The Connected Employee Experience™

For years, organizations have continued investing enormous time and resources into employee benefits communication.

And yet… (pause)

employees continue struggling to make confident benefits decisions.

But the problem is not that information does not exist.

The problem is much deeper.

[Pause]

Employees are not struggling because benefits information is missing.

They are struggling because the benefits experience itself has become difficult to navigate.

 Slide 2 

Today, employees are expected to navigate a fragmented experience.

  • They receive emails.

  • And Carrier documents.

  • The have access to Enrollment instructions.

  • They make Plan comparisons.

  • And Use Employee Portals.

  • They can Watch Videos.

  • And Receive a variety of HR communications.

  • And often Try to navigate Carrier websites that are all different.

And all of these pieces exist independently of one another.

[Pause]

So from the organization’s perspective, communication has been delivered. And you’re right. It has.

But from the employee’s perspective… (pause)

the experience feels disconnected.

And a disconnected experience creates uncertainty. And uncertanty … creates a whole new problem.

 Slide 3

For years, the industry has attempted to solve this problem by focusing on decision support tools like:

  • Recommendation engines.

  • Enrollment technology.

  • Plan comparison tools.

And while these solutions are helpful… (pause)

they all share the same limitation.

[Pause]

They focus on helping employees make a decision. But do not solve the larger problem because the employee experience itself remains fragmented.

And when the experience remains fragmented… (pause)

confidence in how to make the right decisions is never fully developed.

 Slide 4

 So at Joshua Communications, we started asking different questions.

[Pause]

What if the problem was never access to information?

What if the problem was the experience itself?

And what if we could solve the problem of delivering disconnected information … and create a single source that connected the employee’s decision journey and design it around building confidence in the employee for choices they make?

[Pause]

That thinking led us to something we now call: The Connected Employee Experience™.

It’s a connected communication architecture designed to guide employees through every stage of understanding, learning, decision making, enrollment, and ongoing support.

And by guiding employees through every stage of decision making, we could help them overcome the psychological reasons that often keep them paralyzed when making benefit choices.

Because when employees feel uncertain … they become overwhelmed. When they become overwhelmed … they stop moving forward.

They delay or avoid making decisions … Or they simply just choose what feels safest.

[Pause]

The result … benefits become less about value … and more about anxiety.

 Slide 5

The Connected Employee Experience™ changes how employees move through benefits communication.

Instead of forcing employees to search for answers independently … (pause) we guide them through a connected experience.

  • One step naturally leads to the next.

  • One question leads to greater understanding.

  • And every interaction builds confidence.

[Pause]

Because employees do not need more information.

  • They need clarity.

  • They need confidence.

  • And they need guidance.

 Slide 6

The first step in employee confidence begins with understanding.

And this is where organizations often unintentionally create confusion.

Employees are expected to make complex healthcare decisions…

without truly understanding how those decisions affect them personally.

  • Deductibles.

  • Out-of-pocket costs.

  • Provider networks.

  • Prescription usage.

  • Payroll impact.

[Pause]

So rather than asking employees to immediately make a choice…

we created an experience designed to help employees first understand the factors shaping that decision.

Because better decisions begin with understanding.

Up to this point … we have talked a lot about philosophy.

But philosophy only matters if it becomes something real. So rather than simply describing what Connected Understanding™ looks like … let me show you how we actually built it.

[Begin Demo 1]

[Pause – let them absorb the page]

Here the employee is not simply receiving a recommendation.

We begin by helping them think through the factors that shape the decision itself.

Click 1 – Start My Guidance Experience

Click on Rarely – mostly preventive care

Click 2 Question: What would stress you more?

Let’s Select: Unexpected large medical bills

Click 3 Question about deductible comfort.

Let’s click: I prefer predictable costs even if payroll deductions are higher

 Click 4 – Continue through final two questions quickly.

Pause At Results

What I want point out here, is that we are not simply making a recommendation for which plan they should choose.  

We are helping the employee understand why a specific plan aligns with their own priorities and what else they should consider when making their decision.We intentionally include both the recommendation and a consideration, because developing confidence requires understanding the tradeoffs.

Return to deck.

 Slide 7

But employee confidence does not stop with medical decisions.

Employees immediately face another challenge.

Understanding how additional benefits help protect what matters most to them.

And these decisions often feel even more personal.

[Pause]

Because protection decisions are not simply financial decisions.

  • They are family decisions.

  • Income decisions.

  • Security decisions.

