“When someone asked, ‘Is LASIK covered?’ I thought, ‘Guess I’m spending my afternoon digging through PDFs.’”

“I wasn’t a benefits expert, but I had to figure it all out on my own.”

That’s how Rachel Spector-Wiffin, Head of People and Culture at Sleep.ai (previously SleepScore Labs), described her early years managing HR solo at the company. Benefits administration quickly became the most time-consuming, stressful part of her job.

Sleep.ai had been working with a big-name broker that required every question to go through a call center. While she technically had a point of contact, response times were slow, and it often took multiple calls and emails just to reach someone who could actually help. There was no centralized portal, no easy access to documents, and no clear point of contact.

“They weren’t built for companies like ours. It felt like we were an afterthought.”

Rachel was already starting to question the relationship when she got a cold call from Nava. “I don’t usually answer those. But that day, it just hit me. My broker’s terrible. Why not hear them out?” She was skeptical—but curious.

What stood out immediately was Nava’s tone: hands-on, tech-forward, and aligned with her own company’s mission around health and wellness. “It just felt like more of a partnership.”

Rachel took the meeting. And shortly after, she made the switch.

What followed was more than just a change in brokerage. Nava introduced Rachel to HQ, an AI-powered platform that would completely transform how she handled benefits.

From firefighting to forward-looking

With Nava came HQ, an AI-powered platform that changed everything.

“Before HQ, I would have had to read through the entire medical plan document, then the entire vision plan document, and manually piece together what was actually covered for that specific employee. It would have taken hours. With HQ, the answer came back in seconds.”

Rachel also learned this the hard way: “When we brought on a new hire in New York, I was blindsided four months later with a significant penalty from the state for not purchasing the required paid family leave coverage. The truth was, I didn’t even know that obligation existed. With HQ, that risk disappears. I can simply ask, ‘I’m hiring in New York—what compliance requirements should I be aware of?’ and immediately get a clear, comprehensive checklist of everything I need to do. What once led to costly surprises is now handled in seconds.”

She also started using HQ’s modeling tools to test contribution levels for renewals. “If the company puts in X amount per employee, we can adjust those numbers in real time. On a spreadsheet, that process was far more cumbersome.” The ability to instantly simulate different cost structures has transformed how Sleep.ai prepares for renewals. “We used to handle all of this in Excel—changing one variable at a time to find the right balance, which could take hours. With HQ, it happens instantly.”

Real time saved, real strategy gained

“I used to spend at least five hours a week just managing benefits. It was never straightforward—there was always research and digging involved. Now, with HQ, that workload is way down. I can rely on it to give me the answers I need, quickly and confidently.”

That time savings adds up quickly. By eliminating hours of routine work, Rachel has gained back over 250 hours a year. It’s time she now reinvests into employee engagement, wellness programs, and strategic people initiatives.

Tech that actually works (even for engineers)

Sleep.ai is a tech company. If something doesn’t work, the team knows. So Rachel asked her team to try out the decision support tool in the HQ for Employees app: "It only takes five minutes—try it and let me know what you think." The tool recommends the most suitable plan option based on individual needs. Several employees, including Rachel, ended up saving money.

“A number of people actually changed what they would have normally chosen for their medical plan. They downgraded to a less expensive option because they realized they were essentially overinsured—and by the end of the year, no one felt they had made the wrong decision.”

Support that shows up when it matters

When one employee went on medical leave for back surgery, he didn’t have to go it alone. He typed “back issues” into the Nava app and got a personalized care plan—what to ask his doctor, what symptoms to monitor, and how to advocate for treatment. It took pressure off Rachel, and helped the employee feel supported through recovery.

HQ supports finance too, not just HR

Rachel also partners closely with finance, especially during renewal season. “There’s just one HR person—me—and one finance person. I love my finance partner, he’s amazing, but we used to spend so much time running growth models during renewals.”

“Now we can run three or four iterations in real time, even down to the individual employee level. We’ll look at scenarios like, ‘If the company contributes X amount per employee, what does that mean for costs?’ We can instantly see whether the company can absorb most of an increase, spread it out, or strike the right balance so employees get the best coverage we can afford.”

The bottom line: an extension of her team

Rachel didn’t have a traditional benefits team. Now she has HQ and Nava as an extension of her HR team. 

“HQ is a game-changer. It’s like having a second brain that already knows everything about our plans.”