Level Education Group Case Study
How BestFit PEO Solutions Helped an Online Continuing Education Service Scale Up Their Benefits Offerings Nationwide
Industry:
Online Education
Challenge:
Level Education Group, a Utah-based provider of online continuing education courses for healthcare professionals, faced significant challenges with their PEO services as they expanded nationally. After 23 years with their regional Kansas City-based PEO (since 2001), the company needed to offer comprehensive medical benefit plans to employees across multiple states. The geographic limitations of their existing PEO became particularly problematic when they merged with a Georgia-based company, requiring coverage for a nationwide workforce.
Results:
After a two-month process facilitated by BestFit PEO, Level Education Group successfully transitioned to a new HR provider. The new PEO arrangement provided nationwide coverage capabilities, improved automation that freed up executive time, enhanced employee interface functionality, and attracted more employees to join the health plan. The transition was described as "clean" and "efficient" by leadership.
Key Product:
Professional Employer Organization Consulting and Research
"It would have been overwhelming to do this on my own. There are so many options. It would take a lot of time to dig through all of the data. That would have been hard to do.”
Michael Russell, CPA, VP Finance, Level Education Group
About Level Education Group:
Level Education Group, through its family of brands, offers an ever-expanding library of affordable, accredited online continuing education courses to licensed healthcare professionals throughout the United States.
With a brand history that stretches back 15 years, Level Education Group has been a trusted partner to more than one million professionals seeking to fulfill state-mandated licensure requirements, learn new skills, and keep up to date on the clinical developments relevant to their daily practice.
The Challenge:
After two decades with a regional PEO provider, Level Education Group recognized significant limitations that hindered their company growth strategy. The organization’s existing PEO arrangement restricted their ability to provide consistent benefits coverage as they hired new remote employees across the United States.
The challenges became more urgent when Level Education Group merged with a Georgia-based company. Their Kansas City-based PEO couldn't adequately serve employees across multiple states, creating complications for workforce management and benefits administration.
As VP Finance Michael Russell explained, the evaluation process seemed daunting: "I am not very familiar with PEOs. Nor do I know how to evaluate PEO options and services side-by-side, along with their billing practices.” He also noted how, when browsing for PEOs, he would receive advertisements for PEOs, without knowing which PEO would be a better fit for the company.
The Solution:
Level Education Group contacted BestFit PEO Solutions in early January 2025 after recognizing their need for a PEO change. The process began with a comprehensive consultation where the BestFit team discussed the company's HR-related challenges, nationwide coverage needs, and priorities for moving forward.
Within two weeks, BestFit PEO presented approximately six PEO options in a clear spreadsheet format, complete with comparable costs and benefits analysis for leadership to evaluate. The BestFit PEO team helped narrow the choices to three top candidates and facilitated meetings between company leadership and the three PEO providers to learn more about their services.
The Result
The evaluation process concluded in early February 2025 with Level Education Group selecting their new PEO partner. The decision was described as "relatively easy" after BestFit's thorough vetting process eliminated HR provider options with more confusing pricing structures.
It did not feel like they pushed us to a particular provider. It felt like they delivered customized options based on what we told them the company needs.”
Michael Russell, CPA, VP Finance, Level Education Group
The new PEO arrangement provides comprehensive benefits coverage for employees regardless of their location, supporting the company's nationwide expansion strategy. More employees have joined the health plan since the transition, indicating improved benefit offerings and accessibility for employees. Additionally, their new PEO’s rich automation systems and easy-to-use interface allowed the company’s CFO the time to focus on his financial responsibilities, resulting in valuable time savings.