How to write an effective open enrollment email for plan users

As a benefits professional, you understand why it's important for employees to pay attention during open enrollment. However, you also know they're busy and might not fully appreciate why reviewing and updating their choices is necessary. A clear open enrollment email can get their attention and help plan users get more out of their valuable workplace benefits.

Goals of an open enrollment email

Open enrollment is a once-a-year opportunity for employees to review and update their benefits. Plans and coverage options change frequently. As an employee's family and financial situation evolves, their needs can change, too.

Ideally, employees should use each open enrollment period to learn about their new options, review their coverage and ask any questions. Employees should also understand the drawbacks of not participating in open enrollment, including not having coverage for the upcoming year.

An effective open enrollment email should get their attention, state the key dates and deadlines, and provide resources for learning more. If the offered health insurance plans and other benefits have any significant changes, you should explain those, too.

In general, an open enrollment email should communicate:

• The date open enrollment begins.
• The date open enrollment ends.
• How open enrollment works for employees and the moves they can make, such as changing coverage or enrolling in a plan if they're not currently covered.
• Any significant updates to workplace benefits.
• The link to the benefits enrollment portal.
• Information on any educational sessions you and your team will host.

Best practices for effective open enrollment emails

Employees might get hundreds of emails per day. That's why crafting your communication strategy properly is important to get their attention. You can tap several strategies to generate more effective emails.

Use clear, catchy subject lines

Employees will see your subject line first before deciding whether to read the email in the first place. While you have their attention, be succinct and salient. "Open Enrollment Begins Monday," "Your Chance to Change Insurance Coverage" and "Have You Made Your Choices for Open Enrollment?" are a few clear, concise examples that catch the eye and inspire further review.

Add urgency in the introduction

In your email introduction, briefly explain how open enrollment works. Point out that employees have limited time to review and change their benefits, and highlight the advantages of doing so. For example, by comparing health insurance plans, they might find one that saves them money compared to their current selection.

Avoid industry jargon

While an open enrollment email will mention insurance in some capacity, do your best to limit complex industry terms and jargon. Keep the focus on the dates and process. Note that employees can reach out for help if they have technical questions.

Consider the formatting

Think about how you could format the email to highlight the most critical information. For instance, you could bold essential text: Open enrollment starts December 1 and ends December 20. You could also use bulleted lists to summarize information. Avoid long, lengthy paragraphs.

Personalize if possible

See if you can address the emails to each employee by name at the start of the message or even in the subject line. Many email platforms offer this service. This may seem like a small detail, but extra personalization can increase the chance people click into and read your message.

Add links for educational resources

Consider what educational resources you could provide in your email to help employees understand their health plans, such as an extended guide to open enrollment or an article explaining common health insurance terms. That way, employees who want to learn more can do so while you avoid adding all this content to your email.

Tips for creating an effective email campaign

On top of writing the email, following a few tips can help you maximize the impact.

Develop a series

An email campaign is more effective with a series of messages than just one. You could create one message to send two weeks before open enrollment starts, another to announce the official kickoff and another near the end. That way, you have multiple opportunities to get employees' attention and can help them feel supported throughout the enrollment period.

Foster engagement

Think of ways you can encourage employees to start taking small actions immediately. For instance, you could provide a quick anonymous survey via email asking employees if they expect to make any changes to their selections. That first step could garner interest and drive further engagement.

Track enrollment

To ensure your message is received and inspires action, you may be able to track employee activity during open enrollment. This can help you identify which team members don't update their benefits or even log in to the portal. Prioritizing these employees and following up with additional reminders can help encourage their enrollment.

Ask for help

If you need help drafting your email, ask if your colleagues and other benefits administrators have any suggestions. They may be able to provide educational materials and even email templates you can use for your campaign.

Supporting employees while managing open enrollment

When employees understand their benefits, it's better for businesses' bottom lines. Plus, the email recipients will appreciate you putting in this extra effort with your open enrollment messaging. It's all time well spent.

Interested in leveraging personalized guidance as you navigate this year's open enrollment? Reach out to the team of representatives at Optavise to learn how its combination of innovative technology, flexible voluntary insurance products and experts can support a healthier, happier workforce.

Optavise is your benefits partner

Optavise is a trusted partner, guiding employers and their employees through healthcare choices including voluntary benefits, benefits administration, and year-round advocacy services that reduce costs and increase benefits engagement.