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Presentation for: Allstate Benefits Jack Douglas February 4, 2013 Marty Jones Hunter Whittington. Agenda for our meeting. Who is Benefits Technologies National Company Third largest enrollment firm nationally Current Open Enrollment Process Client Goals
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Presentation for: Allstate Benefits Jack Douglas February 4, 2013 Marty Jones Hunter Whittington
Agenda for our meeting • Who is Benefits Technologies • National Company • Third largest enrollment firm nationally • Current Open Enrollment Process • Client Goals • Electronic Enrollment Software Build • Fact Finder • Electronic Census • Program and Approach • Timeline • Branding of Enrollment • Marketing • Posters / Announcements / Memos • One Page Flyers • Customized Booklets, including extras • Emails / Voice Blasts
Agenda Continued • Program and Approach – Continued • Group Meetings • Employee Scheduling • On-line Scheduler • Prescheduled Appointments • Tag Team • Current Benefit Statement (on line only) • Benefit Election Statement (end of enrollment) • Benefit Deduction Authorization Form (at enrollment) • Data feeds sent to carriers and/or client at end of enrollment • Tracking and following up on all Evidence of Insurability • Benefit Specialist Training • Enrollment Services Application / Service Agreement • Why Benefits Technologies • Questions
What Are Our Clients Saying? Our market research and client feedback identifies three consistent messages coming out of HR. While these messages apply to almost any function of the company, they are becoming more crucial in the management and delivery of employee benefits. The following slides are designed to identify Best Practices in managing an annual enrollment.
Partnership Requirements Simplify the communications and make them better Provide technology to clean up employee data and integrate with all vendors Shorten the enrollment window Strong Partnership Foundation Engage the HR team with excellent communicators and high impact partners Get buy-in from the location and managers Develop a comprehensive communications campaign Limit work disruption and do not oversell the employees Emphasize this years key initiatives (HSA, CDHP, etc)
Process Planning Through years of experience managing projects for manufacturers Benefits Technologies has identified 8 key phases necessary for a successful implementation. The following slides will review those eight (8) phases in detail. The Power of Options With High-Touch Planning
Processes For Success • Phase I: Stakeholders Meeting • Review the overall scope of the project, timelines, goals and objectives, and any changes that have occurred since project inception. • Identify key influencers and roles that will support goals and objectives (i.e. senior management, location managers, line managers, unions, etc.) • Develop project management expectations for status updates and stakeholder interactions.
Processes For Success • Phase II: Education • Success is often a result of consistent and redundant communication with the internal management teams. Because annual enrollment only happens one time per year, a change to the existing process is cause for additional communications and education. • Create the message, define the timing and audience, and develop a way to get feedback. • Address the enrollment process and expectations for managers and supervisors. • Benefits Technologies assigns an Account Manager with the client to act as the liaison between Human Resources, supervisors and the employees ensuring quality control, single point of contact, logistics management and problem resolution.
Processes For Success • Phase III: Internal Staff Communications • Managers and supervisors are critical to the success of the annual enrollment. It is imperative that they fully understand the process and their role in making it a success. • Conference calls & WebEx describing the enrollment process, timing, and employee requirements, while providing support tools and potential work around(s) for unique circumstances. • Collect contact information by site and set up subsequent individual calls to review enrollment schedule and individual location needs (i.e. prescheduled appointments, on-line scheduler, tag team, and/or call center). • Deliver the location overview document capturing by location the number of employees, shifts, language requirements and meeting room logistics and availability. Completed by location manager and reviewed during the individual call in advance of the enrollment. This allows Benefits Technologies to customize the process to each location. • Chairman and CEO Letter delivered to employees. • Human Resource memorandum delivered to location managers and/or supervisors explaining the process and the need for support.
