Kimberly Woody is a Case Manager at TELUS Health, supporting members through complex retirement journeys, including Retirement Initiation and Survivor Support (RISS). These are some of the most sensitive and high-impact moments in a member’s experience, where clarity, empathy, and precision are essential.
Her work reflects a core belief behind TELUS Health’s call center approach: exceptional outcomes come from exceptional people, supported by strong processes, training, and technology.
TELUS Health’s service model is designed for high-impact, emotionally sensitive moments like retirement. It combines human empathy with operational rigor and consistently delivers strong performance.
For Kimberly, that model comes to life in every interaction. The work is not just about navigating processes. It is about helping people move forward with clarity and confidence during some of the most important transitions in their lives.
Interview with Kimberly:
Q: Can you tell us more about your role and what makes it meaningful to you?
A: I have been part of the healthcare field for most of my life, so taking care of people is of the utmost importance to me. When I was asked to join RISS, I knew my service would be of great value.
Q: How would you describe RISS to someone who’s never heard of it?
A: The RISS department is made up of case managers who are skilled in the retirement process. They are the one point of contact that really puts on the “white gloves” for the members we serve. Members receive a case manager who knows the details of their retirement, and can explain the process and help along the way with any hiccups that may occur. Case managers in RISS give information and telephone numbers, and we try our best to consistently deliver excellent service on every call. We also have access to vendors for ensuring coverage is set up.
Q: TELUS Health talks a lot about combining people, process, and technology in service delivery. What does that look like in your day-to-day work?
A: It comes down to adapting to what each member needs while guiding them through the process step by step. The systems and tools are there to support us, but the real impact comes from how we show up for people, how we communicate, and how we make sure they feel supported throughout the experience.
Q: Can you walk us through a typical case, from the first call to when everything is finalized?
A: From the moment you pick up the phone, you can often tell what a member is feeling. Some are excited, some are nervous, and some are unsure of what comes next. Being able to recognize that early helps guide how you support them.
A big part of that is helping them feel comfortable from the start. Letting them know you will be there to guide them through the process makes a difference. At the same time, it is important to match their pace. When someone says, “This is overwhelming,” that is a signal to slow things down and focus on just a few next steps.
In those moments, I break things into manageable pieces. That might mean walking through the retirement checklist with them or guiding them through their portal step by step. Follow-up is also key. I typically check in every two weeks, but when someone is feeling overwhelmed, I connect sooner to make sure they are supported.
As members move closer to key milestones, like their date of termination, I take time to ask how they are feeling and what they are looking forward to next. It helps them see progress and reflect on the journey they have gone through.
It is also about paying attention to the smaller details. Remembering something like a birthday, or asking about a trip they mentioned, shows that you are listening and that you care about their experience as a whole.
When everything comes together and they reach the finish line, you can hear the relief right away. That moment when someone says, “we made it,” is incredibly rewarding and a reminder of the impact this work can have.
Q: What’s a moment that stands out where you could really see the impact of your support on someone’s experience?
A: One experience I will never forget involved a member who was hearing impaired and preparing for retirement. Before we worked together, she had difficulty with earlier communication methods and became frustrated with the process. We had accessibility tools for her to use, but she preferred a different approach.
When her retirement process began, I took on her case and worked with her family to change how we communicated. We used video calls as our primary way of connecting so she could read lips and stay fully engaged throughout the process.
We met regularly and built a consistent rhythm that allowed her to move forward step by step. When we reached the final stages of her retirement, the experience had completely shifted. She became emotional, and her family shared that she would not have been able to get there without the support she received.
That moment showed me how important it is to adapt your approach and truly meet people where they are.
Q: How does your experience connect to the broader TELUS Health approach to service excellence?
A: It shows that great service is not just about answering questions. It is about understanding the person behind the question and making sure they can move forward with confidence.
Q: What’s one thing employers often underestimate about supporting employees through retirement or loss?
A: I think employers underestimate the value of one-on-one experience.
Being able to have someone that a survivor can call just because they need a good cry can make a world of difference to them. While they may have support groups inside of the company, some often feel more comfortable being able to not be in a group type setting. It is sometimes easier to say what you want when you have someone with an empathetic ear that really listens to you.
With the retirement process having a team of experts that are willing to be there and make sure every detail is correct while making constant contact is definitely something all organizations could benefit from Members sometimes do not understand the language and terms used with complex retirement processes. A RISS case manager to help assist them makes a world of difference. The case managers are able to navigate around the jargon and put things in easier-to-understand language.
Being able to break down complexities is one of the most important and rewarding parts of my work.
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