Ringing phones. Inconsistent answers. Computer confusion. Chances are, you deal with these issues on your Human Resources team – perhaps more than ever in this new era of virtual workplaces. As your team searches for the most time- and cost-effective ways to communicate with your employees about benefits and enrollment, it’s time to think about adding call center capabilities to your department.
How can call centers improve your benefits administration? A dedicated call center can improve your employees’ experiences in a myriad of ways, as well as free up your HR team to focus on their own tasks. Here are four ways you’ll improve your benefits administration when you add the services of a call center.
1. Call centers enhance your HR-Employee communication flow with consistent messaging.
Let’s face it, there’s nothing more important than consistency, especially when we’re dealing with benefits. This is not the time for “I think,” or “that sounds right!” Your employees want, expect, and deserve accurate information every time they call.
This is where a professional call center staff can shine. They’re trained to share the correct messaging, with the correct language, on every call. Maybe you have important disclaimers or changes which need to be shared with every caller. Call center employees are used to working from scripts, and can make sure they hit every point that’s important to your company.
2. Call centers let your team focus on their on tasks.
Ringing phones and the pings of incoming messages: is there anything more distracting? Phone calls are incredible efficiency-killers; a study by UC Irvine found it can take you more than twenty minutes to get back on task after an interruption. A phone call, one business strategist writes, “is an unscheduled request for an impromptu audio meeting.” It’s the equivalent of someone marching into your office, sitting down at your desk, and immediately asking you questions. You’d never get anything done if this happened in-person, but how often do you let a phone call take you off an important task?
Forwarding your phone to voicemail is one way to get through your tasks without interruption, but the needs of your employees can’t just go unanswered. The most effective way to silence that ringing phone is with a dedicated call center. Your employees can be cared for, and your team can get their work done. Everyone wins.
3. Call centers ease the transition from paper or manual benefits enrollment.
The shift to virtual open enrollment is here, and many companies are having to quickly change from business-as-usual thanks to work-from-home, social distancing, and travel restrictions. Perhaps it’s no longer viable for your team to engage in benefits enrollment at work sites, but your employees are used to face-to-face benefits education.
Online benefits enrollment will work for most, but adding telephone back-up support for those who aren’t tech-savvy will ensure all of your employees have the tools they need for benefits questions and enrollment.
4. Call center employees are customer service professionals.
Perhaps it can’t be emphasized enough: the people picking up your employees’ phone calls need to be customer service professionals. They are sharing information and answering questions directly related to your employees’ healthcare, life insurance, and other important pieces of the benefits packages your company offers.
From hiring and training to ongoing development, trained customer service professionals are dedicated not just to answering questions, but also asking the right questions, so they can get to the heart of your employees’ needs. Call center representatives offer engaging interactions which provide meaningful outcomes.
Call centers: good for your team and your employees.
Add in these benefits to your employees with the substantial time and cost-savings for your own team, and the answer is clear: adding call center services to your benefits administration suite is simply good for business.
At WBD, we provide call center support with a multi-lingual, highly-skilled call center team. Our call center becomes an extension of your HR department, offering regular services such as: open enrollment by phone, voluntary benefits enrollment, verification of coverage, benefits education, and even automated outbound calls and text for easy messaging.
Plus, our team offers benefits education to answer those sticky questions about coverage, and customizable call scripts to ensure important messages or talking-points are shared with every caller.
Contact WBD to learn how our professional call center team can support your benefits administration and enrollment this year!