SPECIAL EDITION: Elite Partners Series – featuring AFLAC
September 16, 2022
We are very proud of our Elite Partnerships with Carriers and Vendors that incorporate technology into all they do. This series features each of our Elite Partners, who offer savings and efficiencies for your technology and communication needs.
This week’s featured partner is Aflac. Our series hosts, Therese Tomasek & Holli Brummett, sat down with Jennifer Daniel to discuss Aflac’s tech know-how, company developments, and market wins.
BTR:
What is Aflac’s claim to fame? Tell us some fun facts!
Aflac:
Aflac has been around since 1951, offering voluntary benefits products (e.g., Critical Illness, Accident, Hospital Indemnity, Cancer, and other lifestyle benefits) for individuals and groups.
Our CEO is the 2nd-longest running CEO in US history and we are the #1 distributor of cancer insurance in Japan!
BTR:
What trends are you seeing in the market? How is Aflac responding?
Aflac:
Personalization is a high point; our customers want an Amazon-like experience wherein they are easily identifiable and thus easy to serve. We are seeing some automation and innovation happening in the market – a great example of this is how Property & Casualty insurance carriers keep their customers informed of claims activity and opportunities. We are discovering more ways to apply these same principals to the benefits space and it’s exciting.
BTR:
Open Enrollment season is upon us. What advice can you give to brokers & employers?
Aflac:
90% of Aflac’s clients are on a technology platform of some sort. We always recommend employers maximize their technology tools for the purposes of employee education, effectiveness surveys, and communication. Audit the existing technology opportunities available to your organization and consider leveraging decision support tools to help employees make smart benefits decisions.
Aflac also recommends holding an active enrollment during Open Enrollment. This is always a good time for employers to reconnect with their employee base, to reiterate the benefits strategy, and to make sure system data is accurate to support the back-end of the employee experience with their insurance products.
BTR:
How is Aflac preparing for changes to the “workforce landscape,” i.e., an increase in contracted workers?
Aflac:
We expect the workforce composition to be shifting to a broader mix of traditional W-2 employees and contracted/gig workers. Aflac is focused on assisting employers and companies to be able to offer these benefits on both a group basis and an individual basis.
BTR:
What is Aflac doing to prepare for digital enablement?
Aflac:
Aflac recognizes that the Pandemic has majorly influenced the workforce. We’ve implemented an innovation group called Hatch to bring new and innovative solutions to challenges in the industry with the ultimate goal of making us easier to do business with.
We have active APIs in production for EOI and are actively working on APIs for enrollment and plan building. We also have an API for searching dental providers to help enrollees quickly find Dentists in their area.
BTR:
What is on Aflac’s roadmap? Do you have new products? Any exciting news?
Aflac:
Aflac is working directly with HR technology systems in the market to build integrations and facilitate enrollment for an easy experience. We are expanding our product offerings with Life Absence & Disability coverage as well as our Dental & Vision plans. We also recently partnered with Trupanion for pet insurance.
In other exciting news, we have a new G.O.A.T. joining our beloved Aflac duck in our commercials to help explain how Aflac helps to fill in the GAAAAP that health insurance wasn’t designed to cover.
BTR appreciates our partnership with our Elite Partners. Be sure to check out our other partners on our website. If you’d like more information about savings and efficiencies offered through our Elite Partners, please email BTRProjects@bentechre.com.
