1) Take notes on the questions employees are asking. 

If nearly half of a company's employees ask for benefits guidance during open enrollment, that means there's a communication gap that isn't being addressed with traditional materials.

Handing employees a textbook of benefits information has not been effective in reaching employees—they're often too busy to read it cover to cover, or too overwhelmed by all their options. During this season, document the questions you are receiving. Evaluate them after the chaos has settled and determine which questions appear most often.

Dig even deeper and determine the complexity of your employees' questions. Are they simply asking questions about how to enroll, or are they asking questions about certain benefits which may require outside guidance? You can use these questions and your analysis of them to build a program that proactively addresses employees' questions throughout next year before open enrollment so that they make more informed decisions and take less of HR's time to do it.

[Next: Determine how they like to receive benefits information.]

2) Determine how they like to receive benefits information.

Most employees choose their benefits with very little time or research put into their options. Prudential found that 24 percent of employees choose their benefits by simply re-checking the boxes on the same benefits they had the year before. Forty-four percent said they put some research into choosing their benefits, but usually go with the same benefits as well.

Employers are missing the mark in what they're giving employees to make benefits decisions. The most successful benefits communication is targeted to specific groups within a company's work force, understanding that reaching employees with ways they want to learn is most effective.

Determine how your employees are seeking information and making benefits decisions through surveys or focus groups after open enrollment is over. Are employees seeking outside resources online? Are they asking colleagues for advice? By tuning in to what your employees are looking for and how they obtain it, managers can target the different groups' preferences.

[Next: Communicate that benefits are a big part of employees' overall lives.]

3) Communicate that benefits are a big part of employees' overall lives.

As the effects of our economy continue to impact employees, they continue to put more importance on company-sponsored benefits.

According to a MetLife study of the American Dream, 94 percent of employees surveyed felt it was important for employers to continue to offer benefits even if they are mostly funded by the employees themselves. Making the connection to how decisions they make about their benefits during open enrollment have an impact on their personal financial lives, such as what they'll spend in health care costs and whether they'll be able to meet important long-term goals such as retirement, helps employees put their benefits into perspective.

Consider sending benefits information through a series of e-mails that have an educational aspect to them, such as an example of how much an employee could have in retirement if they were saving 10 percent of their income into their retirement plan. By showing employees the value of their benefits and how those benefits can help them to achieve their personal goals, managers can help employees to make the best decisions about their benefits, and even increase benefits participation.

This open-enrollment season may be chaotic, but using it to build a benefits planning strategy that educates employees about their benefits all year long will free up time for HR next season, and help employees make better decisions about their benefits. Now, isn't that a win-win situation?