Technology solutions: table stakes or differentiators?

Technology and digital solutions play a critical role in the administration and service of voluntary benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of digital solutions, and in many ways, accelerated trends already underway.

Carriers and other providers, however, have limited resources to allocate to their technology investments. Where should they focus their efforts? Those organizations that can effectively align their offerings to the needs of the voluntary marketplace will differentiate themselves from the competition.

What do employers value most? Cost and plan features are often the drivers of carrier choice. But when all else is equal, it is in other areas such as customer service, benefits administration technology, and sales and enrollment support that organizations can distinguish themselves to create a competitive advantage. Relative to voluntary benefits, what do employers value most when it comes to the digital services that carriers provide to them and their employees? LIMRA recently surveyed over 1,400 employers to find out.