Benefit administration is going paperless. This can be a great move that saves resources and cuts down on waste. There’s just one downside: the current pandemic is pushing some people into this transition before they’re ready.
If you’ve been struggling to figure out how to manage benefit administration now that your team is working remotely, you need the right tools. The good news is that these tools exist. More than that, they work well. In fact, they work so well that you probably won’t want to stop using them once the current crisis is over and regular work resumes.
There are two big problems that need to be addressed when switching to remote benefit administration.
Problem One: Seamless Payment Collection
You may need to collect payments from COBRA beneficiaries, retirees and others. This can always be a hassle, but it becomes even more challenging when working remotely. You may have trouble collecting and processing checks. The participants may have trouble getting the checks out, as well.
Thankfully, there are better ways to handle payment collection. Automated Clearing House (ACH) and electronic payments provide convenient and secure solutions for both benefit administrators and participants.
Problem Two: Timely Correspondence
People may be practicing social distancing right now, but they still need to communicate.
Email correspondence can be very convenient. A good benefit administration system will let you email a copy of letters to participants. Email correspondence can’t always replace physical letters, however. Benefit administrators may need to send notices to participants, as well as spouses and other eligible beneficiaries. Sometimes, physical letters are needed.
Printing and mailing letters takes time, space, and resources. Now that many people have switched to remote work, the process may be even more challenging.
Important COBRA notices must be sent out on time, and any failure here can lead to expensive fines or even lawsuits.
With a third-party print fulfillment service, you can easily send out COBRA notices, including General Notices, Election Notices, Termination Notices and Unavailability of Coverage Denial Notices. You can select and customize the letters you need to send, and the print fulfillment services handles the rest.
The Solution You Need
Transitioning to remote work requires some adjustments, but with the right tools, your work processes can be more efficient than ever.
For information on Travisoft or to enable these services on your account, please reach out to our sales team at sales@travisoft.com.