Benefitfocus, Inc. has taken several steps to support a seamless open enrollment experience this fall. These include new features, resources and enhancements to its Benefitplace™ platform that are designed to enhance the user experience and further reduce administrative complexity for benefits managers. Some of the features, resources and solutions that Benefitfocus is offering this year to support a successful open enrollment season include: Redesigned member user experience – Based on extensive research and feedback from customers, Benefitfocus updated its member user experience to make it easier for employees to access the benefits information they need.

With a modern look and feel, streamlined navigation and clear calls to action, employees can more quickly and confidently engage with their benefits—saving time and frustration for themselves, as well as their benefit administrators. Expanded mobile access to claims – Employees can now access national claims data and their own previous health care claims via the Benefitplace mobile app to gain a better understanding of how they've used their health insurance over the past year and the costs associated with that coverage. They can also model different options to determine whether they are in the right plan or if they may want to make any changes based on their current and future needs.

Action-oriented engagement capabilities – Benefitfocus recently launched Advanced Engagement Services, a personalized communications solution that helps employers and health plans create a more connected and engaging benefits experience. The solution is the first of its kind in that it enables highly secure communications and sharing of information without requiring individuals to download or log in to a portal, which can act as a barrier to engagement. It also enables employers and health plans to communicate and share information with individuals through multiple channels at the point in time when they need to take action.

Benefitfocus estimates that customers can achieve engagement rates two-to-three times higher than through typical communications and digital engagement tactics. Enhanced advisor support around voluntary benefits – Aon plc recently reported seeing a 41% increase in the number of its clients offering new or additional voluntary benefits from 2021 to 2022. In addition, it noted that employee registration increased in more than half of the most popular programs. Benefitfocus offers several specialized resources to help employees optimize their voluntary benefit choices and become better health care consumers.

These include access to strategic advisors who provide employers with expertise and best practices on how to best bring their benefits strategy to life through personalized education, communications and engagement tools. Enhanced call center capabilities – Benefitfocus has implemented several AI solutions to enhance its ability to be the safest set of hands for employees. This includes chat bot features, plus IVR and call quality monitoring systems that better inform customer service representatives of a caller's needs, which reduces call times, delivers quicker and easier resolutions and improves the employee experience.