CEO, Lake Norman Benefits, Inc

Help Year-Round

I know this is an issue with every employee benefits firm. In years past, you had a spike from September through mid-January and were at least able to count on things slowing down from February through August. With PPACA, benefit administration systems, growing compliance concerns, etc., there's so much pressure to keep your clients informed year-round that open enrollment season has become January through December. We are fortunate to have an excellent staff that can handle the ever-changing workflow requirements of the employee benefit industry, as well as core carrier partnerships that help to simplify the enrollment process.

Justin White

Partner/Benefits Consultant,

Brock and Spencer Benefits

Have a Little Fun

At Really Great Employee Benefits, during open enrollment season we do fun things with our employees every 10 days such as ice cream parties, pizza lunches and yoga classes after work one day a week. Employees can also earn raffle tickets for going above and beyond, voted by their peers. In January, they can choose among different prizes.

Barry Cohn

President, Really Great Employee Benefits

Be Efficient

Every season is open enrollment season now. Each day is increasingly difficult, with many more complexities to manage. There's the constant struggle between juggling the demand of needing to offer so much more and the financial pressures of remaining profitable. The solution for us has been ensuring we have the right people in the right seats and obsessively hunting for operational efficiencies. Much time is spent understanding how we can automate our processes and make the lives of our incredible team easier. That and wine; lots and lots of wine.

Sozon Vatikiotis

CEO, Alltrust Insurance

Write It Down

I usually switch to a paper calendar during open enrollment. Crazy, I know, but I've been burned by forgetting to set an alarm on my Outlook calendar. I'm an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of guy, so seeing each day on paper is a must. I've also learned that procrastination kills during OE season, so I never put off what I can do today. There's so much coordination with players in HR, payroll and agents/brokers, that you simply can't delay on the front end. Even with these good intentions and plans, around the first week in December, I find myself curled up in a ball in the corner, rocking back and forth and sucking my thumb…

Brian Hicks Benefits Selling columnist and author of “The Tinderbox Tapes”