It’s the final day of open enrollment. Employees are scrambling to make decisions. Last-minute questions are flooding into HR. Some people pick the wrong plan because they don’t have the correct information. Others miss the deadline completely.
The result?
Financial stress, frustration, and lost productivity. It doesn’t have to be this way.
But how are you supposed to create a seamless OE experience without breaking the bank?
We’ve analyzed the best ways to do this and created a guide with the six most effective strategies you can implement to optimize your open enrollment process.
Do This, Not That: Smart Swaps to Improve Your Open Enrollment
Open enrollment can often feel like navigating a maze blindfolded. HR teams and employees can feel confused and overwhelmed. But with the right strategies, you can find a smoother and more cost-effective path. Here’s a Do This, Not That roadmap to help you optimize your OE journey.
1. Create a Microsite Instead of a Full Website
Do This: Create a dedicated open enrollment microsite. Think about how many emails you get from employees looking for benefits information. You can save your team hundreds of hours by centralizing your resources. A microsite is a focused way to share information about OE. Instead of your employees wading through company news, policies, and unrelated content, they get a streamlined experience. The upside for you is they’re simple to create, update, and replicate.
Create a dedicated open enrollment microsite that’s:
- Easy to update
- Easy to access
- Serves as a centralized hub for benefits information
Not That: Rely solely on the main company website. This approach can be cumbersome and hard to navigate. Keep it simple for a smooth open enrollment process.
Why It Works:
- Improves accessibility for employees.
- Keeps open enrollment content separate from the corporate site, which reduces distractions.
- HR teams can keep content updated more easily than on a full website.
- Increases user engagement by providing a user-friendly experience.
2. Send SMS Reminders Instead of Email Blasts
Do This: Use text messages to send timely open enrollment reminders. With a 98% open rate, SMS makes it far more likely that employees will see critical messages when they need them most.
You can send all the emails, post flyers in high-traffic areas, and make announcements in meetings. Yet you will still have employees that don’t realize it’s open enrollment. Text messages can cut through the noise and deliver information in the palm of your staff’s hands. A well-timed text might be the nudge they need to take action before the deadline passes.
Not That: Depend solely on mass emails. Think about how many emails any given person receives in a day. Your thoughtful email will, unfortunately, fall flat. It’s like whispering in a crowded room. No one hears it.
Why It Works:
- Delivers important updates instantly.
- Cuts through inbox clutter.
- Increases engagement.
3. Create a Benefits Explainer Video Instead of a Dense PDF
Do This: Produce a short, engaging explainer video to convey benefits information. People process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, making video a powerful tool.
When employees face a long and complex benefits guide, they may skim it. Worse would be when they ignore it altogether. Videos, on the other hand, are far more likely to capture their attention. Simplifying the topic will help the information stick.
Not That: Distribute lengthy and tedious PDF documents. Swap out the novel for the bullet-point summary. You can always answer questions or expand on topics as open enrollment continues.
Why It Works:
- Complex topics get broken down into digestible chunks.
- Retention rates increase.
- Videos are available at any time.
4. Use an Interactive Decision Support Tool Instead of Static Charts
Do This: Provide an interactive decision-support tool that helps employees compare options based on their unique needs. Take the guesswork out of the open enrollment experience.
Without clear guidance, employees often choose a benefits plan based solely on cost. Or worse, they just go with the same plan they had last year without knowing if it’s actually the best fit. Interactive decision support tools personalize the benefits selection process.
A well-designed tool goes beyond plan comparison. It educates employees, predicts their likely costs, and lays out their options in an easy-to-understand way. By providing a decision-support tool, HR teams empower employees to confidently select the best plan for their needs while reducing confusion and last-minute questions.
Not That: Hand out static benefits charts filled with numbers and percentages. Without providing context and personalization, there can be more confusion than clarity.
Why It Works:
- Allows staff to enter personal details for tailored recommendations.
- Provides side-by-side comparisons for easier decision-making.
- Increases engagement.
- Helps improve employee confidence in their selections.
5. Host a Short OE Webinar Instead of an In-Person Meeting
Do This: Conduct brief, on-demand webinars that employees can watch anytime. A flexible approach allows everyone to have access to the information they need when it’s most convenient for them.
Webinars give their viewers information in a succinct format. Live sessions offer interactivity, but recorded versions allow for flexibility and a chance to revisit information as needed.
Not That: Require employees to attend lengthy, in-person meetings. You’re not only disrupting workflow, you’re excluding remote and hybrid workers. And you definitely don’t want them saying, “This meeting could have been a webinar.”
6. Send Targeted Messages Instead of Generic OE Emails Add Your Heading Text Here
Do This: Segment your employee audience when sending messages like you would on any list. Send messages specific to each group so everyone receives tailored communication. The goal is for every employee to receive only relevant information.
Consider this: some employees may be choosing a health plan for the first time, while others have multiple dependents or retirement savings adjustments.
Not That: Blast out generic open enrollment emails to everyone. Nothing says unsubscribe like impersonal communication. And while your employees can’t opt out of communication you send, they can become disengaged.
Why It Works:
- Personalization always drives engagement.
- Higher engagement rates lead to better participation in benefits.
- Receiving relevant information reduces confusion.
Make Every OE Dollar Count
The key to a successful open enrollment isn’t spending more. It’s communicating better. Small strategic changes can make a major difference in how employees engage with their benefits. The best part is these budget-friendly strategies don’t just cut costs. They improve outcomes.