How to improve employee engagement with personalised benefit communications

Employee benefits platforms may be our bread and butter, but they can certainly be confusing to others.

It’s not enough nowadays to fill a benefits system with lots of tempting perks. It needs to be easy for your employees to use, and even easier for them to understand.

To put it simply, the way you communicate your employee benefits platform is key to engagement, and ultimately, benefit take up.

After all, there can be a lot of uncertainty around what they are, how they work and when benefits are available. Change is also difficult. It may be that cover levels have increased/decreased, or that there’s an opportunity to add loved ones to your policy.

Whichever way you look at it, clarity is key, and the addition of personalised benefits communication tools to your already implemented platform can take things from tougher than old boots to easier than a Sunday morning, not to mention having a truly positive impact on your engagement levels.

So, to make sure you’re targeting employees in the right way, we’re looking at why tailored communications are perfect for putting your benefits package in the shop window, and how Zest can help you master it.

It’s not just important, it’s the beating heart of any employee benefit offering.

In order for your platform to be successful, employers need to engage with their employees, sending them the information they need to know, in a format that looks familiar to them. When it comes to success, a key objective will be employees actively engaging with the platform to request new benefits and or changes to existing ones.

It also has a key alignment with employee retention and attraction, with a well-communicated employee benefits package important to satisfaction levels. Remember, with competition for the best talent, if you don’t show your people how much you value them, someone else will.

Your employee engagement should go beyond benefits administration and break away from that generic, one-size-fits-all approach.

We believe in personalization and customization, allowing you to offer benefits packages that cater to the unique needs and preferences of each employee. By treating each employee as an individual, you’ll unlock their full potential and build a deeper level of engagement.

With Zest, there are three ways employee engagement can be increased:

Through personalised benefits communication tools

Ah, our main focus today!

By crafting and delivering engaging communications that drive awareness about your benefits system, you can get people logging in and interacting with their platform in a matter of seconds.

Through our technology

When you implement your employee benefits platform with Zest, our product gives employees access to a Total Reward Statement.

Our unique TRS helps employees understand the true value of their benefits package, and not just their salary. This fresh approach makes benefits pop, with everything updated in real time so changes to each individual offering are seen immediately.

Forget boring old displays. It’s all about showing your people the true value of their package and not just their paycheck.

Employees can also see the future impact benefit selections will have, and have access to additional information about each benefit to help them engage with potential new selections.

Through benefits on the go

While desktop submissions remain popular, employees can now log in to their online platform anywhere, anytime, thanks to our handy mobile app.

With user-friendly features and a commitment to seamless functionality, we’re delighted to embrace a future where every interaction and engagement enhances employee satisfaction.

While our technology and app are brilliant features to your implemented scheme, it’s the communications that will really set you up for success.

Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all approach to employee benefits. Every company and every employee are unique, and that is why our product is personalised to every user, based on the benefits employers offer, the benefits they have, and the messages they want employees to see. It’s because of this you’re able to:

Create campaigns to target a specific group of employees (based on demographics or benefits selections), effectively communicate relevant information they need to know and automate system comms if and when they’re needed.

Here are some of the steps you can take when partnered with Zest to tailor important benefit communications to your employees.

Send communications to individuals or groups of employees.

Picture the scene.

You’ve got a handful of employees that have added benefits to their basket but have yet to checkout. Wouldn’t it be handy to be able to target this population to let them know their selection is ready but needs them to confirm?

Say no more. With Zest, you can send emails to different colleagues for a whole host of different reasons.

It might be that you need to contact employees that fit under a certain Grade or Department, or that you need to inform those with Private Medical Insurance that there’s been a change to their policy. We’ve made it easier than ever to target different employee demographics with direct, personalised information.

Display banners to employees when they log in

Keen to make something stand out from the crowd? With Zest you can add display banners to really grab the attention of your employees. This can include key messages around your scheme or highlight new aspects on offer. Regardless of what the display is, it’s a great opportunity to really catch the reader’s eye.

Grab attention with targeted emails.

Want to flag a new benefit? Planning something spectacular for your next annual enrolment launch? Targeted emails are the perfect way to let your people know what’s happening around their benefits offering.

It might be that you’re planning a benefits roadshow ahead of your next window and want to invite different employees at different times based on their office location, or that you need employees to take urgent action.

Use customisable templates

We appreciate that not everybody has time to make their important announcements and key information sparkle. We provide a number of customisable templates that you can use to get your message out fast. And the best part is that you can align them to your company branding, to ensure employees know their tailored message has come from you.

Automate your comms

When it comes to enrolment windows, this could be your ace in the pack.

Our system lets you automate comms for when an event takes place, such as your annual window opening and closing. You can also provide other automated emails, including confirmation emails for benefits that have been submitted and for a change in coverage levels.

Schedule messages or send them immediately.

Don’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet? With Zest, you can plan your tailored communications to leave the system at a time of your choosing, plotting everything in advance to send at a later date.

If you can’t wait to get your latest communication out, you’ll also be able to hit send and have that important company-wide announcement sent in a matter of seconds should you wish.

Drive benefits uptake with targeted communications

Don’t forget to cram your content full of personalised copy your people want to read. On top of our customisable templates and automated communication methods, consider brochures, posters, digital screens – the works. And when it comes to benefits, you can use these methods to really drive home the ins and outs of each policy.

Want to know some of our top tips for communicating your employee benefits platform to people? Our handy blog gives you some key methods to practice in order to better improve employee education around your platform.

You bet we can! We’re glad you asked!

Ignite engagement with your new benefits platform from day one, with our launch communications service. Introducing Zest Launch.

Zest Launch is your one-stop shop for valuable information that allows you to flaunt your offering, create a buzz and drive excitement around the window.

• Tailor content to your people
• Wax lyrical about the wonderful world of benefits
• Be certain that colleagues know what’s available
• Create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) to drive submissions

There’s no need for faff. Kick back and leave the hard work to us.

We’ll craft and deliver engaging, internal communications campaigns that drive awareness around your new benefits scheme. After all, it’s important to build excitement from day one.

Drop us a message today and see how we can add a touch of Zest to your benefit comms.