Delivering Quality Employee Benefit Services with ID Cards

Third-party administrative benefits company caters to a niche market

• By Julie Kuepers
• May 16, 2016

How the Company Began  

Located just east of the Continental Divide in Boulder, Montana, a third-party administrative benefits provider opened their doors in 1998 after spinning off from parent company Wagner Insurance Agency, Inc. The mission of Boulder Administration Services (BAS) is to "provide quality services in the administration of employee benefits and to respond to employers and employees in a fair, prompt and courteous manner." 

The organization offers tailored solutions specifically designed for the niche market of small business clients across the United States that self-fund their health insurance plans for employees. These employers generally have between 10 to 1,000 employees, and BAS services help provide them with a variety of self-funded medical, dental, vision, flexible spending, and COBRA insurance options.

During the first couple of years BAS was in operation, they issued paper insurance cards to clients through the painstakingly manual processing of a single card at a time. To extend the life of the paper cards, lamination was added which further increased the processing time of each card.

In 2000, Jackie Wagner, BAS President and co-owner, began searching for a more efficient solution to creating insurance ID cards. They also needed cards that were more durable to eliminate reprinting paper cards.

"We decided to invest in a card printer, because we wanted to produce our cards in-house versus outsourcing them to a vendor. We felt it was the optimal way to get higher quality ID cards in the hands of employees in a timeframe that we controlled," Wagner said.

Accommodating Change, Growth & Expansion

Fast forward to 2012, and the printer they had used for over a decade began to fail. Wagner began researching new ID card printers online and found ID Wholesaler. She reached out to Account Manager, Ryan Gade and explained her printer needs.

"Ryan listened attentively to what our printing requirements entailed, and he asked all the right questions. It was clear he knew what he was talking about, and I could tell he'd help us find the solution we were looking for," Wagner commented.

The insurance ID cards BAS provides contain a large amount of data, including employee information, network and benefit specifics, pre-authorization details, and more. Wagner came to decide that choosing a reliable, high-performance printer that could manage the volume of cards in a short amount of time while also producing professional-looking credentials for clients was imperative for BAS's card program.

In addition, ease of use with a new ID card printer was a critical factor for BAS, ensuring that employees who consistently used the printers got up-to-speed quickly and efficiently.

Upgrade to High-Performance ID Card Printers

Gade recommended the Fargo DTC4500 printer because of its quality direct-to-card printing, user-friendly operation, and field-installable components that allow for upgrades to additional functionality when needed.  

"We couldn't have been happier," Wagner said. "We loved how easy the printer was to use, the simplicity of card production, and the exceptional quality printing of our cards – a direct reflection of our company to our clients."

By 2014, it was clear to BAS that a second high-volume printer was needed to keep up with the burgeoning demand, as a result of sustained growth and expansion. That’s when they purchased the next generation of the DTC4500 – the Fargo DTC4500e – for the company's satellite location.

"We needed another dependable, robust printer that could handle printing a substantially larger volume of cards while staying on tight production timelines and a conservative budget," Wagner explained.

With the DTC4500e's user-friendly SmartScreen graphic display, users get easy-to-follow prompts and printing status notification.

"Having our printers tell us when they need to be cleaned or have their ribbons replaced streamlines our time and takes the guesswork out of routine maintenance," said Wagner. With each of BAS's printing requirements fulfilled with the two Fargo printers, Wagner reports that card production is at an all-time high.

When they experienced initial difficulty connecting the new DTC4500e printer to their computer, they immediately called ID Wholesaler's Technical Support Team.

"The Tech Support team member we spoke to was so helpful! He was with us every step of the way, making sure that we were up and running in no time. It's been smooth sailing ever since," Wagner commented

Partner with a Trusted Photo ID Provider

The two Fargo printers have enabled BAS to effectively produce the volume and quality of cards that their clients demand, with proficient and budget-conscious processing.

When asked if she was satisfied with the printer solution recommended by ID Wholesaler, Wagner did not hesitate in her response.

"We wouldn't have purchased two printers at ID Wholesaler if we didn't inherently trust Ryan's vast equipment knowledge and expertise,” she said. “He was able to find the perfect solution for us and for our organization's unique needs. And the Tech Support Team is second to none. Don't waste your time going anywhere else!"