MetLife

The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) organization, with over 7,000 associates, provides high value business solutions, advice and services throughout the MetLife enterprise. The power of CAO stretches across the globe as MetLife’s associates partner with business leaders and teams both domestically and internationally.

Service Still a Key to Success

For the second straight year, MetLife’s Customer Response Center (CRC) earned the prestigious designation of “Certified Center of Excellence” from Purdue University’s Center for Customer-Driven Quality. Awarded to only 10% of call centers applying (of which, just 25% win in two successive years) the award recognizes the strong commitment of all CRC associates to deliver best-in-class customer service and increase customer satisfaction, retention and loyalty. As the voice of MetLife, answering about 26 million customer phone calls each year, the CRC vision statement expresses the sentiment behind the achievement: “We will be the reason our customers are
‘Met for Life.’”

In 2006, CRC associates embraced a culture of advocacy. Their goal is to understand the customers’ needs and provide useful information about MetLife products that can help meet those needs. The shift to the new culture began with the introduction of advocacy during recruiting and was reinforced with new training for all associates, call monitoring, on-the-job coaching and results measurement.

New Speech Recognition Applications Go Live

The CRC utilizes emerging technology to meet increasing customer expectations for service. Knowing that with the right solution they could improve Interactive Voice Response (IVR) utilization and the customer experience, CRC associates partnered with MetLife’s businesses, IT and a leading vendor in speech recognition technology to launch two new speech recognition applications. Both provide customers the option of speaking their requests to an automated system and greater ease of use.

“The design of a conversational application is an art. The key to producing a quality product is understanding how callers respond to it.”

–Kristen Denice manager, Business Solution Planning Self Service

Enterprise Systems Solutions (ESS)

ESS partnered with MetLife’s businesses on initiatives that span the enterprise, driving down costs and providing new market opportunities. Demand has never been greater and ESS has stepped up to the challenge by providing innovative business solutions, new systems and new technologies.

Auto & Home IT installed Image and Workflow technology in all of its field claim offices and its Dayton Service Center, creating virtual claims files that are routed and accessed instantly online. Auto & Home won FileNet’s CTO Innovation award for this application, unique in the insurance industry for its advanced workflow capabilities and use of cutting-edge technology.

Enterprise Program Management is applying the knowledge gained last year in integrating the Travelers acquisition to the management of key enterprise programs. Examples of this include, the Retirement Savings Group and preparing for the launch of the pension closeout business in the United Kingdom. While the task of getting a start-up insurance company off the ground 3,000 miles away is daunting, the process and framework provided by Enterprise Program Management has enabled Institutional to make substantial progress in a very
short time.

Global Technology Solutions (GTS) has reengineered the Investments derivatives business with a new version of the MUREX system that will enable MetLife to continue using derivatives as a hedge for investments as the company’s portfolio grows. The new system provides collateral management, risk analysis and position control, enabling MetLife to outpace our competition in the use of derivatives.

Individual Business IT and Enterprise Technology Solutions very successfully integrated the Travelers Hartford Infrastructure, converting 94 Travelers Life & Annuity business applications to MetLife’s standard technology and processes in a single weekend, the culmination of a 16-month effort. Individual Business IT also delivered enhancements to the annuities technology platforms to gain competitive advantage through the offering of new and enhanced funds, riders and product features.

Institutional Business regained General Motors’ group life recordkeeping servicing, in part because of the ability of MetLife’s systems to deliver the services required. At the same time, MetLife was pleased to be selected by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to be a provider of dental benefits for Federal employees and annuitants. This project demonstrated the concept of “One MetLife,” as many technology teams—Institutional IT, Corporate Systems eBusiness, IB Call Center and Enterprise Technology Systems—responded as one to make this implementation successful.

MetLife Develops Global Operations Support Center

In 2006, MetLife announced plans to develop the Global Operations Support Center in India. This CAO shared services facility will be staffed by MetLife associates and provide services to MetLife’s business and staff functions worldwide. Input for the Center’s development, coordinated under the auspices of Global Sourcing Solutions, involved organizations throughout MetLife. Analyzing and identifying processes to migrate, selecting a location, ensuring compliance with Indian laws and regulations, and defining technological requirements took the efforts of multiple teams across the enterprise. Participating organizations included Global Sourcing Solutions, Legal Affairs, HR, Corporate Communications, Procurement, Finance and all the lines of business. The Program Implementation Management Office provides ongoing oversight, which includes monitoring all activities, facilitating communications and identifying interdependencies and critical milestones. Process migrations to the Center are scheduled to begin during the second quarter of 2007, with the teams continuing their efforts as future opportunities to leverage the Center’s capabilities are identified.

Human Resources (HR)

HR completed the rollout of the Centralized Staffing Initiative, improving candidate experience, reducing management time, enabling HR generalists to spend more time consulting with managers and upgrading the ability to track and reduce costs as well as produce recruitment metrics. As part of a team spanning the department and its partners, associates from People Practices, Compensation, HR Business Leaders, Learning & Development, the HR Service Center, ESS and Corporate Communications worked to build an internal executive recruiting function and partnered with a recruiting specialty firm to outsource recruiting activities at entry level through manager positions. Since the program was implemented in June, over 2,000 positions have been filled, including 29 officer positions.

As one of the key partners supporting MetLife’s increasing global presence, HR successfully completed a major project to capture core personnel data for all employees around the world on a single HR system, and introduced a new global “Reach Me” directory that includes the company's International associates. Further to building a shared global mindset among associates, leadership and management development offerings were updated to incorporate competencies focused on creating a global perspective. In order to improve assimilation of new International leaders, a comprehensive global program was piloted to onboard new officers, for rollout in early 2007.