So we created a second connected experience focused entirely on helping employees understand the protections available beyond core medical coverage.

[Pause]

One of the things we have learned over the years … is that employees do not all learn the same way.

  • Some employees prefer reading.

  • Others want examples.

  • Others understand better through visual learning.

So connected employee experiences should not simply provide answers.

They should adapt to how employees learn best.

Let me show you.

DEMO 2 — CONNECTED PROTECTION™

Pause.

Step 1 – 

Question: What are you most concerned about?

Select: Unexpected injuries or accidents

Step 2

Select: Short-term illness or recovery period

Step 3

Select: I want protection for my family

Step 4

Select: Surprise out-of-pocket costs

Pause.

Do NOT talk immediately. Let them read.Then say

Once guidance has been provided … employees can continue learning through the method that works best for them.

Click 1 – Video

Video is a great option to help employees learn about and connect with their benefits. Watch 90 Second Benefit Overview (play 10 secs)

Click 2 – Review Benefit Details

Some employees prefer reading.

Click 3 – Ask A Question About This Benefit

Others need additional guidance before feeling comfortable moving forward. Here they can begin to drill into more detail about the benefit and how it fits into their personal situation.

And once guidance has been provided … employees can continue learning through the method that works best for them.

Return to deck

 Slide 8

But there is another challenge organizations face that often gets overlooked.

Most employee support systems disappear the moment enrollment ends.

But employees continue having questions all year long.

And often … the biggest problem is not the question employees ask.

[Pause]

It is the question employees never ask. Because uncertainty causes employees to stop seeking help.

And when that happens…

HR teams carry the burden.

So we created a connected support experience designed to stay with employees year round.

Instead of employees waiting for HR … or searching across disconnected resources … they now have immediate access to ongoing support whenever questions arise.

And this support does not stop after enrollment season. It exists throughout the entire employee journey.

Let me show you.

DEMO 3 — CONNECTED SUPPORT™

Because employee questions do not stop once enrollment ends employees are left with turning to HR as the default support center.

We believe there’s a better way to connect employees with the answers they need before they reach out to HR for help. Adding this extra layer of support not only connects employees with the information they seek, but gives HR back the much needed time they typically spend answering repeat questions.

Do NOT touch chatbot first.

Point To Left Panel

We intentionally guide employees based on where they are in their employee journey.

Show:

  • I need help using my benefits

  • I’m a new hire

  • I’m enrolling now

  • I have a life event

By doing this  employees receive guidance before they ever ask a question.

Move To Chat Window

Paste. Copy/paste question into the chat. Use:

I just got married. What do I need to do to update my benefits?

Let answer generate.

Pause. Do NOT overtalk. Once finished begin speaking

This support now exists throughout the entire employee journey. Not simply during enrollment season.

RETURN TO DECK

 Slide 9

But there is still one final challenge.

Confidence has no value if employees cannot confidently take action.

Employees still need to complete enrollment.

And this final step is where confusion often reappears.

  • Deadlines.

  • Enrollment requirements.

  • Dependent verification.

  • Final elections.

  • Payroll contribution understanding.

[Pause]

So we designed one final connected experience focused on helping employees move from confidence… into action.

At this point…

  • Employees have understanding.

  • They understand what protects them.

  • They have ongoing support.

Now they simply need guidance through final action.

The final step should feel simple.

Let me show you.

DEMO 4 — CONNECTED ACTION™

The final challenge organizations face … is helping employees confidently move from understanding … into action.

Land on page. Pause. Do NOT click. Let them see guided enrollment path.

Point To Left Panel Say:

Instead of simply providing enrollment instructions … we guide employees step by step through completion.

Click Step 1 – Review What Changed 

Pause.

Click Step 2 – Medical Options

Pause.

Employees can move deeper into connected experiences when needed. Each of these steps are customized to meet the needs of your employees.

 Click Step 5 – Complete Enrollment

Pause.

Every experience now leads toward confident completion.

The employee is never left wondering what comes next.

So now, the journey ends with clarity. Not uncertainty.

RETURN TO DECK

 Slide 10

For years … organizations have continued solving employee benefits communication the same way.

  • More emails.

  • More documents.

  • More portals.

  • More information.

[Pause]

But employees are not struggling because information is missing.

Employees are struggling because the experience itself has become fragmented.

[Long Pause]

We believe the future of employee benefits communication is not more information.

It is connected experiences designed around employee confidence that makes all the difference.

[Stop speaking.] [Hold silence.] [Wait for them to respond first.]