Technology: The Next Wave Of Change In The Benefits World

So much of what we do today has been taken over by technology.

Even something as simple as buying a cup of coffee can now be done from the convenience of an app on a smartphone. With all of its advantages, it makes perfect sense that technology has begun to overtake the employee benefits industry. Technology has allowed many people to gain efficiencies to do things faster, and become more productive. Fax and even email seem to have become a thing of the past, as more and more employers are utilizing human resources information systems (HRIS) to take care of various administrative tasks including employee onboarding, payroll, and employee reporting.

As great as technology may be, we cannot lose sight of the ever important role of a personal touch.

What a technology system cannot do, is provide personalized consulting or advice. Technology cannot design an appropriate employee benefits package, or create a road map for where that plan should go. A technology system cannot provide your employees with face-to-face enrollment support, explain the choices, how they work, or provide the comfort of a personal relationship. A technology solution is NOT the reason to abandon all of the strategic and unique things that your business and your employees need.

The magic happens when you marry BOTH the advances in technology, PLUS the people. Whether it is a teacher in a classroom working with students to critically analyze a book (most likely read on a Kindle or other electronic device) or a benefits broker analyzing plans designs, claims, and future trends, technology can only take you so far. I am fortunate to be able to attest that our customers get the unique opportunity to have their cake and eat it too! We have a full-service, robust technology solution, called Simplify, as well as the most talented, knowledgeable and compassionate client services team in the industry. The marriage of those two things allows our innovative benefits advisors and consultants to provide our clients with the best possible strategy and experience, plus the efficiency and automation of an HRIS solution at little to no cost!

Technology IS the future of benefits, but it will be most successful when it is paired with a thoughtful strategy, competitive insurance products and a local service team to ensure it is working correctly!