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Ease – The 2021 Digital Broker’s Open Enrollment Readiness Report

Aug 23, 2021, 3 Minute Read

After surveying brokers and agency staff throughout the U.S., Ease released The 2021 Digital Broker’s Open Enrollment Readiness Report to better anticipate the trends and help brokers prepare for the upcoming open enrollment season.

While 2020 may have been challenging, this year most agencies understand the need to be flexible and digital to meet their clients’ expectations.

In the current job market, with the ongoing impact of COVID-19, employers want new solutions, like intuitive online onboarding and flexible benefit plans, for retaining and attracting employees.

The Report Features Insights and Trends On:

• Pandemic-era Fixes That Have Become Standard
• Your Clients Want More (& More)
• Navigating a New World and New Expectations
• Set Yourself Up for Success

Open Enrollment Insights

Pandemic-era Fixes Become the Standard

• 75.88% of agencies have changed the way they do business after 2020.
• 44.89% of agencies mostly conduct business remotely because their clients have evolved to a flexible or permanent work-from-home structure.
• 84.38% of agencies pitch benefits administration technology when going after new business.
• 43% of agencies note the ability to conduct business digitally was a driving factor in winning new business.

Agencies are Using These Online Collaboration Tools:

Your Clients Want More (& More)

As a trusted advisor, your clients expect you to lead the way and bring them solutions to gain a foothold against their competition.

• 48.24% of agencies offered more support to clients this year than last year by helping them onboard new hires online, conduct benefits elections remotely, and providing compliance support.
• 90.18% of agencies anticipate their groups wanting more insurance options this upcoming open enrollment season.
• 40.29% will offer more health insurance plan options.
• 46.42% will offer more worksite benefits options like accident, life, or critical illness.
• 29.86% will offer a telemedicine option.
• 35.38% will offer mental health benefits.

Attracting and retaining talent in this heated job market remain top of mind, and valuable extras help you gain a competitive advantage.

Navigating a New World and New Expectations

Maintaining and winning new business remains a unique challenge in today’s competitive environment. And with employers expecting more products, service, and support to help them thrive, brokers need to up their game with a paper-free open enrollment and digital efficiencies while offering year-round solutions.

Set Yourself Up for Success

After experiencing one open enrollment season during COVID-19, more than 80% of groups are eager to use technology to serve them post-COVID-19, too. Benefits administration software is proving to be a key factor in facilitating open enrollments moving forward.

• 91% of agencies are at least somewhat likely to put or keep groups on a benefits administration solution in preparation for this year’s open enrollment season.
• 99.39% believe technology will play an important role in open enrollment.
• Less than 1% of agencies expect to NOT do any business digitally this open enrollment season.

A paperless open enrollment is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s an expectation. With simple technology, you can better serve your clients during open enrollment and beyond.

For more insights, download The 2021 Digital Broker’s Open Enrollment Readiness Report.

Get The Ease Report

Ease is an online benefits enrollment system that makes it simple for insurance brokers and small business employers to set up and manage benefits, onboard new hires, stay compliant, and offer employees one destination for all their human resources information.

The Ease Marketplace is equipped with products, technology solutions, and resources to help you stay ahead of industry trends, defend against new competitors, and build a robust HR offering.

Don’t have an Ease account?
Contact us for free Ease online enrollment for your groups with one line of coverage or more.

Questions?
Contact The Claremont Answer Team at 800.696.4543 or info@claremontcompanies.com.

The data in this report reflects survey results from 568 brokers, agency account managers, agency owners, and other agency staff selling group health insurance throughout the United States, regardless of their adoption of Ease. The following analysis uses this anonymized data collected throughout July 2021.