July 26th, 2011

It’s 10am—Do You Know where Your Best Clients Are?

Over 30%* of Small and Medium-size businesses (SMBs) have implemented online benefit
enrollment technology. It is clear that over the next decade; most of the remaining 70% of SMBs
will shift from paper-based systems to online technology.

The question is:

Will you be leading this discussion with your key clients/prospects or will your
competitors?

Why do this?

Of course, this is a bit of a loaded question. HR software executives will tell you that online enrollment technologies assist in: 1) Attracting new clients, 2) Retaining key
relationships, and 3) Increasing participation rates. However, there are risks associated with
introducing new technology to your clients and prospects-- and a broker/consultant takes on
some ownership of the process whether they like it or not.

The implementation bugaboo

Technology implementations require planning, commitment, communication, and a lot of
work. If any of these elements fall short, the implementation is likely to cause anxiety for all
involved. For these reasons, it is critical that you target clients that appreciate the value that an
online system brings so that they prepare for and support the implementation process. Software
professionals should take on the bulk of the planning, communication, and work—though it is
critical that the broker/group provide complete and timely information.

Who are your competitors?

You have probably competed with brokers across town for many years. It’s not difficult to
imagine that they are calling your clients and promising the world to them—great programs,
rates, service, and yes, online enrollment technology. Employee benefits are a competitive
business and your competitors will always look for an angle—you need to decide whether you
want to accept this fact or pre-empt that conversation.

There is also a new breed of competitors—large payroll providers. ADP (Employease), Paychex
(Benetrac), and First Ceridian (Sylinq) have all purchased online enrollment companies. They
are utilizing these technologies not only to expand their service offering, but more alarmingly for
brokers, to enable cross-sales into benefits administration. This is beyond the concept stage—as
an example, Paychex reports that it has 250 health and benefits sales reps calling on “the entire
Paychex client base**.”  

What to do?

Not everyone is ready for online enrollment. The first thing to do is decide whether you want to
engage with your clients and prospects on this topic. Being proactive will help you play offense
with new prospects and defense with key clients. But, you need to be aware that this requires
commitment from your team and from the client.

In your portfolio of clients, think about which companies would benefit the most from an online
system and would likely commit the time and energy necessary for a successful implementation.
Not only are these the most likely to have a successful implementation, but they are also the
most likely to be targeted by your competitor across town and your new competitors—ADP,
Paychex, and First Ceridian.

 

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St. Louis Park, MN - As part of a continual effort to provide exceptional service and training to its clients, Apprize held its first annual client training conference in May 2009 at the Minneapolis Golf club.

Participation was exceptional with over 40 companies attending the half day session, which featured in-depth training on system reporting. Attendees found the conference to be an excellent opportunity to network with others in their field and the Apprize staff. Due to the success of this event, Apprize plans to host this conference each year. Apprize also offers many ongoing training options. For more details click here.

 

St. Louis Park, MN- With the busy fall enrollment season, many HR departments find themselves working extended hours, struggling with employees' timely participation, and frustrated with the inefficiencies associated with paper enrollment. Apprize offers an Open Enrollment Only product designed to provide all of the benefits of a paperless, electronic open enrollment, without a long term commitment. It's quick, easy, affordable and is a great way to simplify any upcoming enrollment.

THIS PRODUCT INCLUDES:

• System set-up of all benefit offerings

• Pre-population of employee census data
• Employee login memos
• Employee access to system for specified open enrollment period (60 days maximum)
• HR view and change access
• Processing of open enrollment changes and submission of enrollment to carriers
• Employer payroll deduction and election summary report
• Employer carrier billing report for reconciliation of first carrier bill

Getting started is easy. Simply contact Apprize by phone at 952-746-3725 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

St. Louis Park, MN - Apprize Technology, an internet based benefits management and enrollment solutions provider, is pleased to announce the implementation of a new enrollment audit service.

With this service, Apprize will conduct quarterly audits on all list billed lines of coverage. The service will help identify any enrollment discrepancies and ensure complete enrollment accuracy. The service is being provided at no additional charge to all online enrollment clients. The new enrollment audit service is designed to bring more value to existing Apprize products by helping employers increase efficiency.