Processes For Success • Phase IV: Employee Specific Communications • Immediately following the management communication (s) a payroll stuffer (or email depending on the audience) is sent out to the employees highlighting enrollment dates and indicating a new process will be required for the annual enrollment. • Many clients take advantage of voice broadcasting services to ensure that all employees receive the intended message. This is a simple recorded message sent to all employees work and/or home or cell numbers. • At this point the supervisors understand the process that is upcoming and how it will work. The employees are aware that there is a new process and new programs that will be implemented. Typically about two weeks prior to Open Enrollment, Benefits Technologies will distribute more detailed information on the programs that they will be communicating and enrolling. Some of the options include but are not limited to the following. • Benefit Guide • Email communications • Memorandums • Posters (reminders for enrollment dates and positioning new plans and services) • Payroll stuffers • One page flyer introducing voluntary products • Carrier brochures • Traditional group meetings • ***Samples Available***
Processes For Success • Phase V: Training • This process begins during the early stages of the implementation and continues through the annual enrollment. There are four specific areas of the company that require case training: Implementation & Account Management, Technology (case build and data management), Enrollment Team, and finally the Enrollment Service Center. • Benefits Technologies hosts weekly internal meetings to review new case submissions, business requirements and associated timelines. This allows for resource planning, Q&A, and client assignments. Each area of the company is represented during these meetings. • Listing of carrier and details of products will need to be provided. Benefits Technologies will contact the carriers directly for benefit specialist training and will make arrangements with each carrier.
Processes For Success • Phase V: Training (continued) • Benefits Technologies requires that all Benefit Specialists be trained on the products and systems that they will be enrolling. Benefits Technologies will host training sessions via conference call, WebEx and on-site at a centralized location. The focus of these sessions will be on: • Company cultural • Working environments • Logistics and planning • Plan eligibility • Health & welfare benefits training • Voluntary benefit training • Technology support and application demonstration • Specialist mock interviews • Benefit Specialists ultimately become an extension of Human Resources and therefore we invite Human Resources to attend the enrollment training in order to meet the counselors and speak to them about the companies culture and what is and is not acceptable. It is also helpful for the specialists to know more about the employees.
Processes For Success • Phase VI: Going “Live” • The day before the enrollment is often a chance for the Case Managers and Enrollment Specialists to walk the facility and best prepare for the following day’s activity. Settle into the meeting room, ensure power outlet availability, proper lighting, seating and privacy for individual enrollment meetings. • On the first day of the annual enrollment the Case Manager will again meet with the supervisors and Human Resources to review the process and make sure that everyone understands the process. This time is also used to take into consideration new business developments that may impact the enrollment (i.e. temporary shut downs, ramp ups, deadlines, plan changes etc). • Enrollment Specialist then begin the “tag team” approach limiting down time for the production line. If a schedule was agreed to, the Enrollment Specialist will work with the appropriate manager to identify the employees. At this time if there are employees who are sick, hurt, or unable to attend the session, plans are made to ensure that they are seen in subsequent days or through the Enrollment Service Center.
Processes For Success • Phase VI: Going “Live” (continued) • The Benefits Technologies system will be able to track who has and has not enrolled in their benefits to ensure that they are seeing enough people on a daily basis in order to finish the enrollment on the proposed timeline. Benefits Technologies will provide these reports to Human Resources on a daily basis so they are kept up to speed on how the enrollment is going and follow up on any issues or questions from the day before. • This presents another opportunity to leverage the voice broadcasting technology, where a message will remind employees that annual enrollment has begun and they need to review the information sent to them, speak to their manager, call Human Resources or call our Enrollment Service Center.
Processes For Success • Phase VII: Post Enrollment Communication • Benefits Technologies will work with the employer to determine which post communication mediums are useful to them. Options include the following: • The benefit specialist will have a confirmation form that the employee can complete and take with them, so the employee has a record of their elections to share with a spouse. • Enrollment reports for Human Resource (who has enrolled in which plans). • Data feeds sent to Carriers and Human Resource. • Benefit confirmation statements signed by the employee (sent electronically to Human Resource). • Thank you letters sent to Human Resources and supervisors.
Processes For Success • Phase VIII: Project Review • After the project is completed and Human Resource has time to conduct a post enrollment , a call or meeting is scheduled to review all aspects of the project. • Implementation effectiveness – was there a clear path set to meet the key objectives? • Training – did all parties feel that the team was well prepared? • Enrollment – statistics; how many employees were interviewed, was the process smooth, what would we do differently?
Why Benefits Technologies? Professionalism Our consultative approach ensures that your employees are getting “best-in-breed” benefit programs and that you understand how the programs help your employees • Education • Our experienced non-commissioned benefit enrollment specialists ensure that your employees make educated benefit decisions for themselves and their families • Proven Process • Our state-of-the-art-enrollment/ communication strategies ensure that all aspects of your enrollment are successful from the pre-communication campaign through post-enrollment wrap up Customization Our entrepreneurial approach result in unique solutions and custom branding for each client • Cutting Edge • From our front end state-of-the-art enrollment system to our back end technology/data management systems, we use customized software to make sure that we are providing the most efficient and best enrollment process available