Client communications

Commentary: Is your agency ready for 2015? Columnist Nelson Griswold shows how an in-depth analysis of a firm's strengths and weaknesses can help set goals for the new year.

Employers’ inability to provide clear and effective career management tracks may be forcing their more goal-oriented workers – the very employees they need to retain – to jump ship.

Commentary: Take this small step now, says consultant Wendy Keneipp, and become the feared competitor in your market.

Commentary: You only get one chance to make a first impression. Columnist Mel Schlesinger shares his tips on how to make that first appointment with a prospective client a successful one.

The features and services that you think workers will appreciate and use may be completely different than what employees actually desire, so communication is key - maybe even in the form of a company survey. Easy access is also key to better utilization.

Commentary: October is National Depression Awareness Month. Jeff Guardalabene, a mental health case manager with Standard Insurance Company, offers these tips on how to help your employer clients navigate this important but often uncharted territory.

In a world where instant gratification and customization are a way of life, workplace wellness programs haven’t kept pace, says Scott Haverlock, senior manager, talent & total rewards with Niagara Bottling, Inc. and a keynote speaker at this year’s Benefits Forum & Expo.

Communication will be a critical component of benefits administration in the future, according to Aflac’s Teresa White, who outlines benefit and HR trends for the upcoming year.

Commentary: Health insurance companies, health care professionals, politicians, academics and public health advocates all have opinions about what health care reform in America should look like.

Patients with a consumer-driven health plan receive fewer preventive services than patients in traditional health plans, a study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found. The results give advisers an opportunity to work with clients to proactively address any differences in quality between CDHPs and traditional plans.

The health insurance landscape is more complicated than ever. One national brokerage firm is leading the charge in providing direct guidance to their clients and clients’ employees through a centralized call center system.

myEdGPS helps working parents of special needs children map out an education plan for their child and offers guidance on how to access certain services through school systems, leading to tangible savings on health care costs for employers and health plans.

A new analysis estimates even more employers will move active employees to private exchanges in part because brokers are taking on a bigger role in pushing them as a solution to rising health care costs.

Heather Vertrees tunes up benefits at Fender Musical Instruments Corp. Her active role in a specialized wellness program for the company’s factory workers has earned her the Benefits Professional of the Year honor.

The National Restaurant Association’s Dawn Cacciotti is the recipient of EBN’s 2014 Judges’ Choice Benny Award.

Commentary: Open enrollment time means employer clients will be reviewing fee disclosures. Columnist John Ludwig discusses several steps plan sponsors should take when reviewing the disclosures for accuracy and to determine if fees are fair and reasonable.

Commentary: It all starts with a mindset, says EBA Advisory Board member Mark Gaunya. Do you begin each day with a mentality of scarcity or abundance? One is a recipe for failure.

Commentary: The marketing efforts of independent brokers are “woefully behind,” says consultant Wendy Keneipp, who shares tips on how to keep up with your employer clients’ changing business practices.

Commentary; 2015 is getting close and the Employer Shared Responsibility Mandate (“Play or Pay”) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is almost here. So what does this mean for your organization?

After a booming jobs growth spurt in June, hiring slowed, but still grew overall in July. The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. And with that growth, many employees are becoming just as selective as employers have been in choosing their next career path.