To continue to understand and enhance the level of employee engagement throughout the enterprise, HR led the implementation of the 2006 Associate Survey. Utilizing expertise from across the department, HR provided tools, resources and analysis to drive the process and participation in both the survey and follow-up planning. As a result, MetLife work teams developed 2,300 action plans that target areas of workplace opportunity, and some enterprise changes were made in MetLife’s compensation and performance
management programs.

A Challenge from the Chairman

Implemented during third quarter, the Chairman’s Challenge for life insurance was a collaborative effort involving HR, Global Brand & Marketing Services, Internal Communications, Institutional Business and Legal Affairs. Timed to coincide with National Life Insurance Awareness month in September, the initiative was designed to increase associate understanding of life insurance and its importance in building a personal safety net.

A multi-media program was implemented to educate associates about life insurance and, particularly, their group life insurance benefits; provide associates with educational tools and resources, such as a life insurance calculator, to begin thinking about how much insurance they need; taking some type of action by either purchasing life insurance, making the informed decision that they are well covered, or even changing their beneficiaries.

At the end of the campaign, more than 5,500 associates confirmed they completed the Chairman’s Challenge and more than 2,000 additional life insurance coverages were in force. Post-campaign versus pre-campaign survey results show significant gains in understanding of group life coverages (total favorable 89 percent vs. 58 percent) and confidence in having adequate coverage (82 percent vs. 69 percent). Many also expressed that they were able to be better brand ambassadors for MetLife.

Supporting Institutional Business During FEDVIP Enrollment

With MetLife winning significant new business as one of the providers of the new Federal voluntary dental program, Human Resources and the CRC stepped up to support Institutional Business. Associates, many of them volunteers, formed teams to come up with creative solutions to accommodate a high call volume during the open enrollment period. Customized training and new technology were developed. During the three-week enrollment period, these units handled almost 100,000 calls from
Federal employees.

“The planning and flexibility paid off. CRC successfully serviced the Federal employees during enrollment while making sure that all current customers were serviced in a manner they’ve come to expect from MetLife.”

–Chris Fovel, CRC Dental product coordinator

“It was a rewarding experience to be able to assist callers on such an important decision.”

–Becky Vogel licensing specialist, HR Corporate Licensing & Registration

Corporate Ethics & Compliance (CEC)

MetLife’s various distribution channels are committed to ensuring best-in-class compliance and business practices and promoting the company’s core values of honesty, integrity and trust. For example, partnering with CEC, Mike Vietri, executive vice president, Individual Business Agency Distribution Group (ADG) and his management team have positioned compliance as a key value proposition during the sales process to the customer and during producer recruiting. Mike believes MetLife’s industry leading compliance program provides the company with a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Internal Audit

Internal Audit’s role has solidified as a key stakeholder and partner to the businesses in their continued design, development and management of such MetLife initiatives as the Retirement Strategies Group and the Global Operations Support Center. Internal Audit’s design of specialized project management models in support of these initiatives is now the standard by which project progress is evaluated. The delicate balance of remaining a key stakeholder in a project’s governance, coupled with Internal Audit’s partnering with the businesses in support of their objectives, has created a “win/win” environment for MetLife.

Avian Flu

Corporate Real Estate and Corporate Security and Safety, in partnership with the lines of business, completed an extensive review of the avian flu issue and spurred major contingency planning across the enterprise to minimize risk from this potential pandemic and ensure continuity of business operations. This process significantly enhanced MetLife’s Crisis Management program.

Corporate Real Estate (CRE)

CRE implemented several strategic space initiatives including in NY, NJ, Tampa and Boston, moving 7,000 employees while reducing overall operating expenses. Expenses have been reduced by exiting leases and selling non-strategic properties while, at the same time, investing significantly in new and existing properties that both support MetLife’s evolving business needs and create an appropriate work environment for our associates.

One example of a significant initiative in 2006 was MetLife signing a 21-year lease at 1095 Sixth Avenue in mid-town Manhattan. Relocating to Manhattan is consistent with MetLife’s stature as a worldwide provider of financial services in today’s global marketplace, and allows room for future growth and expansion. At the same time, MetLife’s Long Island City site will continue to serve as an important MetLife location, housing a state-of-the-art Information
Technology Center.

Corporate Procurement

Corporate Procurement continues to meet and exceed its goals, saving the company money, providing the enterprise with crucial processes, mitigating risk and ensuring compliance to both internal and external controls. Procurement’s operational excellence was recognized with MetLife’s receipt of the inaugural Aberdeen Award, based on the performance impact of service chain activities and mastering the methodologies for financial, operational and customer-centric performance excellence.

Privacy

Special Regulatory Matters & Privacy addressed data protection issues, led the privacy team for the Global Operations Support Center and strengthened MetLife's global privacy oversight while enhancing compliance processes.

CAO Launches Recognition Program

In February, the CAO Organization launched its innovative CAO Recognition Program. Focused on celebrating behaviors that enable CAO associates to unleash the power of the enterprise, the program was developed by a committee drawn from all areas of the CAO Organization and facilitated by “recognition champions” in each CAO department, as well as by each department’s Planning Board. The program consists of three levels of recognition: ongoing peer-to-peer, quarterly departmental and, the highest level of recognition, the annual C-A-Ovation Award. In designing the program, committee members studied best practices of other recognition programs and worked with IT, Procurement and e-Business to develop solutions that would make participation in and administration of the program simple.

A special Web site, launched in conjunction with the program, enabled associates from all across the MetLife enterprise to easily nominate CAO associates for recognition by submitting a simple online form. The program has been widely embraced by associates, as evidenced by the fact that, during its first year, more than 3,100 associates received recognition. The numbers are expected to climb in 2007.