Breathe a sigh of relief – you’ve finished another successful open enrollment period, and employees are settling into their benefits plans. But now, they've got questions. Here's how to build an effective Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) strategy so you can ensure employees always know where to get answers to their questions.
Once employees begin taking advantage of their benefits, they may encounter situations they didn’t anticipate before open enrollment–and your team may be receiving repeated questions about the same topics.
FAQs are a valuable tool for empowering your employees with the information they need, when they need it. We’ll walk you through how to build an effective FAQ strategy that covers areas you might overlook–so you can ensure employees always know where to get answers to their questions.
Why build an FAQ strategy?
Your challenge may not be a shortage of information on your company’s benefits, policies, and procedures. The actual issue may be having too much content that isn’t organized or easily accessible.
Developing FAQs that address common concerns helps you reduce time spent on phones, live chats, and emails, while also assisting more employees at once. Another benefit: Many people prefer a self-serve option and would be more satisfied if they could find the solution on their own.
Employees should view your company’s resources as the first stop for answering their questions. If they can’t find what they need, they may go to other websites looking for answers and receive false information or make inaccurate assumptions. Creating smart, detailed FAQs can lessen employees’ uncertainty and help them find quick solutions.
How to determine what FAQs to create
The first question to ask when building an FAQ strategy is: “What are the top issues we’re getting asked about?” Your HR and benefits teams probably already keep records of this–and if not, now’s a good time to start. If your company has a call center, check with them, too. Some employees may reach out directly to health insurance companies or your vendors with questions. If you have a benefits vendor, connect with them for even more data to inform your strategy.
Another way to find out which topics employees have the most questions about? Ask them directly! Survey employees to find out if they’re unclear on any of your policies, procedures, or benefits. Once you’ve pulled all these data points together, review the common questions and identify the areas where employees seem to struggle.
Also consider topics related to initiatives your company is currently focusing on. Are you trying to encourage employees to use a new wellness program? Have you updated an established program? Or is there an offering that hasn’t received enough attention in your internal communications? Evaluate current events within and outside the company that affect your employees, then make sure your FAQs can guide them to resolve any concerns they may have.
If you already have FAQs in place, review them to see what needs to be updated. You may also find that a particular section has evolved to the point that it needs its own dedicated FAQs. Keeping FAQs current not only better serves employees, but also builds trust that your company is their go-to source for information.
Common FAQ topics to consider
Once you’ve built up a list based on your company’s unique needs, you’ll want to brainstorm about common FAQ topics. Here are a few examples to get you started:
- In-network providers/services: Are employees struggling to figure out who is in their network? Have there been changes since the previous year regarding in-network providers? Create FAQs with relevant links that help employees find this information.
- Open Enrollment: Have all of the important information employees need to know for Open Enrollment available year-round. Include important timelines, links to the enrollment platform and plan information and an updated list of new benefits. Also, be sure to include who employees should contact if they need help as well as their contact information.
- Calendar of key dates: Provide a list of important dates that employees should be aware of, such as tax filing season, when W2s will be sent out or employer contribution occurrences. If your company has any special days (work retreats, non-federal holidays, volunteer days, etc.), list those as well.
- Understanding HSA: Ensure your employees understand what an HSA account provides and its benefits. Also, include information that explains the difference between an HSA and an FSA. For instance, employees may not realize FSA money does not roll over unlike an HSA.
- Key terminology: This may consist of internal language with terms specific to your company. Or, you can cover a list of common insurance terms like “out of pocket (OOP)”. A quick resource employees can access when they come across an unfamiliar word helps build confidence about their benefits.
- Policies and procedures: Outside of your benefits offerings, consider topics like COVID-19 safety procedures or work-from-home policies. Employees may know these exist, but not have needed to look at them until a relevant situation developed. Make sure they know where this information is located and you’ve covered as many unique scenarios as you can in your answers.
- 401k/Retirement benefits: According to MetLife’s 2022 Employee Benefit Trends Study, 31% of employees cite financial concerns as a top reason for low mental health. Help employees feel confident in their investment and savings decisions. Develop FAQs addressing topics of financial literacy and financial planning to improve employees’ financial health.
Make communication a priority
Creating the FAQs and posting them on your website or company intranet is just the start. You need to create an effective communications plan that frequently reminds employees to take advantage of these and other educational resources your company has created.
There’s a strong case for prioritizing benefits communications. According to MetLife’s 2022 Employee Benefit Trends Study, 94% of employees are more likely to feel valued/appreciated when they understand their benefits. The same study found that 80% are more likely to be satisfied with their current job.
Each benefit has many details to learn and understand, and many employees don’t have the time to research everything during open enrollment. Active communication and regular reminders about where employees can find FAQs and other resources should be a year-round effort.
Do you offer employees a decision support tool? Make sure they know how this service is relevant throughout the year. Some of our clients’ HR teams send out regular messages urging their employees to take advantage of the Benefitfocus Decision Assist tool outside of open enrollment.
We can help
Even when open enrollment has passed, year-round understanding of benefits should be a top priority for every company. Utilizing the right technology can optimize your FAQ strategy by allowing you to store all relevant information in one place. Benefitfocus provides a simple, comprehensive platform that makes it easy for your employees to quickly find answers to their questions. Each benefit has its own customizable section within the tool where you can upload relevant FAQs.
Aside from arming your employees with the right knowledge, empower them to make the right decisions for their unique needs with our decision support tool. Our data-backed solution empowers employees with the knowledge and confidence to make the right decisions for their personal health needs. You can use our decision support solution to support your employees during onboarding, throughout the year with education or during open enrollment. Schedule a demo today.
