Enrollment 2020: How to go virtual

Guest: Heather Garbers, Vice President of Voluntary Benefits, HUB International

Matt 0:01: Hello and welcome to Assurity’s Focus on Voluntary Benefits podcast. In this series, we're discussing the state of the voluntary benefits market, as well as trends and tips that you can use to boost your business. Today, I'm pleased to welcome Heather Garbers. As vice president of voluntary benefits at HUB International, Heather helps clients engage employees with customized benefit enrollment and communication solutions. Before joining the HUB team in 2015. She gained experience on the carrier side with GBS Benefits and Allstate. Heather is a certified voluntary benefits specialist and executive member of the National Advisory Board for the Voluntary Benefits Association. She earned the Employee Benefits News Voluntary Advisor of the Year Award in 2015, and in 2016, was named one of 15 Women in Insurance You Need to Know by LifeHealthPro. Welcome, Heather. It is great to have you with us here today.

Heather 0:53: Thanks for having me.

Matt 0:55: Before we begin, is there anything else you'd like to add about yourself for our audience?

Heather 1:00: No, that about sums it up right there.

Matt 1:04: Oh, fantastic. It's an impressive resume for sure. And we're glad to have you on the show bringing some of that expertise. So let's get right into it and talk about some of the biggest questions right now in the voluntary benefits space, especially those regarding COVID-19. Have you seen brokers and employers who prefer traditional face-to-face enrollments change their approach as a result of COVID?

Heather 1:30: 100% we have. We had enrollment firms that we've partnered with that in the past had only worked with groups where you could do face-to-face enrollments, and now they've transitioned to 100% call center enrollments. And we've seen an incredible increase in the use of technology, even groups that traditionally had shied away from using technology and like that one-on-one approach, paper apps, group meetings, all of that fun stuff, have been transitioning to paper this year or to electronic enrollments this year. So there's been a huge kind of change in methodology for the industry. And, you know, personally, I think it's for the best. I think the efficiencies that clients can get from an electronic enrollment, you know, can help them in the long run in terms of ongoing administration required on their end.

Matt 2:21: Yeah, absolutely. In terms of that administration, there's a lot of technology and tools that can be used for it. Not that long ago, some of these bigger ones, like enrollment platforms and self-service enrollments, were just for larger groups. How have you seen carriers and enrollment firms adapt to the growing needs of these smaller employers who are going to virtual enrollments?

Heather 2:40: That's a great question. Different enrollment platforms that we partner with have really come down market in terms of the size of case that they can accommodate on their platform. And that, you know, it also with that solution that keeps it cost effective for the client. And I think that's also in part to the increasing use of API connections with different carriers out there. The enrollment platforms aren't having to create a custom enrollment file for each different plan. And they have, you know, in some cases, a marketplace with those API connections already set up, that makes it very simple to turn on a file feed to some of the different carrier partners and keep costs down for our clients. The thing I would add is that the LIMRA standardized file formats that came out earlier this year, I think, will only help grow, you know, the appeal of these programs in the future, because if we're using those file formats, both on the carrier and on the platform side, it keeps it very simple. And again, we're not having to customize case by case each different file feed that's going out for the different products that it might offer.

Matt 3:47: Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned briefly API's and more of a pick-up of them by some of these smaller agencies and enrollment firms. Now, are you seeing more of an adoption of the API's by carriers and agencies alike?

Heather 4:10: We have some carriers that we work with that their methodology is to only partner with platforms that they have an API connection with. And I think that does limit the appeal of their program. But, you know, obviously, they trust that connection. And, you know, it's easier for them to accommodate that. For us, when we are working with technologies, like either Navigator that have those marketplaces put together where they have an API connection with different carriers, when it comes to vetting different carriers and solutions for our clients, we're really looking to those carrier partners first because that means we don't have a setup charge for adding their products to the client platform and that we're not having to manage or get involved on an ongoing basis to submit that enrollment data.

Matt 5:04: Yeah, absolutely. And these API's are just another one of the many ways that technology is making its way into enrollment. Now, virtual enrollment and self-service enrollment have come a long way in a very short time, API's just being one of these these new tools that are getting added. What are a couple of the biggest changes and enhancements that you've seen compared to just a couple of years ago?

