LIMRA Research Shows Paperless Enrollment Alternatives Growing in Popularity for Worksite

Windsor, CT, November 26, 2007 — New research from LIMRA reveals most employers now offer a paperless enrollment method for at least some voluntary benefits.

"While a traditional paper option still exists, laptops are now the second most popular enrollment method for employee-pay-all products," said Ron Neyer, senior analyst for LIMRA International and project director of the study. "Other paperless options are quickly growing as well, including call centers and Internet alternatives. Both methods have gained great traction at the worksite over a four-year time period."

The newly released Voluntary Benefits Selection: Examining Employer Practices and Preferences is the final release in a trilogy of reports stemming from LIMRA's comprehensive employer study of voluntary benefits. The survey examines U.S. businesses with 10 or more employees, and provides aggregate results and detailed breakouts based on region, industry, and size of establishment.

"While paper will remain available to employees well into the foreseeable future, some larger companies (1,000 or more employees) are eliminating this option all together," said Neyer. "Our research showed that larger companies favor network-based methods, especially Intranet more often than laptop enrollments than small or mid-sized companies due to inherent logistical challenges of conducting enrollments at large establishments."

In addition, the study highlights demographic preferences, such as new voluntary product customers at southern companies are less likely to use staffed call centers for enrollment, but are more likely to navigate through interactive voice response (IVR) menus compared to customers working in other industries. And employees at construction companies are least likely to use Internet enrollments.

The report also focuses on employers' relationships with their benefit providers and strategies for employee notification and communication.

"We found that employers prefer working with known entities when selecting voluntary coverages and advisor opinion carries equal importance as carrier name recognition in the decision process," notes Neyer. "It was also encouraging to observe employers' high awareness of the increasingly important need of allowing employees ample time to evaluate available voluntary benefits."

About LIMRA International

LIMRA International is a worldwide research, consulting and professional development organization that helps more than 850 insurance and financial services companies in 73 countries increase their marketing and distribution effectiveness. Visit LIMRA International at www.limra.com.