"Our client targeted a 20% migration into the more cost-effective plan and new benefits portfolio. It was a perfect opportunity to help them achieve their goals through coordinated collaboration with MetLife and tapping into Winston's enrollment capabilities to effectively engage the employees," explained Dave Griffin, Vice President, Lockton Companies.

Achieving Objectives with a Collaborative Enrollment Solution

Lockton, Winston and MetLife worked closely with the customer's benefits team to develop a culture-specific communication strategy that would effectively educate employees on the benefit changes and deadlines to enroll them.  

"It was seamless. Everyone worked together to serve as an extension of our HR team. The educational tools and daily and weekly communications ensured employees were reached and engaged," said the VP of Compensation and Benefits at the company.

"We used an apples-to-apples comparison on different plans, which helped employees understand how the benefits would meet their specific needs," added Curry Bradley, Vice President of Enrollment Services at Winston.

During enrollment, employees had the opportunity to speak with a Winston benefits consultant in person or via phone. During the active/mandatory enrollment period employees spent an average of 25 minutes with counselors and more than 3,600 enrollments were completed.

"We went through a questionnaire with each employee to help us understand their family dynamics, financial and health history and goals," explained Bradley.  "This data-driven approach allowed us to build a profile of their needs and make recommendations for coverage that would help provide the financial security they were seeking."  

Mike Collins, Regional Vice President of Sales at MetLife added, "We were able to provide simple, customer-focused solutions that balanced cost with employee needs – ones that worked well to complement the customer's holistic benefits strategy."

This high engagement model for benefit enrollment allowed the employer to dramatically exceed its goals and see:

• • 36% migration to the low cost medical plan versus the 20% goal – 80% higher than planned
  • a projected annual savings of more than $3 million compared to the original budget
  • no additional out-of-pocket increases for employees
  • 40% participation in the new voluntary benefits, with more than half enrolled in more than one offering
  • outsourced billing of the voluntary products to Winston to ease administrative burden
  • employees were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their benefits and enrollment process

"The communications and benefit counseling sessions helped employees understand their needs and make confident decisions. This year we will continue to reinforce that message with every employee through our partners," said the VP of Compensation and Benefits at the company.

Reflecting upon the accomplishments and upcoming enrollment, Dave Griffin from Lockton stated, "We've been very fortunate to have great partners in MetLife and Winston, who provide new and innovative solutions delivering true value for our clients and their employees."