PlanSource Creates Open Enrollment Communications Resource Center

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- PlanSource, a leading provider of cloud-based benefits and human capital management software, has launched an Open Enrollment Communications Kit, which includes a range of resources for brokers, human resources teams and benefits professionals to use in communicating about benefits enrollment to employees.

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The Open Enrollment Communications Kit contains examples of daily emails and text messages, customizable posters, flyers and postcards in a variety of themes, educational videos and messaging templates to embed directly in the PlanSource benefits shopping and enrollment experience. It also includes a sample timeline that draws on proven marketing techniques, which can be used to prepare a complete campaign for communications before, during and after open enrollment. PlanSource has made all of these resources available online free of charge. In addition, the company has partnered with Next Generation Enrollment to provide a subscription-based text messaging service which allows HR teams to send texts to their employees with reminders, updates, or link to videos and other resources.

"Open enrollment is a very busy time for HR and benefits teams, and many do not have the time or resources to create communications materials," said Nancy Sansom, Chief Marketing Officer of PlanSource. "Employees who are satisfied with their benefits are more engaged and likely to remain with their employer longer than those who are not. So our goal with this kit was to give HR professionals everything they need to run open enrollment communications like an integrated marketing campaign to inform and educate their employees about their benefits choices and drive them to action."

Lack of knowledge around benefits and insurance lead to poor decisions

A recent nationally representative survey found that only 7% of respondents could successfully define the four basic health insurance concepts: plan premium, deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum. In addition, the American Institutes for Research found that only 20 percent of Americans could correctly calculate how much they would owe for a routine physician visit. Young people, minorities and those with lower income or educational levels tended to have a tougher time understanding and using health insurance.

"Employees can easily be overwhelmed by insurance plans and the terminology used to describe them," said Sansom. "As a result of this lack of benefits and insurance knowledge, many are unprepared for open enrollment and risk being underinsured or end up paying for services they don't need. The resources we are providing will help to turn that around."

The Open Enrollment Communications Kit was unveiled during a webinar hosted by PlanSource, which highlighted a number of tips for building a comprehensive communications strategy and methods for using multiple channels to reach employees from different backgrounds and generations. The free webinar will be repeated twice during the fall, which is typically when companies hold their benefits open enrollment. More information and registration details for the webinar can be found here.

Keywords for this news article include: Marketing, PlanSource, Advertising, Health Insurance.

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