Modern workers are accustomed to on-demand tools that streamline processes and provide accessible information. Paper-based methods are becoming less and less appealing across the board, especially during open enrollment.
Open enrollment is the busiest, most crucial time of the year for health insurance brokers. It's important to use the proper technology to streamline your efforts and simplify the process for your clients. It allows you to provide the most value to your clients without increasing your workload.
Here’s why technology is key for health insurance brokers during open enrollment:
Accessible Information
In preparation for open enrollment, it's imperative to provide clients with accessible information to streamline the education process. Necessary forms and informational materials should be available online in a mobile-friendly format. Employees can find plans that fit their specific health needs and then make informed decisions.
Unlike physical booklets and paperwork, digital information is easily accessible and can simplify the process of comparing types of coverage. When the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, client education became more complicated than ever. The ACA's ever-changing nature makes it difficult to stay informed without constant assistance from a broker. The proper technology can keep your clients up-to-date without extra effort from you.
Upselling
When more information is available, it’s easier to educate clients about voluntary benefits. Once your clients are aware of their options, technology can be used to guide them to the services that they may want according to their specific needs.
You can increase your sales and help your clients find additional benefits that they may not have known about previously.
Pre-Enrollment Communication
As open enrollment approaches, you can send automated messages, alerts, and reminders about deadlines and other important dates to prepare your clients for the impending enrollment process.
By utilizing an automatic notification system, you can speak to more clients directly about their specific inquiries as often as they need. Rather than manually reaching out about every detail, you can leave the essential updates to the system, and provide your clients with one-on-one information tailored to their specific needs.
Improve Key Touch Points
Technology can provide a streamlined method to create personalized quotes and customized benefit options according to the types of employees at a given company. For example, if the company employs a lot of single millennials, providing a variety of materials on family packages is a waste of time and resources.
The proper technology can improve every point of communication between a broker and client, for a higher quality customer experience. Open enrollment is a hectic time for everyone but digitizing as much of the process as possible allows brokers to answer questions and build better relationships with clients.
Not to mention, digital enrollment can reduce the time to complete a benefits application by about 50%.
Streamline Follow Up
After a client requests information or submits a quote, the proper technology will allow you to follow up quickly and efficiently. You can build automated reminders to return phone calls, emails, and messages—cutting out any complications or human error, and optimizing all communication during open enrollment and beyond.
Source: employeebenefitadvisor.com
Streamline Benefits Administration
The process of administering employee benefits can be complicated. Digital enrollment eliminates redundant data entry and keeps data collection organized, especially for complex benefit offerings. It can also provide a self-service administration option for employees so they can review their benefits on their own schedule.
With the proper technology, employers will be able to consolidate HR systems and spend more time focusing on their jobs.
Open enrollment can be draining for everyone involved. But utilizing the proper technology will simplify the process, help educate your clients, streamline communication and create a higher quality customer experience overall. Learn more about how you can ease the open enrollment process with Clarity Benefit Solutions.
Sources:
2. https://www.sykes.com/blog/top-3-reasons-customer-service-key-2018-open-enrollment/
4. https://www.quotit.com/tips-for-open-enrollment-success/
5. https://theblog.adobe.com/taking-healthcare-enrollment-analog-digital/
6. https://www.onedigital.com/blog/open-enrollment-is-about-education-and-engagement/
8. https://www.employeebenefitadviser.com/infographic/taking-the-lead-on-open-enrollment