Matt 7:33: Yeah, that's fantastic. It's great that we're seeing more of the changes that help meet employees where they are, and make the enrollment process more painless for them. Now, what advice would you have for brokers conducting virtual enrollments of small groups without the aid or contracting with an enrollment firm?

Heather 7:49: The first thing that I'll say Focus on Voluntary Benefits
Episode 4: Heather Garbers
Full transcription

Matt 0:01: Hello and welcome to Assurity’s Focus on Voluntary Benefits podcast. In this series, we're discussing the state of the voluntary benefits market, as well as trends and tips that you can use to boost your business. Today, I'm pleased to welcome Heather Garbers. As vice president of voluntary benefits at HUB International, Heather helps clients engage employees with customized benefit enrollment and communication solutions. Before joining the HUB team in 2015. She gained experience on the carrier side with GBS Benefits and Allstate. Heather is a certified voluntary benefits specialist and executive member of the National Advisory Board for the Voluntary Benefits Association. She earned the Employee Benefits News Voluntary Advisor of the Year Award in 2015, and in 2016, was named one of 15 Women in Insurance You Need to Know by LifeHealthPro. Welcome, Heather. It is great to have you with us here today.

Heather 0:53: Thanks for having me.

Matt 0:55: Before we begin, is there anything else you'd like to add about yourself for our audience?

Heather 1:00: No, that about sums it up right there.

Heather 5:27: I think we've come a long way very quickly. And I think COVID has, you know, pushed a lot of carriers to adapt to a new methodology very, very quickly. And we're seeing carriers provide more enrollment support tools, which I think is fantastic. So things like videos that will help complement an online self-service enrollment or virtual enrollment, and, you know, calculators to help you calculate how much life insurance you need, for instance, and email campaigns. And so carriers have really stepped up to help us provide those solutions for our clients of all sizes to help complement the enrollment to educate employees. The other thing that I think has been great that's come out of this is more interactive solutions when it comes to benefits. So you know, text messaging, or you know, just the instant message service where you can ask benefit questions and get an instantaneous response. For a lot of employee demographics, that's how they prefer to communicate and get their information. And so that's been very important and a great add to our current virtual enrollment situation. We're also seeing more enrollments for portals that are becoming m is what doesn't work and what doesn't work is, you know, putting everything on a platform and asking, do you want health insurance? Yes or no? Do you want accident insurance? Yes or no? Do you want disability insurance? Yes or no? That doesn't work. You know, when it comes to a passive enrollment like that, you really are going to see employees take the path of least resistance and not taking action on what they need to. And then, when they do go into that site, they're not getting the information they need. And so I would say the most important thing for small brokers to keep in mind is that, you know, if you are moving to an online self-service enrollment, especially if it's in the first year, you need quality data in the system. So I always recommend an active enrollment. So that means letting employees know, “if you want benefits this year, you have to log into the system and enroll or waive.” With that, I would also say you should eliminate the “waive all” option in the system itself. And so, you know, some platforms will allow you to go in and elect medical, waive the rest without explaining the information, and then finishing. And so when you eliminate that “waive all” option, you are basically forcing the employee to complete their enrollment by going to each plan, viewing information about it and then making an educated decision whether they'd like to waive or enroll in coverage. I think that's incredibly important. Because you know, it's a true waive, right, you know, that the employee has viewed information on that disability claim, that employee has acknowledged that maybe this is your one year, they cannot qualify for coverage without evidence of insurability and they're actively losing it. The other thing I would say is when it comes to voluntary benefits – specifically, your supplemental medical plans, your accident, your critical illness, your hospital indemnity – those should be right after medical in the enrollment process, because that's where it makes most sense, right? That helps in the employee’s mind; they just learned about their medical plan. And now they're learning about these plans that will help complement that medical plan and so in any gaps that they might have. So that's most important. In addition to that, I would add a thorough communication campaign is important, both pre-enrollment and during enrollment. And then I would say with that, communicate often and in different ways. And that will help you appeal to the different ways employees will take information in. Some employees like to listen to information to get it that way; some like to, you know, read information and learn about things that way. And some like to have an experience where they're able to ask questions and have somebody walk them through. So, you know, with that communication campaign, just make sure you're trying to appeal to the different generations in your workforce, the different demographics, and then the different ways that people learn.

