One Canadian firm's unique offering of leading-edge technology is redefining the benefits experience for employers and employees nationwide
Things are changing, but not fast enough for benefitsConnect Inc. The innovative advisory firm, founded in 2001, designs employee benefit plans, savings plans, and workplace solutions in the group insurance and retirement sector.
In Canada, it can take five weeks or longer to set up an employee benefit plan or a retirement plan. Companies want to onboard employees quickly, provide them with enhanced communication tools, and have them self-serve their own needs through technology. With a work environment fragmented between office and remote operations, this is more important than ever.
Using smart technology, benefitsConnect is doing things faster, simpler, and smarter while still providing the counsel that clients need. At its core, benefitsConnect is an advisory firm, but it uses technology to create efficiency, provide cost savings, enhance communication, and ensure a better user experience.
A small client can be onboarded in as quickly as one day and a larger client in less than two weeks. If the electronic information is available, a group can be onboarded quickly, giving clients peace of mind and saving valuable time.
Marcus Crossdale, director of operations, says, “benefitsConnect allows employees and employers to have a deeper, more meaningful connection to their benefit plan. Increased access to information, data, and HR tools are a critical piece of the benefitsConnect ecosystem that pushes the industry ahead.”
An issue is that many insurance companies are hamstrung because they are beholden to legacy systems. Today, employers and employees are demanding more access to their information, and there is a growing movement to enhance their experiences.
This progressive company is headquartered in Toronto and is building a National Advisor Network that will provide smart tech to advisors across the country. Much of its success is achieved using API connections that not only reduces setup time but also enhances the user experience through the benefitsConnect OS.
Plan administrators are given access to make changes in real time via the benefitsConnect Administration Portal, saving yet more valuable time.
It also has the capability to:
- add or terminate an employee
- complete electronic employee enrollment through push notifications
- accomplish small HRIS features like vacation or sick days
- retain information in its in-house library for employees, such as employee booklets, drug cards, help videos, and HR documents
There is also a benefitsConnect App that offers employees the opportunity to self-serve with a wide range of information available to them.
“benefitsConnect provides speed and efficiency desired by both employers and employees, contributing to the modernization of the insurance industry,” explains Jaclyn Dobing, account executive and technology lead.
benefitsConnect has created an ecosystem with its Employee Perks Program, which connects any client with nontraditional products such as:
- discount programs (retail, travel, entertainment, and wellness)
- home and auto insurance
- mortgage advice
- life and critical illness insurance
- mental health (private treatment) and virtual pediatric care
- online pharmacy delivery
All the services are obtained for employees through their benefitsConnect App or websites, and tracked metrics show that the Perks Program is of high importance for employees as the click-through rate increases annually.
Industry experts have demonstrated their faith in benefitsConnect delivering and helping to change the status quo as affirmed by the following honours:
- Inaugural Service Provider Award 2023, Benefits and Pensions Monitor
- Employee Benefit Consultant of the Year Canada 2024, Corporate Vision
- HR Management Platform of the Year Canada 2024, Corporate LiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards 2024
- Top Consultant Canada 2024, Benefits and Pensions Monitor
The firm is continually enhancing its model on advice, service, and administration in the total rewards space. Its goal is to empower employees with cutting-edge technology that places unparalleled service at their fingertips.
To find out more, go to benefitsconnect.ca
