Media Feature
AI-Powered Benefits Communication: Insights from OneDigital's Elizabeth Chrane
From Open Enrollment Chaos to Inbox Zero:
OneDigital's Take on AI and Benefits, Featured in SHRM
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Article Summary
OneDigital's Elizabeth Chrane shares practical insights on AI-powered benefits communication in a recent SHRM feature, highlighting how forward-thinking HR teams are using the technology to better serve employees — and free up their own bandwidth in the process.
Employees are already turning to AI to understand their benefits — and HR is catching up fast.
That was the central message at the WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference in San Antonio, where OneDigital Chief People Officer Elizabeth Chrane joined a panel exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way benefits are delivered, communicated, and experienced in the workplace.
In a recent SHRM feature covering the session, Chrane shares how OneDigital has approached AI in benefits with a "feet first" mindset — testing tools internally before broader rollout, building trust within the HR team, and timing adoption intentionally so that employees are comfortable and confident before high-stakes moments like open enrollment arrive.
The results have been tangible. When open enrollment hit, OneDigital's benefits team opened their inboxes to find something unexpected: quiet. Questions that once flooded HR's inbox were being answered by AI — leaving the team with more time and energy for the complex, nuanced conversations that genuinely require a human touch.
The piece also explores the broader opportunity AI creates for employers, not just in efficiency, but in insight. By analyzing the types of questions employees are asking in real time, HR teams can identify gaps in benefits literacy, adjust communications strategies on the fly, and move away from what one panelist called a "spray and pray" approach to employee engagement.
For Chrane, the value of AI in benefits ultimately comes down to access and understanding — and what it makes possible for the people behind the curtain.
"AI gave our HR team the bandwidth to focus on the questions that needed a human — the ones that required real complexity, real empathy. It's really helped our HR team out."
Read the full SHRM article here: Workers Are Using AI for Benefits, HR Is Now Catching Up
Explore how OneDigital helps employers build smarter, more connected benefits experiences at our AI Hub.