Matt 10:36: Absolutely, I think that's all phenomenal advice for conducting virtual enrollments, especially the points about communication, making sure that that's, that's clear. And I know, there are some worries out there about how impersonal virtual enrollments might feel. So I'd like to address that a little bit, what's lost in a virtual meeting, compared to when a broker is sitting across the desk from an employee or talking to a group in a meeting room? And, more importantly, what are some of the things that brokers can do in a virtual environment to build rapport and connect with employees?

Heather 11:08: You know, I think there's pros and cons, right? I think that what you lose from not having that, you know, person on site is a personal touch, you lose seeing, you know, sitting across the desk from somebody, and seeing them, and walking through it in person, so you definitely lose that. But, you know, the other side of that is for me, and for the way, you know, I would prefer to enroll, you know, I think of that as maybe a little invasive, and so that would not be the way that I would prefer to enroll my benefits. And so, you know, I think there's pros and cons both ways. And, you know, with the loss of the personal touch, one of the things you could do to help make up for that is just turn on your camera. So if you're doing a virtual group meeting, have your camera on, so people can see you. I personally pay more attention to a presentation when I see the person versus when I'm just looking at a PowerPoint presentation. So that kind of helps, you know, give it that personal touch and keep people engaged. You know, and when you're working with call centers that are enrolling people one on one, that's a question you can ask: Do your enrollers have, you know, cameras? Can the person who is enrolling in benefits, if they have the technology, can they, see who they're talking to as they're going through enrollments. And you know, there's all kinds of visual cues that enrollers can use, when they're on site and going through enrollments to, you know, see, you know, what are touchpoints with an employee. How do they react to, you know, different statements or different plans? And so when you turn on the camera, or have that capability, that really helps you pick up on those visual cues as well. And the other couple things I would say is, you know, keep your virtual meetings as interactive as possible, and just don't talk at people. You want them to be engaged in benefits, right? And so the number one way to do that is when you're doing these virtual presentations, engage them. There's all kinds of great technology out there these days. And there's even technology where employees can pull into a, you know, a private room and ask questions, and so maybe you're doing a big group meeting, that's virtual with your camera on. And then at the end of the meeting, employees can request the, you know, a private room where they can ask personal questions that they might have. So it still keeps it interactive, but in the new virtual environment that we're in. The last thing I would say is that, you know, simplify your message, and offer employees advice, you know, if needed. You know, what I mean by that is, we have a fantastic communication and design team here at HUB. And I believe it's like a fifth grade reading level is what they use as a standard for benefit communication. And that's not to say that employees aren't savvy; but that's saying that, you know, your average American or person these days, you know, when it comes to benefits information is reading at like a fifth grade level. And, you know, for us in insurance, we seek insurance all day long. And so we know what HDHP and PPO and all these acronyms mean, but your average consumer doesn’t. And so if you keep the message simple, and if you, you know, offer advice, you know, in different campaigns, if needed, so it would be, you know, “you’re X years old and you have children at home,” people that are similar to you, you know, are interested in these types of coverages to complement their medical – that helps engage them, and it helps them comprehend and understand what your benefits are as well.

Matt 14:47: Yeah, absolutely. I think that is really important to keep in mind how easy it can be for us to sometimes get lost in our own jargon and just to make sure to simplify that for those who might not be steeped in it all the time. Now earlier you mentioned possibly using a camera or some other technology to add a personal touch to some of these virtual enrollments. I'd like to talk about that a little bit. What sort of tools are you seeing brokers use for these enrollments? Are they using tools like Zoom to try and conduct individual or group educational meetings virtually?

