While many employees feared what was to come as a result of COVID-19 and how it would shake up their job security, HR departments were worried about something else entirely. What was otherwise an exclusively in-office process of enrolling employees into healthcare plans would have to shift and be done entirely online. While it’s clear that the worst days of the pandemic are behind us, with more and more employees returning to the office, how will these open enrollment strategies change now? This post will detail the ways in which open enrollment impacts a business and the ways they can improve enrollment rates through a third-party partner.
Throughout the pandemic, it can be easy to understand how an employee could overlook an enrollment period and miss out on the benefits offered by their company. There was a lot going on in the world and it’s hard to be sure of whether or not their family had been directly impacted by the virus. Despite this, it was the job of HR professionals to make an effort and attempt to keep their enrollment rates high throughout these issues. Many departments failed, but those who went the way of outsourcing to a third-party solutions provider saw some improvements.
Addressing these benefits issues was much more challenging while employees were remote. As more employees return to offices in the coming months, the question becomes should businesses maintain the strategies they used online? Or provide a more blended approach with the help of a third-party? The business process outsourcing providers that they work with suggest a blended approach to get the most out of these enrollment periods.
How A Blended Approach Can Make The Difference
Though many HR departments may have developed some new tactics amidst their employees being primarily remote, more needs to be done to ensure high engagement in enrollment is a standard for many businesses. Finding a balance between one-on-one meetings and digital literature with all of the benefit information has still proven to be difficult. This is why the proprietary technology from these third-party solutions providers can be the difference maker businesses need.
As mentioned previously, begin with sending out digital documents via email filled with information regarding offered policies and their enrollment periods. Then, with the software offered by a partner, a virtual event where all employees are invited can be held. Throughout this event, employees can become more informed of these policies and can ask the necessary questions prior to enrollment. Actual enrollment is aided by these third party providers as their proprietary software offers advanced AI assistants built into an app and website to help guide employees to completion. They’re also able to offer live experts to chat or connect with employees through a video conference and provide guidance throughout enrollment.
There are a number of third-party solutions providers out there for all of your organization’s needs. To learn more about one of the most respected in the industry, Conduent, and their many open enrollment strategies, take a minute to check out the infographic accompanying this post.