Challenge

Before Edge, Melendez Insurance Group’s team was stretched thin. Sales, service, and admin work were colliding on everyone’s plate, including the founder’s.

Hiring locally was an uphill battle:

• The Chicago market for bilingual insurance talent was limited
• Larger firms offered higher pay, shrinking the talent pool further
• Recruiting took too long, leaving the team overextended and slowing response times
• Staff was stretched thin, burnt out, and frustrated

“Instead of working on high-value activities, I was rolling up my sleeves in the trenches with my team. I needed a reliable customer service representative that was bilingual in Spanish and English—someone experienced, professional, and ready to contribute immediately.”
— Jose Melendez, President, Melendez Insurance Group

The Edge Solution

Melendez Insurance Group chose Edge because they needed more than a temp or contractor; they needed someone experienced, professional, and ready to contribute right away and for the long term. Within days, Edge provided three vetted, bilingual, top-tier candidates for consideration. 

Edge Services Provided:

• Bilingual Customer Service Representative
  • Customer service & quoting
  • Renewal reminders & lead intake
  • Data entry & CRM updates
  • Billing and service support
• Edge Talent management support
  • Background checks, training and certification 
  • Security and compliance
  • Employee tech provided 
  • Benefits and payroll 

From day one, their Edge Talent:

• Had already completed comprehensive training and compliance certification courses
• Immediately took over critical admin tasks, freeing leadership to focus on growth
• Integrated seamlessly into the in-house team as a true extension 
• Scaled support as the agency grew, without the headaches of local hiring

“Edge saved me a lot of time, and when you’re running a small business, time is a valuable thing. Their vetting process was super turnkey and their background checks made it an easy decision. The onboarding process was smooth and fast. Thanks to Edge’s pre-training, she was literally ready to help answer billing and service questions on day one. When it comes to hiring an admin, Edge is in a tier of their own and then there’s everybody else.”

— Jose Melendez, President, Melendez Insurance Group

Results & Impact

Since bringing on their Edge Talent, Melendez Insurance has seen measurable gains:

• 30% year-over-year growth, driven by faster service and freed leadership time
• Four straight months of perfect customer satisfaction scores — every survey a 10/10
• 70% faster hiring (14 days with Edge vs. 49-day industry average)
• Weeks-to-hire instead of months for the right bilingual insurance talent
• Seamless team integration, with daily chats, Google Meet calls, and shared workflows; the team even sent Edge swag to make their associate feel part of the family

“If we had never hired with Edge, we would still be playing whack-a-mole, being reactive instead of proactive. We wouldn’t have perfect scores on our surveys, and we wouldn’t be as profitable. We wouldn’t be in the growth accelerator stage that we are right now.”

 — Jose Melendez, President, Melendez Insurance Group

Interested in learning more about how Edge can help meet your operational needs? Book a demo now!