58% of American workers have the opportunity to work from home at least one day per week, and 97% of American employees desire remote work of some kind. As more and more workplaces embrace hybrid or remote models, virtual open enrollment becomes essential. Taking the traditional benefits fair online ensures all employees have access to the information they need.
As you digitize, finding the right tools can ensure your online benefits journey is seamless for employees. It also makes the job easier for you. Here are six tools you need to have a successful virtual open enrollment.
6 tools you need for online open enrollment
1. Video creation software
“A compelling video can go a long way toward getting employees to respond to benefits-related communication,” writes the Society for Human Resources (SHRM). Videos quickly explain complex information, while also detailing how to take the necessary next steps.
“I recommend brief videos,” says Brian Gezella, CEO of LearnYour Benefits. “All less than 2-3 minutes each.” Create videos covering:
– Changes to benefits
– New benefits
– Comparisons of medical plans
– Voluntary benefits (and why they’re important)
When creating benefits video content in-house, you’ll need quality video software. We use Vimeo, but you can also try Canva, iMovie for Macs, Loom, or other video creation tools.
2. Quality content from vendors
Creating your own benefits videos is quite a challenge. Many HR teams would rather avoid the hassle altogether, and if that sounds like you, consider partnering with a vendor. Vendors specialize in creating benefits education content, taking the entire workload off your team. “Quality content from vendors helps drive awareness of your benefits,” says Gezella.
Beyond just the brief videos, look for a vendor that provides:
– A benefits decision support tool
– Longer videos for more in-depth information
– Testimonials
– More benefits resources (such as important documents)
Outsourcing the creation of benefits educational content saves you plenty of valuable time, so you can focus on your other tasks. LearnYour Benefits offers cost-effective benefits content that support your employees throughout their entire benefits journey.
3. Online education site
Benefits information needs to be accessible—locking educational content behind a firewall limits employee engagement. Employees are often making joint decisions with their spouses, so the information needs to be easy to access and shareable.
“Open websites allow for easier planning and sharing with spouses,” says Gezella. At LearnYour Benefits, we’ve created an online education site with links for easy sharing. Plus, we offer a design that looks like an in-person benefits fair for your virtual open enrollment.
The design of the online education site you choose is really important, because done well, a great design leads your employees through their benefits journey.
4. Software for email campaigns
We’ve recommended benefits videos and resources, plus an online site—but those don’t matter much unless your employees actually look at them. Email campaigns help you drive engagement. “Consider sending periodic emails leading up to enrollment, during enrollment, and as enrollment deadline approaches,” writes HSA Central.
Beyond open enrollment, email campaigns help your employees make benefits decisions year-round. HSA Central recommends sharing tips to help employees reduce costs, or teaching them how to use their existing tools. We also recommend sharing relevant benefits during any key milestones. “New Years is a great time to connect resolutions with fitness-related benefits information,” Gezella says.
LearnYour Benefits offers automated, year-round email campaigns, but you can consider an email tool like MailChimp.
5. Social media
Throughout this article, we have shared multiple touchpoints to help you communicate with employees. Communicating through multiple channels helps you increase benefits messaging frequency. Another key way to connect to employees is through social media—we recommend leveraging Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube to share your content.
Social media provides a unique opportunity where employees can recommend benefits to others. Consider creating a specialized group, such as on Facebook, where employees can share their experiences with your benefits. This socially-generated content serves as highly effective testimonials.
6. Content calendar
55% of employees wish they had more benefits information, and almost 31% of employees don’t understand the benefits they selected during open enrollment. As you plan more frequent touchpoints, during open enrollment and throughout the entire year, make sure you create a content calendar. This helps you plan and stay organized.
When we say “content calendar,” a simple Excel grid is fine. You can also try these cost-effective options:
– A calendar in Teams
A content calendar keeps your communications intentional throughout open enrollment and beyond.
Successful virtual open enrollment is possible
As long as your HR team is using the proper tools, a successful virtual open enrollment is possible. It might seem daunting to move your benefits journey online, but it doesn’t have to be. When you partner with LearnYour Benefits, we build your site, populate your resources, create benefits messaging, and hand it off to you, ready to go…all in a matter of days.
You’ll save hundreds of hours of benefits messaging work. We offer:
– Pre-made, jargon-free benefits videos
– More benefits resources, such as documents and longer videos
– An online benefits education site
– Email promotional campaigns you can automate
All at an affordable price. Schedule a demo today.
