6 tips for multi-year enrollment success
July 19, 2017 1:35 PM
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6 tips for multi-year enrollment success
Employers shouldn’t just be planning their upcoming benefit enrollment period — they should be planning their next several enrollments.
Having a solid multi-year enrollment strategy allows all parties involved — including employers, employees, brokers and vendors — to map out the best course of action for workplace benefits, related employee communications and engagement goals and the actual enrollment solution that’s being set-up. And, best of all, it means employers are always prepared for what comes next year after year. As a matter of fact, when one year’s messaging is completed and evaluated, you’re starting to plan for the following year’s messaging and enrollment process.
Here are six tips for creating a successful multi-year enrollment strategy.
Having a solid multi-year enrollment strategy allows all parties involved — including employers, employees, brokers and vendors — to map out the best course of action for workplace benefits, related employee communications and engagement goals and the actual enrollment solution that’s being set-up. And, best of all, it means employers are always prepared for what comes next year after year. As a matter of fact, when one year’s messaging is completed and evaluated, you’re starting to plan for the following year’s messaging and enrollment process.
Here are six tips for creating a successful multi-year enrollment strategy.
1. Shift your perspective
The first step to multi-year enrollment success is to shift your perspective and consider how, year over year, each enrollment is interconnected, rather than viewing enrollment as a one-time event.
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2. Place benefits strategically
Employees often find insurance and benefits confusing, so don’t overwhelm them with too many options. Instead, create a roadmap for, year-over-year, how you will introduce new benefits into the program for optimal employee participation, engagement and appreciation of their total benefits plan.
3. Plan for communication
Be sure to prepare for how and what you want to communicate. This is a key opportunity for you to share any key initiatives with employees, such as driving health or benefit plan participation or perhaps the introduction of a new healthcare cost transparency tool. We’ve even seen organizations use this enrollment process as an opportunity to roll out a new customer service initiative.
4. Stay active in the process
Don’t let your multi-year enrollment strategy stagnate. Aim to perform a face-to-face re-enrollment each year, or at least every other year. The reality is that corporations and benefits change. Regularly communicating these changes to employees can help increase participation and reinforce your initiatives.
5. Measure results
Whether it’s through employee surveys that can be included in the one-on-one enrollment process or just examining participation levels, there’s much you can learn from implementing a multi-year enrollment strategy. It’s a great way to compare and contrast how enrollment is performing within fairly consistent conditions. Be sure to set goals and track metrics so you can measure results.
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6. Don’t be afraid to adjust on the fly
Having a plan is essential, but knowing when to deviate from the plan is equally important. If you see something in the results that indicates something is working — or isn’t working — adjust your plan accordingly to help ensure your multi-year enrollment strategy is a success.
