Choosing the right benefits package for your business can be an overwhelming task for those who are not familiar with the intricacies involved. For this reason, many business owners and decision makers enlist the help of professional benefit consultants, who are knowledgeable in this area, and can best help them find an optimal match for their specific business needs. For those looking to pursue this route, it’s important to know what to look for when selecting a skilled consultant.
As employee benefits specialists with decades of experience, we’re here to help you identify the traits your consultant needs to carry out an effective benefit strategy for your company. While there’s many things to take into consideration, these 4 attributes should be at the top of your list”
- Strategy-Minded
Selecting the right employee benefits package isn’t simply a matter of choosing the plan with the lowest premium; it requires a well thought out strategy. No two businesses are exactly alike, and therefore, their insurance benefits shouldn’t be either. A qualified benefits strategist is one who acknowledges this fact and is able to create and help implement a strategy built around your specific business goals. From design of the provider network to employee contribution strategies, knowledgeable benefits consultants work with you to not only customize the various aspects of your benefits, but also break down these elements in a way which you are able to easily understand. One of the ways in which we at Blue Ocean Benefits & Consulting work to educate our clients and other business owners is through our Consumer Guide to Small And Mid-Size Employee Benefits, which outlines tips on strategy featuring case studies, examples, and other helpful resources.
- Tech-Savvy
With many businesses operating remotely at some level, now more than ever, the ability to effectively manage your benefits functions virtually is a necessity. As a business owner or Human Resources professional, handling a pile of unnecessary paperwork is the last thing you should have to worry about. Managing your benefits on paper is not only time consuming and inefficient, but also opens the possibility for human error- creating a headache down the line when these mistakes inevitably need to be corrected. For these reasons, it’s crucial that your benefits consultant offers the ability to handle these tasks online. As a free resource to all of our clients, we offer our online employee benefits management portal, which centralizes and streamlines the management of all your HR and benefits functions from your web browser, making it easy for employers to organize and present all their benefit offerings to employees.
- Availability
For both yourself and your employees, you’re going to need guidance or answers at some point on any questions you have in regards to claims and other benefit-related matters. Handling these matters in an efficient fashion is going to require timely and open communication with your benefits consultant. One of the ways we prioritize communication is through use of our Blue Line. This 800 number is a line our client’s employees can utilize in getting answers or guidance on claims and enrollment issues. It takes the administrative burden of handling these matters off of employers and also protects the privacy of the employees who can bypass you directly, not having to share their protected health information. Unlike a traditional 800 number with multiple operators standing by, the Blue Line gets you directly in touch with one of our experts who understands your plan and is best equipped to help navigate you through any issues.
- Ability to Showcase Value
When it comes to employee benefits, perception plays a huge role. In our years of experience, we’ve seen firms offering great benefits, but where their employees are unhappy. On the flip side, we’ve also seen groups providing minimal offerings where employees are nonetheless super-grateful and appreciative. It goes to show that often it’s less about the benefits themselves, but rather, how they’re perceived by your employees. In order for employees to be satisfied with their benefits, they need to understand the value. One of the efforts we engage in to ensure this value is effectively being communicated to clients’ employees is by providing Total Compensation Statements. These statements clearly outline the amount of employer contribution to their plan and what it is ultimately saving them financially.
To learn more about the specifics of employee benefits and how we at Blue Ocean Benefits & Consulting can help you in navigating them, contact us using the link below!