With open enrollment just around the corner, chances are you're working on process and communication for your clients. Chances also are good you're trying to save as much money as possible for them. Sending employees to enrollment Web sites and automated calls centers to make elections, trimming down on costly and time-consuming in-person meetings and trying to create the shortest line from educate to enroll definitely makes financial sense. But it might not be what employees want - or need.

Look at the big picture

Study after study points to how uncertain employees are about their benefits and how important they are, not just for financial security, but as part of an employer value proposition. Employees value their benefits more than ever before, and they are looking to their employers to help them make good decisions.

A McKinsey published in May 2009 examines what people really want in health insurance products. While the study focused mostly on the individual market, the findings are relevant for employer groups as well. The study says: "Faced with more choice, complexity, and financial exposure for their health care in an increasingly uncertain world, what consumers are really seeking is peace of mind."

It is that peace of mind - not the specific elements of coverage - that drives satisfaction with health insurance. Yet, much of the enrollment communication and process is focused on the details of coverage and plan elections. Often, we assume employees know why they need benefits and hope that they can find all the self-service resources to go out and get them on their own. This leads to dissatisfaction with the plans - and uneducated decision making. The self-service tools need to be balanced with high-touch support - and you can do that, even in a cost-conscious environment. Here's how.

Don't think, "If we build it, they will come." No matter how great your enrollment or wellness or benefits Web site is, you must constantly remind employees why they should use it. Do you think employees and their families are going to remember and choose to spend time on their benefits site when they could be logged on to Facebook instead?

Consistently promote online resources with clear explanations of why and how to use the tools. This doesn't mean creating a how-to guide for your enrollment Web site. (In fact, if your enrollment Web site needs a how-to guide, it probably needs a redesign too.) It means giving clear tips about how and when employees should access online resources - and why they are valuable.

Communicate constantly

Find ways to engage. If your client can't afford to fly around the country conducting in-person meetings, find a technology substitute. Web meetings and social media tools can give employees a way to interact without the large travel expense.

Benefits blogs are a simple way to get information out to employees; they can post comments and create a dialog that is open to everyone in the company.

Web meetings can provide a great learning environment and let employees get questions answered in real-time. Record the meetings to share with those who can't make them live.

Communicate year-round.

It doesn't help employees' ability to make decisions when the only time they get any information about benefits is during one, short three-week period, during which they are trying to digest changes and understand how cost increases are going to ding their paycheck. Use the other 11 months of the year to help employees understand what they should be enrolled in, how to use the programs and why they are valuable. That makes enrollment less stressful and ensures that employees value the company's investment in benefits all year round.

Technology may save the day... but not yet. Some exciting companies are pushing the industry forward in terms of high-touch online interaction and engaging ways to help employees navigate the complexity of benefits and insurance. But the majority of employers are still using static Web sites and old-school enrollment platforms and call centers.

If that describes your clients, make sure they're also providing enough high-touch support to get employees to those resources. Enrollment will be more successful, and employees will get more from their investment in benefits.