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Empathetic Technology Drives Better Outcomes for Employees and HR

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By Sherri Bockhorst, Head of Consumer Experience
 on March 8, 2024
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42% of employees engage with their benefits 4 or more times after annual enrollment when the experience is personalized and easier to use.

AI, personalization, and human empathy are critical components of HR’s new strategy—a trifecta we discussed in our latest webinar with clients Waste Pro and Athletico.  

For them, personalization drives incredible results by way of right-fit enrollment, elevating their total rewards programs, and increased employee self-service. But even more valuable is the time these HR teams and their employees got back because of the efficiencies and support they get out of their benefits technology. 

These successes include more employees enrolling in benefits beyond medical. Our latest Benefits Insights data revealed that benefits engagement doubles when the experience is tailored around employees and their needs, from personalized enrollment support to making it easier to get 24/7 support with virtual AI assistance. 

Missed the webinar? Hear from our clients about how Businessolver’s AI helped them drive better results with their benefits. You can watch the full recording below or download the deck.

Personalized enrollment supports better outcomes from the start 

Personalization is proven to help make the benefits enrollment easier to understand, more accessible, and more supportive: 67% of employees elected a right-fit benefit with a savings account, like an HSA, when their enrollment experience was personalized. Employees are also twice as likely to enroll in a supplemental benefit, like accident insurance or pet insurance, when decision support recommends plans based on employees’ needs.

“Decision support has been great—we’ve encouraged people from the start to go in and see what benefits are a good fit for them and see what voluntary benefits could also benefit them alongside their medical elections.”
– Heidi Heniff, Director of Benefits at Athletico, a Businessolver client

Personalizing benefits takes empathy to understand what your employees need and what kind of support they might need from their benefits. Businessolver’s decision support helps scale empathy at enrollment by asking questions to help employees assess their total wellbeing needs, looking at:

  • Finances: 70% of employees say they’re only able to save sometimes or not at all
  • Health: 49% of employees say they have a family history of stroke, cancer, heart disease, or other chronic conditions
  • Risk tolerance: 47% of employees said they would feel panicked about facing an unexpected ER bill

These assessments help connect employees with relevant, right-fit benefits. Further, the decision support tool tells the employee why they’re getting a specific recommendation based on the answers they provided.

Tune into the 8-minute mark of the webinar to hear our panel talk more about how decision support helps their employees enroll in right-fit-for-them benefits.

Empathetic technology frees up HR to be where their employees need them most

“The personalized navigation support and AI in the system have transformed our employees’ experience as well as, our benefits administration strategy at Waste Pro. The technology helps our employees get the support they need year-round, freeing up me and my team to focus on more complex issues and people needs, like supporting an employee through a life event or resolving an escalated issue. Businessolver’s AI has really made it easier for Waste Pro employees to access their benefits.”  
Judi Craigo, Director of Payroll and System Automation at Waste Pro, a Businessolver client

Empathetic technology and AI-powered automation aren’t about taking the human out of HR. It’s the exact opposite. When you have benefits technology that’s designed around you and your employees, it drives incredible efficiencies for you and your HR team. This looks like:

  • Benefits being easier to find and understand year-round 
  • Access to 24/7 support with virtual AI chat/phone assistance and search 
  • More confidence in benefits decisions and claims statuses 
  • More time back for HR to be where their people need them most, from complex issues to life events
  • More attentive and empathetic service all around

Tune in to the 50-minute mark of the webinar to hear our panel talk about how AI drives real efficiencies and empathy for their organizations.

HR’s new engagement strategy: Personalization, AI, and empathy 

One of the top takeaways from our webinar is that empathetic technology can help employees connect with their benefits year-round and can serve up critical insights to help guide your benefits strategy.

Insights from Athletico, Waste Pro, and our Benefits Insights report tell us that while technology helps employees connect the dots between their needs and their benefits, it’s empathy that truly delivers value for HR and their employees.

Today’s employee benefits landscape is no longer a one-way street of enroll-and-roll. As employers look to get more performance out of their benefits plan, personalization and empathy will be key to helping you and your employees unlock more out of your benefits plan.

Learn more about these insights and more at Vision, our annual HR and benefits conference. Save your seat today