QUICK TIPS FOR GIVING YOUR HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS STAYING POWER

BREAK THROUGH

Congratulations! The long hours of planning are behind you,

and open enrollment season is off to a great start. Take a

well-deserved breather for a moment and enjoy the victory!

Now, let your mind wander into the new year when

employees will start using their new plans and the questions

will begin to flow…

Looking Ahead

Give Your Communications Staying PowerAs a benefits leader, you work hard to ensure your workforce

has the information needed to navigate their healthcare

decisions. The problem is, you don’t always get heard.

On the following pages, you’ll find the essential tips and best

practices you need to make sure your healthcare

communications are getting through and getting

remembered – empowering your employees to get the most

out of their healthcare plans this year and the next.

Sound good?

GREAT! THEN LET’S GET STARTED!

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How much is my deductible?What is my HSA balance?

Wha

t will

my prescription drugs cost?

Is it

too

early

to get my free annual physical?

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It’s January, and phrases like “meeting

your deductible,” “out-of-pocket

maximums,” “HSA,” “covered services,”

“coinsurance,” and “prior

authorization” have your employees

on edge.

Rather than making them feel like

they’ve been blown over by an

unexpectedly cold winter wind, we can

help you create the sensation they’ve

been wrapped in a warm blanket that

shields them from health plan

surprises.

Fast Forward

Each year, when employees start using their new health plans for the first time, confusion

abounds. You’ve been there. You know it’s unavoidable. In the new year, it’s as natural in the

benefits’ world as the sun rising in the east.

You answered their questions during open enrollment, but not every employee listens to each

word you say (What? Really?!), and details get forgotten. The rubber always meets the road

when employees actually start to use their new plans. That’s when the questions, suggestions,

complaints, comments – i.e., employee noise – starts to roll your way.

Now’s the time to embrace employee noise as an

opportunity to enhance your communications.HOW? READ ON!

EMBRACE EMPLOYEE NOISELISTEN TO YOUR AUDIENCE, THEN CATER TO THEM

Health insurance terms are unfamiliar and complex for those who don’t live and breathe benefits.

Help your employees out by breaking terms down into straightforward concepts and providing simple, real-life examples.

STRUGGLING TO BE HEARD?You’re not alone. Only 20% of employers surveyed believe their communication efforts were “very effective” at informing employees

about their benefits.1

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++

!!

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Mobile apps that reach your employees on the go

Short, catchy videos

Emails paired with electronic newsletters, intranet articles, and published testimonials

Digital posters displayed on screens throughout the workplace

Social media campaigns that generate awareness

Don’t assume one communication

method will reach everyone.

Try a mix of media.

Go Multi-Channel

Find out which channels your

employees trust for health

information.

Listen

One company working with Castlight found it could achieve a 75% registration rate by embedding video links explaining its benefits program

FACT

75%

Conduct a survey before the next Open Enrollment

Whenever possible, ask your employees,

“How did you hear about this?”

Track which channels are used

most frequently

Analyze engagement rates to

identify the most effective

communications mix.

Test and Measure

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1 3

2

Bolster Your Communications

Request open and click-through rates from partners who send emails to your employees

Collect page view data from your portal manager

Conduct A/B tests to identify which visuals and messages get the best response rates

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It’ll make your messages—and your company’s health benefits—feel more personal and engaging, and help workers understand health plan specifics in the familiar context of their day-to-day lives.

Talk about healthcare in a way that resonates with employees.

Leverage the scenarios continuously

through a variety of channels to maximize

impact.

Share multiple scenarios that cater to

specific employee segments. Showcase

different benefits features and explain how

to interact with your benefits portal or

total health center.

Segment your communication messages to

reach employees in various demographic

slices or life stages.

Use employee questions to identify a series

of 3-5 common scenarios that your

employees experience.

Suzanne is picking up a prescription at the pharmacy for the first time after switching to

your company’s high-deductible health plan. What should she do?

?

?

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She didn’t realize her prescription is subject to a

deductible, and she has to pay the full cost for her medication.

Make them say:“Hey, that’s me! I should

pay attention.”

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Get Personal

Show how to interact with your benefits portal to find the answers.

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Pull out your highlighters, benefit leaders, and take note.

If you expect employees to behave like

healthcare consumers, you have to

communicate with them like consumers.

We’re not suggesting you spoon-feed your employees. Just

the opposite. We’re saying teach your employees to fish for

themselves.

Show your employees how to self-service in a way that

actually sinks in. And then show them again. And again.

Repetition is critical! Too often benefits leaders shy away

from it. We hear employers say, "Oh, we don't want to

over-communicate. We don’t want to annoy our employees."

But this fear can make employers under-communicate!

Identify a messaging cadence that works for your company

and stick to it.

Repetition Is Not Overcommunication

REPEAT AFTER ME:THERE’S NO SUCH THINGAS OVERCOMMUNICATION First, there’s the noise factor.

In 2014, business users sent and received, on average, 121 emails a day. By 2018, this number is expected to grow to 140.2

Oh – and are your messages mobile optimized?Of those emails, employees opened 52% on a smartphone.3 And though screens are getting bigger, it’s still easy to miss important details since only 24% of emails are designed for mobile reading.4

Plus you’re vying for limited attention. Another reason to send it again? Most employees only read about 25% of company emails, so it might take a few times to catch their attention.5

Also, it’s just the way memory works.With your first, second, and even third contact, your message likely won’t sink in. In fact, according to marketing expert Dr. Jeffrey Lant, you need to contact your employees SEVEN TIMES over an 18-month period before they’ll hear and retain what you’re saying.6

Why Is Repetition So Critical?

per day

Emails

121

2018

2014

140

121

25%

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Forget...Forget...Forget...Forget...Forget...Forget...

REMEMBER!

52%

24%

| 5

About Castlight

Castlight Health, Inc. (NYSE:CSLT) is a leader in Enterprise

Healthcare Management. We believe great healthcare builds

great business, and U.S. enterprises can gain control over the

$620 billion spent annually on healthcare, transforming a

crippling cost into a strategic business advantage.

Recognized as a top 2014 software platform by the HR

Technology Conference & Exposition, the Castlight

Enterprise Healthcare Cloud enables employers to

understand and manage their healthcare investments while

helping employees make the best possible healthcare

decisions. Castlight is a great place to work, honored with a

Glassdoor Employees’ Choice award and recognized by Rock

Health for Diversity in Leadership.

For more information, visit www.castlighthealth.com and

connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

References1 SHRM Survey Findings: State of Employee Benefits in the Workplace -

Communicating Benefits, January 2013.

2 Email Statistics Report, 2014-2018. The Radicati Group, Inc., April 2014.

3 Newsweaver customer data, 2012.

4 Hussain, Anuon. Hubspot, 2014.

5 EMPLOYEEapp’s 2014 Employee Communications Satisfaction Survey.

6 Business Insider, 2011.

It’s not enough to explain benefits changes

during open enrollment or when a benefit is

first offered. Keep talking about it.

Remember: simple, relevant, and repeated

messages are the most successful.

At Castlight, we’re standing by to help you

find the best way to lead your employees

through the ever-changing healthcare world.

Our integrated platform let’s you show

employees how to get the most out of their

healthcare plan without overwhelming them

or sacrificing their time.

Learn more at www.castlighthealth.com!

Bottom Line

SIMPLE REPEATEDRELEVANT

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