Heather 15:20: Yeah, we're seeing a lot, you know, a huge increase in the use of Zoom. I think everybody has their preferred technology, whether it's Zoom, or Skype, or Microsoft Teams or GoToMeeting. We use Zoom in-house, mostly. But if we have a client that has a technology that they use often, so we know that it's something that the employees are used to using, we'll probably use that one instead. There's a million different technologies out there at this point. And the last thing we want is for employees not being able to access information because they can't get logged into a meeting. And so, those platforms are invaluable. And especially those that have, you know, different features where you can communicate privately with people if they're interested. We're also seeing a lot of Knovio or Brainshark – those technologies that will record a group meeting for you, or a group presentation, so employees can access them on demand. One thing that's great about a lot of those types of technologies are that they can section off the products or the benefits. And so employees, if they just want to learn about their FSA plan, could just click FSA and do the two- to three-minute presentation on the FSA. So it makes it more user-friendly, so they don't have to sit through the entire meeting just to get the information that they need. And some of the other things we're seeing are e-guides and online portals. It's even more important to house information online for employees and their families to access 24/7 if they need benefit information. And then something that has increased significantly this year that our clients had previously been a little bit hesitant to do are email and text messaging campaigns. We've had clients this year that in years past have said, “I'm not interested in a text messaging campaign, we can't do that with their employees, I don't want to bother them…” This year they have come to us and said, “we need text messaging. That's how they want information. That's the only way I can communicate with them out in the field. So we need to, you know, communicate our benefits this year during open enrollment through that as a main point of communication.” And so that's been very interesting as well.

Matt 17:37: No kidding. We've heard over the years some of those same concerns about texting, and it's interesting to see that the pickup is a lot bigger now than it would have been otherwise.

Heather 17:47: It is. There's actually been studies done that show your younger generations in the workforce don't want emails; they want this. If it's very important that if it's important to them, they wanted it in a text message. And so I think we're in that generational shift now to where the you know, the younger generation demographics are saying, “No, this is how I prefer information.” So we have to, you know, do our best to accommodate that route of communication as well.

Matt 18:11: Yeah, let's continue along the line of tools. At Assurity, we provide virtual communications and tools like custom websites and employee-facing educational product videos that brokers can use to help connect with their clients. So as far as tools like these go, how important are they right now? And how do you see brokers leveraging tools like these?

Heather 18:31: I think they're really important. And, you know, we offer our clients, you know, everything and work with them to make a decision about what's going to be the best fit to communicate with their employees. And a lot of our clients, even some of the larger ones, just don't have a budget for custom portals and custom communications and all of that. And so, anything that a carrier like Assurity can do to help us with communicating with employees, with housing information online, with that interactive experience, it makes a huge difference. And, you know, I know that we really appreciate that that capability that Assurity brings that to us as a no-cost solution as well.

Matt 19:10: Now, these tools, of course, are used to overcome some of the challenges the brokers are finding in the market right now. From where you are, what do you see as some of the biggest challenges the brokers are facing when moving to virtual enrollments?

Heather 19:25: You know, the number one challenge has always been cost. And, you know, as a brokerage, is this something we want to offer in-house? Is this something we want to outsource? Is it in states where you know, if it's available, we can help subsidize for the clients? And, you know, getting HR to adapt to the use of technology. And I will say anytime you're implementing a new technology like an admin portal or HR portal, it is cumbersome to get that set up, get your information loaded in there. And then accurately, you know, sync it with payroll and all of that. It is a cumbersome process. So that's a huge challenge for our clients where they might not have bandwidth in the HR team to work with ben admin providers to even get that information in and set up, even though obviously it would probably be worth it for them in the long run. And then, you know, when it comes to the employee perspective, a lot of employees are used to the way they've always done things. And so, you know, they're used to coming into a group meeting every year; they're used to filling out a paper app. They're used to going to HR if they have questions about their benefits. And so, you know, that learning curve of just getting the employees used to a different process, it's, cumbersome for the clients and cumbersome for us. Again, I do think it's worth it in the long run. But it is definitely a challenge that we have to overcome that, based on the demographics of your group, might be easier in some cases and more difficult in other cases.

Matt 21:04: Yeah. What are some of the other top concerns that brokers are sharing about conducting enrollments virtually?

