Optimizing Benefits Administration, Enrollment, and Communications for Business Services Organizations

Taking stock of the benefits challenges facing business services organizations

Managing employee benefits can feel like navigating a maze for business services organizations. Between rising healthcare costs, the challenge of keeping employees engaged, and the constant pressure to simplify complex enrollments, HR teams balance an overwhelming to-do list. And that’s before they even think about delivering ROI. Something that’s top of mind as healthcare costs are spiking up to 9% this year. 

But here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Modern benefits administration technology is helping HR teams like you rewrite the playbook. With tools like AI benefits assistants, decision support, and smart engagement strategies, organizations can transform what once felt impossible into clear, manageable solutions.  

These innovations don’t just save time and cut costs; they create better experiences for employees and HR teams alike. From finding the right benefits fit to year-round mobile and text connectivity, these tools ensure employees feel supported every step of the way.

What do employees want and need from their benefits experience

It’s clear employees need support. 86% of employees remain confused about their benefits – a number that’s stayed relatively static over the past few years. Benefits are complex and aren’t getting simpler, unfortunately.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all hopeless. In fact, 84% employees reported feeling confident in their benefits decisions and 79% felt satisfied with their enrollment experience. How could that be? Let’s look at how a strong benefits technology and communication approach can cut through confusion to provide employees with an experience they’re comfortable with.

How benefits technology can transform an employee’s experience

Benefits technology isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. With rising healthcare costs and a competitive talent market, organizations are turning to advanced, AI-driven solutions to streamline operations and enhance employee experiences.

Business services organizations employ many people with advanced degrees or specialized training who often work with technology daily, making them likely adopters of new tech. In fact, 69% of business services employees use AI tools for help with their benefits.

And for good reason! With Sofia, employees receive fast, accurate, and empathetic answers without having to wait, leading to improved experience and satisfaction. Employees can get the answers they need after hours or on weekends. Sofia has a 91% chat resolution rate which shows her ability to provide employees the answers they need.

These tools can help save your employees and your HR team time by taking repetitive time-consuming tasks off your HR team’s plate, allowing them to focus on strategic, high-impact initiatives.

Check out our latest Benefits Insights data to learn more.

Enrollment powered by decision support 

Ensuring employees enroll in the right-fit benefits for them is a top priority for business services organizations. The simplest, most effective way to help employees make good choices is to give them decision support at the time of enrollment. And it’s not just for medical, our decision support can help them select the right voluntary benefits for their situation as well. 

In 2024, we found that 69% of all employees use decision support when their employer offered it. So, it’s clear that employees are happy to use this technology to their advantage when it’s available.  

And decision support saw success in steering business services employees towards the right-fit benefits. When business services employees use our integrated decision support at enrollment, 53% elect a right-fit, cost-effective health plan (compared to only 24% without decision support).

Driving year-round engagement on the go 

If your benefits rollouts only grab employees’ attention during enrollment, you’re leaving opportunities for connection and engagement on the table. Once your employees have successfully enrolled, it’s time to help them navigate the rest of their year and make use of their benefits. 

• Start with mobile. 36% of business services employees have registered for our MyChoice Mobile App. The app enables employees to manage their benefits on the go, making them more likely to stay engaged all year round. More engagement means employees are better equipped to make decisions that suit their needs—resulting in greater satisfaction and potentially cost-saving outcomes for the organization.  
• Meet employees where they are with text messaging. 56% of business services employees opted into text messaging as part of their benefits engagement strategy. This direct and efficient communication channel ensures employees always stay informed, reducing confusion and administrative stress for HR teams.  
• Don’t forget about email. It’s not quite as exciting as more modern approaches like our mobile app or text messaging, but email should still be a massive part of any communication strategy for business services organizations. Business services’ clients saw their emails read at a strong 45% rate.

Modern benefits technology is no longer a luxury for business services organizations; it’s the key to overcoming some of their most pressing challenges. From simplifying benefits administration and navigating rising healthcare costs to engaging employees year-round, tools like AI benefits assistants, decision support, and versatile engagement strategies are reshaping the landscape. 

Businessolver supports benefits for over 200,000 employees in the business services industry. Schedule a demo to learn more about our technology and service and what we can do for your business services organization.