It’s an understatement to say the past two years have been a watershed event in the way we work. The reliance on digital solutions to bridge gaps is greater than ever, and benefits administration is no different. The boom in remote work has only accelerated the transition from paper to the digital tools. And while that transition is still occurring – a shocking number of fax machines remain in use – the way companies manage their benefits and support their employees is quickly becoming digital.
The good news: Colonial Life has been ready for this for years.
“Insurance doesn’t need to be complicated,” says Tim Arnold, President and CEO of Colonial Life. “We created the Colonial Life for Clients portal to not only modernize benefits administration but, perhaps more importantly, simplify it.”
Plan administrators have long spent inordinate amounts of time ensuring they’re in compliance with state regulations. Additionally, waiting to receive their invoices in the mail, reconciling them in spreadsheets, getting their finance or accounting teams to issue checks and then mailing them in, took even more time. And all of that relied on mail, phones and – yes – fax machines.
As Employee Benefits News noted in their article, 6 ways tech is streamlining benefits administration, “HR pros are turning to technology to help ease the burden of everyday tasks. Indeed, the strategic use of technology, automation and better vendor partners is making time-consuming and mundane HR and benefits tasks a breeze.” But simplicity is just one of the many advantages of digital benefits management.
Managing your benefits accounts digitally allows for transparency, speed and security. EBN also points out, “a paperless office also helps to eliminate some human error on what can often be complex and sensitive personal documents. All of that private information is organized and stored securely, but accessible as you need it.”
“We take privacy incredibly seriously,” Stephanie Ek, Vice President of Account Services at Colonial Life said. “With today’s technology, we can ensure data security on Colonial Life for Clients, while making the job of plan administrators easier. The more time we save them, the more time they have to focus on their larger objectives.”
While we have arrived at this inflection point sooner than some had anticipated, the fact remains that technology will continue to play a larger and more significant role in benefits administration. That’s an exciting opportunity for human resources professionals, as it empowers them to do more in less time with a clearer line of sight on their employees’ benefits.
See how you can do more online by logging in to the Colonial Life for Clients portal.
