When the Muzak you hear in stores over the coming months croons about "the most wonderful time of the year," it's probably not referring to open enrollment season. But in our business, no time of year is more important. Your clients' annual open enrollments in the fall are the optimal opportunity to ensure their investments in their employee benefits programs meet their goals.

Here are five strategies you can use to help ensure your clients get the best possible results from their open enrollments:

1. Select the right enrollment methods for your clients' needs.

Online, self-service enrollments and virtual meetings are now the default enrollment method for most carriers, according to Eastbridge's recent "Enrollment and Technology Funding Practices of Voluntary Carriers" Spotlight™ Report. Most still prefer some type of in-person interaction for voluntary enrollments, but they tend to agree that online self-enrollments — when paired with decision-support tools, videos and virtual or call center benefits counselors — can deliver good customer experiences and improved participation results.