Heather 21:10: Platform selection, I think, is always a difficult concern if the client is leaning on us to help provide them with a platform at little or no cost, or just provide guidance on what would be the best fit for them … something we've struggled with for years is what's the best solution. Some brokerages out there have an in-house technology, and that's kind of their solution for everything. And is that the best approach, or is the best approach to, you know, outsource technology, and then and let your client choose which system they can afford, or which system is the best fit for them. I think, you know, platform selection costs for brokers are very important. And then the other thing I think would be important to add is that, you know, finding – and this isn't just, you know, in relation to the actual capturing the elections, but just finding the best solutions that will enroll or communicate with all employees of, you know, different generations and different demographics. Not all employees have mobile devices or technology at home to get information, and there are still some employees out there that don't have smartphones. And so how do we, you know, reach all employees equally with benefit education and tools, and then capture elections from that as well. So I think it's just, you know, you really have to evaluate the use of your group and the different demographics of their workforce and make recommendations that will hopefully be able to appeal and engage everyone.

Matt 22:55: Yeah. Now looking at the big picture is always a useful step when evaluating some of these concerns. In speaking of these last few questions, let's take a step back and look at the big picture across the industry. What do you think the future holds for voluntary benefits post-pandemic? Do you see brokers and employers, quote-unquote, going back to traditional face-to-face meetings when it's safe to do so?

Heather 23:20: There will be some groups that will prefer to go back to the way they were doing things before, again, based on the demographics and needs of their employees and their comfort level. So I do think we will have some clients that prefer to go back that way. But I think for a lot of our clients, it's going to be a permanent transition. They've already invested time, money and resources into, you know, putting together this virtual enrollment solution. And so, you know, why not just build on that strategy each year, versus, you know, reverting back to what they were doing before? And, and I think, you know, after that technology is, is up and running, and after your first enrollment, I think we, you know, employees are now used to that way of doing things. And, you know, that's where their, their comfort level is, as well. So, you know, we will have a few groups that will probably go back to the way they've done things in the past. But I think, for the most part, you know, we're now in a virtual environment when it comes to educating employees on their benefits and taking their elections. And so why not just continue to build on that and, you know, hopefully we have new technologies come out as well that help us to do that even better year after year.

Matt 24:30: Yeah, you bring up a good point about the investment. I'd be interested to see just how virtual enrollments stick around after 2020. So what do you feel are some of the keys to doing business in this 2020 pandemic enrollment season?

Heather 24:46: You know, the keys to doing business, I think number one is adjusting to change. You know, there are a lot of brokers that have changed the way they're doing business completely, because everything was on site, everything was a face-to-face meeting, everything was on paper. And so, you know, being able to adjust to change has been huge. I think thinking outside of the box, you know, while we're doing things differently this year, we do have to think about enrollment differently as well. We have to, you know, really think outside of the box and try and understand the needs of our consumer and provide solutions that will appeal to them. And we need to do our job as consultants and help our clients find the solutions that they need, whether it's as a communication tool, whether it's an enrollment port – or rather, it's an enrollment partner, etc., we need to really do our job and focus on that very important education component of the benefits process.

Matt 25:53: Yeah. Now lastly, what are some of the best practices or steps that brokers can take now to position themselves for success immediately, and also going into the January 1, 2021, enrollments and into re-enrollments next year?

