Another Year, Another Gold for Our Service Team!
It’s an honor to win a 2025 Gold Stevie® Award for Sales & Customer Service, Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year. This is the second consecutive year that our Service team won a Gold in this category. In the 2025 competition, there were more than 2,100 nominations from organizations in 45 nations. Winners were determined by the average scores of 176 professionals worldwide on seven specialized judging committees. RetireeFirst joins the list of prestigious winners including AT&T, DHL Express, and SAP. The list of Stevie winners in all categories is available at stevieawards.com/sales/2025-stevie-award-winners
The Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world’s top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals. Winners will be celebrated during a gala event attended by more than 400 professionals from around the world at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on April 10.
“I’m thrilled that my team continues to earn industry-wide recognition. We constantly strive to innovate, streamline, and improve our service to group plan sponsors and their retirees. Working in health benefits raises the stakes because our results have a meaningful impact on people’s lives and the healthcare landscape. Our mission matters.”
David Zawrotny, Chief Service Officer, RetireeFirst
Our 2025 Nomination
RetireeFirst’s Retiree Advocacy Services—a Human Touch to Retiree Benefits
Briefly describe the nominated team: its history and past performance:
Founded in 2005, RetireeFirst has focused on group retiree healthcare and improving our members’ quality of life for twenty years and counting. At the heart of our company, is a team of Retiree Advocates who provide the personalized service retirees deserve.
Medicare is complex and ever-changing. Our Advocates serve as a single point of contact for all healthcare questions and assistance. We offer both in-person and virtual education sessions designed to empower members with the right knowledge to make informed decisions about their healthcare, maximize their benefits, and engage with available resources. Advocates act as trusted guides who navigate members to the healthcare they need.
Our Advocates also provide real-time assistance with insurance carriers, provider offices, and pharmacies. They can help with day-to-day tasks, like making appointments, finding medical specialists, setting up prescription drug mail orders, and confirming coverage with a formulary. Advocates also proactively work on members’ behalf to resolve any issues that may arise. After resolution, Advocates always make completion calls to close the loop and ensure satisfaction.
Outline the team’s achievements since July 1 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges’ attention:
Backed by a 2024 Gold Stevie Award for Sales and Customer Service, and a 2023 Bronze Globee American Business Award for Best Benefits Management Solution, our personalized service model continues to receive industry recognition and the highest member satisfaction ratings. RetireeFirst consistently scores a 90+ Member NPS from retirees surveyed monthly—significantly above healthcare industry benchmarks.
Each member has a dedicated Advocate team who can help them navigate Medicare and advocate for their needs. Our average speed of answer from an Advocate is under 14 seconds, which is why we have no need for call menus. Because members receive such valuable support, our abandonment rate is only 0.58% vs. the industry average of 5–8%.
In 2022, our Retiree Advocacy Services expanded with a Gaps in Care program. We partner with insurance carriers to increase participation in preventative care and wellness programs. Our methods include outbound targeted outreach, such as calls to retirees to encourage annual doctor’s visits, eye exams, cancer screenings, fitness programs, and vaccinations. Wellness Advocates drive higher adoption by leveraging the trust they have instilled with each interaction. Closing gaps in care results in better health outcomes for the individual and the overall population, supporting proactive health management.
By continuing to outperform, RetireeFirst has gained market share and rapidly scaled operations in the past two years. Our 160+ in-house Retiree Advocates now serve 375,000 members across all 50 states. In October of 2023, RetireeFirst West opened in Scottsdale, Arizona to support our growth on the West Coast.
Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the team’s past performance:
Our Retiree Advocacy Services deliver on the promise of our name—to put retirees first and improve their Medicare experience and health outcomes. Unlike a traditional call center, we have no call quotas. Our Advocates aren’t measured on the quantity of calls, but on the quality of interactions that foster trust and build relationships. Retirees come to know their lead Advocates on a first-name basis and often send Thank You notes and flower arrangements. These tokens of gratitude express how much healthcare advocacy makes a meaningful difference in the lives of retirees.
Providing a great member experience starts with great people. Our Advocates have a real passion for what they do and create an award-winning culture. RetireeFirst was named Best Places to Work 2024 by the Philadelphia Business Journal. This is the third consecutive year that our company has been nominated by the public and recognized by our employees as having the most compelling culture, trust in leadership, and competitive compensation and benefits package. We take care of our people because we know they take care of our retiree members like their own family.
In an age when competitors hire offshore and/or onboard AI solutions to reduce headcount, RetireeFirst continues to invest in American workers and the human-to-human communication today’s 65+ retirees want. Our 160+ Advocates are all in-house and US-based. Many previously worked in the healthcare industry, and all undergo extensive internal Medicare and geriatric-sensitivity training.
What Can Our Award-Winning Services Do for You and Your Retirees?
Connect with our advisors to learn how our Retiree Advocacy Services can maximize group benefits and get your members the support they deserve.
