2 Digital Superstars Who Fully Digitized Their TCDRS Processes

These two digital superstars answered TCDRS' call to go paperless and haven't looked back. See how they're taking full advantage of their online tools.

Throughout 2023, we have been asking our employers and members to take advantage of our online and over-the-phone tools and stop sending in paper forms and documents. We have seen a huge decrease in the amount of paper we’re receiving at our office, so thank you for your efforts!

As our Employer Services Representatives have traveled, they’ve run into a few employers that have gone above and beyond with embracing digital processes, and even making some innovations of their own to both make their job easier and help get the word out about TCDRS. Let’s meet two of them!

A Valuable Retention Tool

Vince Romero

First up is Vince Romero, HR manager at Mustang Special Utility District (MSUD). Vince is a retired Air Force Veteran and is always looking for ways to improve the district’s communication efforts.

“I’ve always been kind of a technology geek,” Vince says. “I don’t like paper, because when you need it, you can’t find it. It’s always in the other box that you’re not looking for, and when you do find out what you need, it doesn’t have enough information.”

When he joined MSUD, Vince began to learn more about the benefits being offered, and felt especially impressed with TCDRS. “When I started learning what TCDRS does as a plan, I realized that this is the most important benefit we have at Mustang, and we need to highlight this,” he says.

He soon stumbled upon a digital signage tool that allows him to insert signage for upcoming birthdays, company events and TCDRS’ benefit videos.

“I’ve started to learn that you can write a paragraph that would take less time to read than a video, and people won’t read it. But they’ll watch a video all day,” he says.

Since then, he has seen a lot more interest and enthusiasm among the MSUD staff regarding the TCDRS benefit, which has enabled him to use it as a retention tool.

A Room of Their Own

Reina Reyna

While Vince has been innovating at MSUD, Reina Reyna, Program Analyst at Dallas County, has embraced TCDRS’ digital efforts on a more personal level.

When her county’s office was being renovated, they requested a private room to discuss benefits with staff members. “In our new building, we have a private room with a laptop and a big screen, so we can show our staff their benefits and what their options are,” Reina says.

Retirement is a personal endeavor, and Reina wanted to make sure that staff felt comfortable reaching out to learn more about their benefits. Having a private room means no one else is in earshot while employees’ finances are being discussed.

“It’s their money, it’s their privacy,” Reina says. “We also didn’t want people to assume that someone is here specifically for retirement.” Designating a room equipped with digital capabilities and privacy has made a big difference, and Reina has started to see staff members recommend that their coworkers schedule appointments.

Dallas County has also made strides to get their employees registered online at TCDRS.org. In 10-minute calls or in-person meetings, Reina and her team provide their staff with their TCDRS account numbers after verifying their identity so they can self-register online.

We’re always looking to give employers like you new ideas to help you make your life easier, and one of our favorite ways to do that is by getting them straight from the source! If you’d like to share some of your success stories, send us an email to get in touch!

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