Summer may just be getting started, but Open Enrollment is right around the corner. Believe it or not, we’ve already begun working on OE communications for several clients. Whether you have sweeping program-wide changes, or are keeping things status quo, here are some communications trends for 2023 you may want to consider for your next enrollment season.
- “What’s in it for me” is for everyone. Consumers in general are growing more accustomed to personalization in their shopping experience. According to Forbes, 71% of consumers feel frustrated when a shopping experience is impersonal and 70% of millennials are frustrated with brands sending irrelevant emails. While many companies are externally focused on personalization, consider adopting that customized experience for your employees. Use segmentation to send versions of an email during Open Enrollment to target employees based on their level of engagement. For example, feature an interactive benefits quiz to help people determine which plan is best suited to their needs. This is a quick, fun tool that can easily be added to a benefits website, virtual event platform, landing page or as a QR code in an enrollment/benefits guide.
- Be smart. We are inundated with information constantly from many directions – it’s enough to make your head spin! How do you cut through the noise when there are so many distractions in and out of the office? Consider highly interactive PDF documents or web-based guides to offer a more valuable experience. There are so many ways to highly customize (see number 1 above) including downloadable checklists, audio/video files, hyperlinks directly to provider landing pages, and buttons to pop-up text and more! Offer a convenient and memorable experience that employees can return to throughout enrollment and beyond.
- Let’s get visual. According to HubSpot, when people hear information they likely only remember 10% of that info three days later. But, when paired with a relevant image, people retain 65% of that same information. In this YouTube era – short, specific and targeted videos are necessary to get your information to consumers. If pre-recording a benefits webinar, consider editing into chapters or smaller clips of information that employees can revisit later.
https://myspitfire.com/videos/ - Benefits? There’s an app for that. When you need a quick answer, what do you do? If you’re like 85% of Americans, you probably reach for your smartphone. Smartphones are in nearly every household and Americans spend nearly 5 hours per day on their phones. An app with easy access and a clear connection is a measurable and effective communication tool that is more needed than ever. It can be an all-in-one resource for employees, as well as their partner or spouse, for everything from benefits, company news, safety information, new hire on-boarding and more! And, it can easily show employees relevant information based on their specific eligibility, elections and even job function. Pair that with real time analytics that can show you what your employees want and need, an app is quite possibly the best way to combine all the trends listed here into one easy-to-use experience.
These are just some of the ways we’re helping our clients innovate and stay ahead of the curve before Open Enrollment is upon us. The quiet time during the summer months is a great time to revisit your strategy, plan ahead and stay on top of the trends so you are prepared to engage with your employees in a way that is fun, meaningful and productive.
