was selected had to be easy to implement and capable of being branded to Tata Steel’s requirements. The selected benefit had to be of value, not only to Tata Steel employees but to the organisation itself. It addition, given the nature of the UK workforce, the benefit had to be available both online and offline to maximise levels of engagement and participation.

Following an extensive review of the market, Tata Steel selected and launched Advantage powered by PeopleValue, a voluntary benefit that provides all Tata Steel employees with access to a very wide range of products and services that can be bought at a discount.

The solution
Called MyAdvantage, the aim at launch was very simple — to offer Tata Steel employees the opportunity to make their money go further. Through MyAdvantage, employees are able to enjoy preferential rates, discounts and free extras on groceries, clothing, fuel, holidays, insurance, electrical goods, days out, music, computers etc.

‘We were looking for a solution that offered a wide range of discounted products and services. We selected PeopleValue’s Advantage not only because the product delivered on its promise but also because PeopleValue was a good fit with the Tata Steel culture. It is very customer focused and took the time to understand both our needs and what our employees wanted. Importantly, PeopleValue offered us a tailored solution to meet our requirements,’ said Claire Crowley, senior consultant, employee relations, Tata Steel HR.

PeopleValue working on behalf of Tata Steel has established hundreds of partners in order to bring Tata Steel employees the best deals, latest products and most valuable services available, straight to their desktop.

The role and value of PeopleValue
From day one, MyAdvantage has been fully branded to fit Tata Steel requirements, thereby reinforcing the company’s brands values. During the five years Tata Steel has worked with PeopleValue, Advantage has continually been improved both in terms of the value and the breadth of products and services it offers.

‘We have established an excellent working relationship with PeopleValue. The account management team and all the staff we come into contact with are very customer focused,’ said Crowley.

Working with Tata Steel, PeopleValue delivers regular promotional offers by email to the Tata Steel employee population, based on an annual merchandising plan that is developed with Tata Steel and tailored to its specific requirements. PeopleValue also provides additional promotional material such as posters to assist in Tata Steel’s internal communications.

‘PeopleValue identifies and runs competitive and attractive promotions based on the plan we develop together. It is very flexible in providing what we need,’ said Crowley.

Providing a high level of customer care is one of PeopleValue’s cornerstones on which the business has been built. Any queries that employees have regarding offers or deliveries are handled promptly by the customer support team at PeopleValue.

‘Whenever an employee has a query and needs to contact PeopleValue directly, the speed and quality of response is excellent. We know that our employees who use MyAdvantage really appreciate it,’ said Crowley.

In summary, PeopleValue has provided Tata Steel with:

• A valued and constantly updated and enhanced employee benefit
• A highly effective online and offline solution that has been tailored to fit Tata Steel’s needs
• High-quality account management
• Responsive and effective customer support

‘PeopleValue’s Advantage is a excellent product that supports our strategy of being a caring employer and helps make the most of our employees’ money. It has a wide range of offerings covering practically everything you can spend your money on and some of the discounts and special offers really do represent significant savings,’ said Crowley.

About PeopleValue
PeopleValue delivers proven loyalty, reward, incentive and employee benefit programmes to a diverse range of organisations. It delivers programmes to a broad range of sectors including retail, pharmaceuticals, utilities, the public sector, the hospitality and leisure industry and financial services. PeopleValue has more than 150 customers including Whitbread, Royal Mail, Tata Steel, NG Bailey, npower, RAC, Yes Telecom (Vodafone) and Aviva.