At this time of the year, my boss, Scott Ault, often says “it's all about football.” But in the voluntary business, we're in the height of enrollment season. And these days enrollment is all about online enrollment platforms, yet it's also about access to employees. Exactly what is access to employees when online enrollment platforms are used?

I recently attended an industry meeting where this was the topic of a great deal of discussion. The observation was made that brokers like online enrollment because it gives employers what they want, which is less intrusive enrollment with only limited on-site meetings, if any. While that might be the case, this doesn't mean there is no connection with employees. Nor does it mean the broker and insurance company can be passive about enrollment connections with employees on the theory that employees will go to the system and enroll. It simply means the connection centers around e-commerce concepts, and e-commerce can only work if employees pay attention.

These concepts include using multiple ways to connect employees with their financial security needs, their risk of significant financial loss, and the answers to these needs provided by the voluntary products being offered. Techniques include: