Navigating the benefits plan enrolment process — and the multiple service providers in a benefits offering — can be a challenge for employees with plenty of guesswork involved, said Meghan Cole, vice-president of products and solutions for SEB Administrative Services Inc. during Benefits Canada’s 2021 Tech Insights conference in January.
That’s what the company aims to address with its FlexPlus suite of benefits and human resources administration solutions. “Our goal is really to meet and exceed our clients’ and partners’ needs and challenges,” said Cole, during a demo of SEB’s solutions. “So this means simplifying workflows and automating processes so that our solutions are fully integrated, easy to use [and] leveraging deep analytics to deliver best in class service.”
FlexPlus Connect integrates third-party benefits service providers into one place, simplifying the way employees access multiple relevant sites and delivering “the ultimate employee experience,” she said.
The tool has total rewards functionality that can be added at the plan sponsor’s discretion, meaning employers can easily present and promote total compensation to their employees. They can also make available an interactive total rewards dashboard, so plan members can model how each aspect of the benefits plan impacts their overall compensation and customize the forms of compensation.
Plan sponsors can also use FlexPlus Connect to supplement their group benefits package with a marketplace of voluntary products and enhance their human resources programs. The tool promotes awareness of plan sponsors’ total rewards and benefits offerings, Cole added, which contributes to better utilization rates.
FlexPlus Direct provides a modern and intuitive benefits enrolment experience for employees in plans of all types — including more complex multi-employer and union plans. During the enrolment period, employees receive helpful messaging and reminders that address any confusion. Within the program, they can view and update their information and add any dependents before selecting their benefits. While choosing their benefits, employees are able to see their current coverage details and a summary of their payroll deductions in the same space. After they’ve selected their benefits, a detailed outline of their choices, payroll deductions and tax information prevents any misunderstandings.
For employees with dependents, the solution allows them to select the ideal level of coverage and even model various pricing scenarios. Plan members can also coordinate their benefits with their spouse through FlexPlus Direct, “reducing claiming issues for blended families and supporting effective claim adjudication,” she said.
The tool can be customized with company branding and allows plan sponsors to promote and raise awareness of voluntary benefits, such as a perks program or telemedicine.
FlexPlus Shield, which can be integrated into the enrolment process, offers a way for employees to purchase voluntary insurance products such as critical illness and automates the underwriting requirements, including health questionnaires, to fully digitize the enrolment process. When members make changes to their smoker status, coverage volume and other details, the premiums adjust accordingly in real time, allowing them to model which coverage level is the best fit for them.
“As the employee moves through this process, authorizations and attestations can be included for overall product compliance,” Cole said. “Personal and medical background information is input by the employee and is leveraged within the underwriting logic to determine whether the request is approved or declined.”
Cole noted SEB’s FlexDirect and Connect have connections with all major carriers, allowing plan sponsors to offer employees “the ideal HR and benefits experience . . . [and] focus on your core business needs.”