Introduction
Harness the power of the World Wide Web with BenefitsReview.com. Baker Thomsen Associates‘ unique Internet product saves time and money by providing your HR department the tools to achieve paperless benefits administration. BenefitsReview.com offers your employees the most accurate and accessible benefits information available, reducing calls and paper communications related to routine benefits questions. It streamlines HR management, increases efficiency, and even reduces litigation exposure by providing the means for electronic law compliance. BenefitsReview.com is an ideal solution for HR departments that face the challenge of accomplishing more with fewer personnel and tighter budgets.
The HR Business Problem
Today’s human resources officer finds his or her time and resources consumed by an almost limitless set of demands. Company downsizing places the burden of providing an exhaustive array of services on a finite number of HR personnel. BenefitsReview.com is an accurate, intuitive and cost-effective solution to the frustrations of HR management and administration, saving your time and your organization’s resources.
BenefitsReview.com was previewed last year in a series of talks entitled, “Internet Benefit Communications,” organized by the Los Angeles-based Business Forum. “Communication and management of benefit plans are crucial for a company to attract and retain high quality staff. The Internet has the ability to revolutionize the way we do business. Internet communications are definitely the way of the future,” says Business Forum President, John Hathaway-Bates.
Reacting to the changing needs of clients, BTA began development of a benefits Web site two years ago. The site was offered free of charge as part of BTA’s communication and research services. One of the first clients to implement the benefits Web site was OnLine Connecting Point, a computer sales and networking service headquartered in Irvine, California. A technology-based firm, OnLine is committed to providing employees the most advanced benefits communication resources available.
Concerned about the many communication dilemmas resulting from a decentralized workforce, OnLine wanted a Web site that would provide current, easy-to-access benefits information. BenefitsReview.com offered OnLine employees a single Web source for accessing benefit summaries, SPD’s, member-services contact information, and carrier Web sites. Employees could view health plan co-pays, calculate retirement benefits and search for medical providers—all from BenefitsReview.com. The site provided a technological solution to employee benefits communications without overburdening OnLine’s HR department or compromising confidential benefits data.
The Solution
BenefitsReview.com offered OnLine Connecting Point a means of communicating the most current benefits information to employees in four company locations. The site consists of two integral components: an HR Intranet site and a benefits Internet site. Easy-to-use interfaces within the Intranet component allow OnLine’s HR staff to post interoffice news, make company forms available for downloading, and answer frequently asked questions. The benefits Internet component guides employees through health and welfare plan summaries. Links to carrier sites may provide interactive features such as OnLine appointment scheduling, access to provider directories, and online enrollment. BenefitsReview.com simplifies the workload of OnLine’s HR staff, while at the same time improving the quality and effectiveness of employee benefits communication.
BTA Web programmers equipped the site with a census.txt file designed to achieve confidentiality among different benefit profiles (hourly, salaried and executive) and also between separate company locations. This file is easily modified and uploaded to BenefitsReview.com as data changes. Basic site security is achieved through a state-of-the-art, 128-bit, SSL3-capable server (the same level of security used in online banking).
Implementation
As a BTA client, OnLine Connecting Point’s most current benefits data is maintained in a Microsoft Access® database. Benefits information is frequently reviewed and updated as needed by a BTA benefits professional. The database was uploaded to BTA’s Internet file server, and the OnLine Connecting Point site was activated in less than an hour.
OnLine’s management team decided to link to BenefitsReview.com directly from their company Intranet, bypassing the BTA Intranet component. Employees log on to the OnLine Web site, and then may proceed directly to their benefits Web site. Once OnLine was completed satisfied with BenefitsReview.com, they included a link from their company’s home page and publicized the update to all employees. Employee appreciation of BenefitsReview.com has steadily grown over the past year.
Real Impact
From home or work, day or night, OnLine employees may visit BenefitsReview.com to review their personal benefit information via a Summary of Benefits. This Summary of Benefits includes eligibility requirements, key plan features, member service information, and links to carrier-administered interactive features. Now, employees can access BenefitsReview.com to find out co-pays for doctor’s office visits or prescription drugs instead of calling an OnLine benefits representative. Rather than leafing through out-of-date printed directories, they can search for providers online. This “real-time” information is especially important in light of the constant disruptions in HMO provider listings. In some cases, employees may even access carrier-administered plan enrollment, all from BenefitsReview.com.
OnLine’s site provides assistance with financial matters, as well. BenefitsReview.com offers retirement information including a 401(k) calculator designed to help with investment planning. The site includes a plan administrator link for up-to-date balances and a link to the U.S. Social Security Web site for estimated personal retirement benefits.
Should employees have additional benefit concerns, the BenefitsReview.com Help Desk feature posts OnLine’s contact information and Frequently Asked Questions.
Conclusion
OnLine Connecting Point took a gamble on technology-based benefit services, and BenefitsReview.com has paid off. BTA’s benefits Web site is the only product of its kind geared toward small and mid-size businesses, provided at a fraction of the cost of similar services. BenefitsReview.com helps meet the needs of both benefit professionals and the employees they serve, fulfills the requirements of the law, and follows the exciting trend toward using the Internet to simplify today’s HR complexity.
Initially offered only to BTA clients, BenefitsReview.com is now available to the public for a yearly subscription of less than $1,500. The service is still provided free of charge to BTA clients. David Thomsen, BTA’s founder and managing director, notes, “A broker/consultant is perfectly positioned to offer this service. Indeed, one must be licensed to do so. But it’s something we’re doing for BTA clients free of charge. In the future, benefits and the Internet will be as synonymous as air and breathing. We think Internet benefits communications will be just as free.”
BTA is an insurance brokerage firm licensed in all U.S. states/territories and in all Canadian provinces.