Joanne Green and her ‘mobile office’, on the way to visit a client
VANCOUVER ISLAND – When Joanne Green says service drives her Pacific Employee Benefits (VI) Ltd. company, she is not kidding.
Joanne’s calling card is her car, as she is well known and appreciated for “going the extra mile”, literally, driving to wherever her clients are to share information about employee benefits with company owners and workers all across Vancouver Island.
“My office is my car,” says Joanne, President of Pacific Employee Benefits on Vancouver Island, and a Licensed Benefits Consultant. “I spend a lot of my time driving to see my clients. I’m forever waving to truck drivers that I see regularly on the road.”
Joanne Green
Operating as a brokerage, she notes that quotes are always available to obtain. However, the PEB difference is the personal time, expertise and support they provide for clients. PEB (VI) Ltd. incorporated in 2019 as an offshoot of Pacific Employee Benefits Ltd., which started in 1992 and serves clients throughout BC and in Alberta. Joanne has been selling group benefits since 2013, after starting in the insurance industry in 1990.
“We offer a little bit more than others because we’re really big on service,” she notes. “I don’t just show up on the renewal date to get people to sign and forget about it. We are there to sup-port owners and employees and answer their questions.
“We’ll go out and see our customers, and they can call me. I work 24/7, and don’t just work 9 to 3, so employees have access to us. We also go to bat for our clients with the insurance companies. They know that we can negotiate with them, and we do on their behalf.”
Employee benefit plans for additional health services, injury and long-term disability and dental care are increasingly important for companies interested in retaining their employees.
“Often our discussions are employee-led, be-cause an employer will be asked if they offer benefits, and if they don’t, they won’t join the company,” she says, adding that much of her work is a result of referrals. “The majority of the companies I work with are new businesses, and we walk them through the whole process. We hold their hand. We design plans for them, and we make it cost effective for them.”
Joanne points out that clients are encouraged to call her the moment an incident occurs.
“If they have an employee who is injured, they need to talk to us right away so we can help them through the process,” she notes. “It is often a frightening experience, but we are there to help them in those difficult times.”
That dedication to serve clients is the key to Pacific Employee Benefits’ success.
“The people in my company are good, honest and hardworking, and we really care for our clients and go to bat for them,” she concludes. “We might not always be the cheapest, but we don’t ever sell anything that our clients don’t need. Good salespeople don’t do that.”
Business Examiner Staff
