The Weakest Link

The Weakest Link

Weakest LinkYou’re only as good as your weakest link. This holds true for so many companies, but even more so for companies that are built on technology. If the technology behind your service falls short, it won’t matter how good your service offerings are, how great your customer service is or even your attention to detail. Failed technology is just that – a failure.

Everyone seems to be jumping on the private health exchange bandwagon these days. Even companies with no benefits administration background or experience are getting in on the action. Who can blame them with the projected “hyper-growth” of employees enrolled in private exchanges by 2018?

Never have the words “buyer beware” rung more true than when it comes to selecting a private exchange. The technology behind the private exchange is critical to the successful administration of benefits and to your business. Why? Because a failed exchange make benefits administration a nightmare and your employees cranky.

Your HR professionals should be looking for three features when it comes to health care benefits administration through a private exchange:

  1. Employee self-administration – a portal that allows employees to update personal information, make selections, review relevant documents and find relevant forms
  2. Ease of administration – technology that doesn’t require a degree in rocket science to use, or an advanced degree for training, a portal that employees find intuitive and easy to use
  3. Flexibility and reliability – secure, safe and easily configurable technology that makes changing benefits and adding employees easy

The types of benefits, how many benefits and the selection process are all secondary to the technology behind the private exchange. The richest benefits package on earth won’t be appreciated if the employees and your human resources personnel are having a miserable experience.

The right technology will enhance the user experience by providing an abundance of information and resources in one place. Employees can easily compare plans, search for doctors, compare costs and review ancillary product offerings. All in one place.

So, before choosing a private exchange, find the best. It’s not hard. Look for a private exchange provider with a long and reliable history in benefits administration. That’s where you need to start. The rest will fall into place.