It’s a boom time for call center support. Workers are experiencing unprecedented uncertainty surrounding concerns like work status, benefit claims, and eligibility. At the same time, many HR operations are running remotely. When an employee has a question which can’t be answered with an online FAQ, or if accessibility prevents them from using the web to get answers, there’s often only one place for them to turn: the telephone.
Is your team set up for effective telephone enrollment and customer service? As companies make the transition from paper to online enrollment, it’s important to remember the still sizable number of people who aren’t prepared to engage with online enrollment. Your employees need telephone support.
When Do Employees Need Call Center Support?
Call center support needs can depend on the workforce. Some employee groups require more high-touch service than others. Employers with many hourly workers, or who experience high turnover, typically have a higher demand for telephone support. These employees are more likely to have accessibility issues, a lack of understanding about benefits terminology and services, and just generally require more support to successfully enroll themselves and dependents.
During Open Enrollment periods, even employers of largely tech-savvy teams will see a demand for telephonic enrollment. Even after years of virtual sign-ups, many older employees are not willing to make the move to one hundred percent online enrollments. The Baby Boomer generation, in particular, prefer things be done in person — over the phone, in this case, is as close as they can come.
Whether you need year-round call center support or just during your Open Enrollment period depends a lot on your employee base and the capabilities of your in-house team to manage phone inquiries.
Call center functions such as new hire enrollment and the eligibility and documentation which goes along with adding dependents will always be in high demand. Additional needs like qualifying event changes, inquiries about HSAs or incentive programs, and general benefit knowledge requests are also well-served by professional call center representatives.
Open Enrollment is the most significant event of the year for call centers. As many as a quarter of employees surveyed still want to phone in their enrollment, or talk to a human about the process. That’s why WBD offers an Open Enrollment period call center option for employers who don’t have the volume to commit to year-round service.
How does WBD’s Call Center Work?
The Web Benefits Design call center is an option for companies looking for either year-round or Open Enrollment-only telephone support for their employees. It’s a highly-customized and agile system, providing answers to complex questions, support for employers on-boarding new programs, enrollment services, and even outgoing group messaging. Call center employees utilize customizable call scripts to ensure there is a seamless transition from your HR department to our trained specialists.
On the Human Resources side, your teams can easily access data about calls, address follow-up concerns, and view an employee’s history of support requests.
For Benefits Enrollment, Call Centers Get Results
WBD’s call center has been an important component of benefits enrollment for many companies. For WBD client Aveanna Healthcare, utilizing the call center resulted in 5,600 employee enrollments by phone — read the case study here. National trucking and transportation leader Covenant Transport sees nearly 40% of enrollment take place via phone — case study.
Does My Team Need Call Center Support?
If you’re not able to offer telephonic benefits enrollment, you may be leaving a significant portion of your employees out in the cold. And if you’re leveraging your HR department to handle the calls without the training or skills of a professional call center representative, your results may be varied. For more details on how a call center can benefit your team, read Four Ways Call Centers Can Improve Your Benefits Administration.
Contact us to learn more about Call Center options and how WBD can make your next Open Enrollment period a success.