Heather 26:07: You know, I think in terms of best practices, and things we can do now, we just need to do better. You know, we need to really listen to our clients, we need to ask questions, especially if this is a big year that they've made changes in their enrollment process. We need to have a meeting with them to ask what worked and what didn't work. My favorite question is, in a perfect world, what would you envision? And so, you know, ask for that feedback, because our clients know their employees the best. I've never met a client that when you ask them for that feedback, isn’t upfront and honest with me and gives it to me, and that feedback is invaluable to that relationship. The other thing is, is that you can use that feedback for other clients as well. I had a fairly large grocery store client of mine. And we've logistically have some challenges just to communicate with all of their employees. And one of my groups that we were implementing this year, and the question came up of “can we put up posters by the time box, all the employees come in and check in and out when they come to work every day, and put a QR code on that, so when they're checking or clocking in for the day, they can get their phone out, swipe the QR codes, and then their benefits portal comes up for them right away with their information?” It was a great idea that I was able to take to another client. I think being able to leverage those different ideas and efficiencies that come up with your clients, especially when you're in similar industries, is important. A couple other things, you know, we're right now we're given the blessing of our travel time back. And because a lot of groups have obviously decided to forego onsite enrollments this year, but with that, we still need to be effective in those solutions that we do provide the clients. And so reinvest that time savings into finding new and better solutions for clients when it comes to educating their employees. And then the last thing is just be a resource for your clients. We've won a lot of groups this year, because, you know, we've provided resources and information that really didn't bring us revenue in the door, but it made us an invaluable resource for clients when they were struggling to find information and answers about how to react to COVID. And so, you know, being a resource, you know, not just in the activities that, bring revenue in the door, but kind of makes you a trusted adviser to your clients, or even strengthens that relationship even more and can help you bring more clients in the doors they can see how invaluable your expertise is.

Matt 28:48: Yes, 100%, I think those are all going to be tips that should be leveraged to going into the enrollment season. And even further. Is there anything else that you'd like to share with our audience today, Heather?

Heather 29:00: No, I just encourage us all to do better and work harder. And you know, where we are today, when it comes to virtual enrollments, I'm sure is going to be far behind where we get to next year. And I love to see all of the new technology that's coming out there to help communicate with our employees. And you know, from the carrier perspective, Assurity’s doing a great job in providing us with a lot of those resources today. And so, for us as consultants, we appreciate that and being able to leverage that with our clients as well.

Matt 29:33: Well, thank you once again for coming on today and sharing your time with us. Your perspective and expertise here make for absolutely essential listening for anybody going to virtual enrollments this year. So thank you for that, Heather.

Heather 29:47: Thank you for your time today.

In episode 4 of Focus on Voluntary Benefits, HUB International’s Heather Garbers discusses best practices brokers can implement as they adapt to virtual enrollments.

Want to hear more? Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Have you seen brokers and employers who prefer traditional face-to-face enrollments change their approach as a result of COVID-19?

Heather: 100% we have. Enrollment firms we've partnered with in the past that had only worked with groups that could do face-to-face enrollments have now transitioned to 100% call center enrollments. We've seen an incredible increase in the use of technology – even from groups that traditionally had shied away from using. Personally, I think it's for the best. I think the efficiencies that clients can get from an electronic enrollment can help them in the long run in terms of ongoing administration required on their end.

What are the biggest changes and enhancements you've seen compared to just a couple of years ago?

Heather: I think we've come a long way very quickly. COVID pushed a lot of carriers to adapt to a new methodology very, very quickly. And we're seeing carriers provide more enrollment support tools, which is fantastic. Things like videos that will help complement an online self-service enrollment or virtual enrollment; calculators to help you calculate how much life insurance you need, for instance; and email campaigns. Carriers have stepped up to help us provide those solutions for our clients of all sizes to help complement enrollments to educate employees.

At Assurity, we provide virtual communications and tools like custom websites and employee-facing educational product videos that brokers can use to help connect with their clients. How important are tools like these right now, and how do you see brokers leveraging them?

Heather: I think they're really important. A lot of our clients – even some of the larger ones – just don't have a budget for customized portals and communications, etc. Anything a carrier like Assurity can do to help us with communicating with employees, storing information online and the whole interactive experience makes a huge difference. We appreciate that Assurity brings that to us as a no-cost solution as well.

Subscribe to Focus on Voluntary Benefits on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to hear more episodes.

Enroll­ment 2020: How to go virtual

Guest: Heather Garbers, Vice President of Voluntary Benefits, HUB International

Have you seen brokers and employers who prefer traditional face-to-face enrollments change their approach as a result of COVID-19?

What are the biggest changes and enhancements you've seen compared to just a couple of years ago?

At Assurity, we provide virtual communications and tools like custom websites and employee-facing educational product videos that brokers can use to help connect with their clients. How important are tools like these right now, and how do you see brokers leveraging them?

Enrollment 2020: How to go virtual