Five ways to better prepare for open enrollment

Health industry professionals know that each year open enrollment preparation brings new challenges, members are more connected and demanding than ever before. In this increasingly consumer-centric world consumers expect a seamless experience when enrolling in complex health plans. This means guiding them through the onboarding process in a way that leaves them satisfied and informed with the service they’ve received through multichannel interactions. This is easier said than done, as only 28% of customers rate the companies they do business with as high in ease of switching from one channel to another when searching for answers to their problems, according to the 2015 TeleTech Customer Experience Benchmark Report.

So what can insurers do to better prepare for taking members through open enrollment? Here are five suggestions that can further enhance member experience:

1. Personalize the experience

Capturing information about members is a benefit that shouldn’t be ignored. By collecting the right data and identifying things like the channels that members prefer to interact on, insurers can provide the right messaging. Furthermore, by gathering data companies can better understand health trends they are seeing such as chronic conditions, and other high-risk factors that would trigger additional assessment of their members.

Also, by having an advanced analysis and segmentation in place can help payers identify red flags like non-compliance with evidence-based guidelines or non-adherence with medications. This leads to having an ongoing “educational campaign” for members that provides continuous information based on their individual needs.

2. Communication is key

The open-enrollment process is a journey for members, which is why consistent communication from start to finish is important to member engagement. One of the main reasons members tend to leave a plan is the absence of engagement with a payer when it comes to plan details.

The best thing payers can do is to get a head start on a welcome campaign that utilizes an omnichannel communication strategy. To start create a great first impression through providing a comprehensive welcome guide that details what can be expected the first few months or year of a new plan.

Communicating clearly to members sets their expectation of the relationship by advising prospects of what they can expect during the first month, first year, and more as a member. Consistent messaging to members across the various communication channels will ensure members are receiving accurate information.

Additionally, highlight commonly asked questions for new and existing members about their plans or have a checklist already created that is simple and helps members navigate the plan’s offerings.

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