“The economic climate has served as a wake-up call for working Americans. They are more attuned to protecting themselves and their families and looking for greater value,” observes Elena Wu, second vice president of group worksite and marketing for The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. The workplace, of course, offers a great opportunity to take advantage of group rates and payroll deduction.
But they cannot make the best use of their limited dollars unless they’re receiving the best possible education about which benefit options will make the most sense for their needs and clearly know how the enrollment process will unfold.
On the employer side, she says a shortage of time and resources means employers may struggle more than ever with having enough bandwidth to dedicate toward this annual event. That’s why it will be critical to have in place enrollment support services that remove administrative burdens so they can focus on revenue-generating activities.
“It’s important an enrollment process be easy for employees every step of the way, and that it’s also engaging and educational,” Wu says. “Services that adhere to this tenet can not only convert employee interest into plan participation and appreciation but ultimately make enrollment time hassle-free for employers too.”
Choices in enrollment methods
Recognizing the optimal method for learning about and signing up for benefits varies from person to person, Guardian has enhanced its enrollment kits to be personalized to each employee as well as introduced self-enrollment online.
With Guardian’s personalized enrollment kits (available in English & Spanish this Fall), employee populations that are covered by the carrier will see their name featured on enrollment materials alongside an enrollment form pre-populated with demographic information and employee-specific cost information pertaining to their life, disability and/or critical-illness coverages.
The advantages of this personalized approach go beyond stirring employee interest in their company’s offerings. In effect, benefits decision making is made easier by the straightforward presentation of cost information based on the employee’s age and/or salary. It eliminates confusion that inherently occurs with traditional modes of an employee having to review charts to determine pricing by cross-referencing age and salary or to calculate cost on a worksheet.
“Our enrollment kits provide everything an employee needs to make an informed decision in one easy-to-understand document,” Wu explains. “By incorporating personalized elements, we are making enrollment time even easier.”
Another key enhancement is that an online employee self-enrollment capability for existing Guardian customers has been added to the mix for the fall. This expands previous capabilities that enabled managers to add new hires and update employee information. Following a Guardian customer’s initial enrollment, the paperless method can help reduce the time employers spend managing the enrollment process for new hires and subsequent annual open enrollments.
What’s significant is the service is not often available to the small and midsize employer market – an approach that is finally trickling down market from larger firms with economies of scale.
All in all, these two services are designed to make the enrollment process more engaging and provide choice in enrollment methods. The cornerstone is basic education that avoids a hard sell, particularly in an economic climate where sensitivity to income challenges is paramount.
Higher education
One final piece of the puzzle is to help support employees so they can make informed decisions about protection plans that best fit their needs. While it’s important to launch a campaign ahead of a company’s open enrollment period, educational efforts should be a year-round process so employees are primed to consider options at enrollment time.
Wu cites the life and disability insurance awareness months in September and May, respectively, as examples of periodic reminders. Another approach is to educate plan participants off enrollment cycle about, say, the advantages of choosing a network dentist to leverage discounts.
The key to enrollment success in the face of economic challenges is offering simple enrollment methods and accompanying enrollment time with multi-channel services and decision-support tools that help employees.
Support in the form of live enrollment meetings led by certified enrollment specialists and toll-free hotlines employees can call to get answers to questions if they missed an enrollment meeting or after discussing options with a spouse can make the enrollment process easier for everyone involved.
“Investments in benefits education and awareness go a long way in helping employers maximize the power of their offerings,” says Wu. “In the end, services that help ensure enrollment time is straightforward for employees also reduce the time employers spend managing the enrollment process.”
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