🥁 Drumroll, please… we have an exciting announcement, ALEX is getting a makeover! Coming this fall, we’re giving you and your employees an improved, refreshed Benefits Counselor, just in time for open enrollment.
What does this mean? Good question!
We’ve refreshed the design throughout the Benefits Counselor platform and optimized ALEX’s explanations. Our goal is to improve the overall experience, comprehension, and engagement around your employee’s benefits.
Don’t worry—we’re keeping all the good stuff! The heart of ALEX, what you’ve come to know and love will stay the same, with spiffy new updates that will drive even greater awareness, understanding, and interactions with your benefits package.
We know you likely have more questions, so we’ll try to answer a few here.
Why are we updating Benefits Counselor?
TL;DR: The world of benefits and the workforce, in general, has changed so much in the past two years. As such, ALEX needs to evolve with it!
What’s more, we don’t want to bore anyone. We have organizations that have used ALEX for years, and while we consistently test, tweak, and improve the ALEX experience, the time has come for a more noteworthy makeover. We always aim to keep our customers and their employees engaged—the improved, refreshed ALEX will do just that!
To get more into the details: If you’re familiar with ALEX, you might know that we’re big fans of behavioral science. (Reminder: behavioral science studies human actions, specifically how our own biases, lack of knowledge, or previous experience can influence our decision-making).
For over a decade, ALEX has used behavioral science to identify many of the common benefits roadblocks and steer employees towards the right plans and decisions. But, recently, we noticed we might be headed for a big behavioral science pitfall: visual and semantic satiation.
What’s that mean? It’s a big word, we know…but basically, it’s the idea that when we see or hear the same thing over and over, the message loses all meaning. We have many customers who’ve used ALEX for several years and are all too familiar with the look and feel of Benefits Counselor. As such, their employees might be a little fatigued and miss important benefits guidance. We don’t want that to happen!
What can we expect from the refreshed Benefits Counselor?
You can look forward to new visual designs within our platform: art, graphics, animations, and more! But we’re also getting more intentional about how ALEX interacts with your employees. We want Benefits Counselor to do what it says it does—counsel your team members about choosing and using the right benefits for them personally.
As for what to expect, ALEX will be easier to use, more enjoyable, and drive continued engagement as a trusted partner your employees can rely on. These main ingredients all lead to an even greater user experience! And, with a keen eye for inclusivity, our refreshed designs and concepts make meaningful improvements to ALEX that embrace the diversity of people and their perspectives.
The end goal? ALEX will delight your employees, ensuring better understanding and interaction with your benefits offerings.
Let’s get down to business; what does this refresh actually mean for me, my organization, and my employees?
We love that you’re holding us accountable for the nitty-gritty details! One thing we know from years of user insights: nothing beats having clear, easily digestible information to help employees feel confident about their benefits decisions.
So, our expert analysts and developers looked at the art and explanations throughout Benefits Counselor to figure out how to make some of the most important topics—like medical plans, HSAs, and retirement—even more approachable, clear and dare we say it? FUN! In addition, we’ve updated some of our journeys, like information about Tax Savings, to optimize the experience for all of your employees, whether they’re brand-new or a seasoned benefits vet.
What’s more, throughout Benefits Counselor, you’ll see a new design that’s not just vivid and engaging but also further demystifies your benefits to employees! Because that’s the goal, right? Explain those benefits, and drive not only enrollment but better engagement!
I liked the old ALEX. How do you know this new version is, in fact, improved?
We liked old ALEX too, and for the most part, all the good stuff is still there. We just worked on the curb appeal. Imagine a trendier haircut that keeps up with the latest styles.
Moreover, we’re not rolling out these updates willy-nilly. We based all changes to Benefits Counselor on our extensive internal user data, customer feedback, and significant analysis. Once we made changes, we tested with hundreds of users to ensure viability and performance. As a result, we’ve confirmed all new updates to ALEX create a more helpful, trustworthy, and friendly experience.
Okay, I get it. So what’s next?
If you want to learn more and get an exclusive sneak peek inside ALEX’s polished new look, you can join our Jellyvision experts for a webinar on June 9.
Otherwise, you don’t have to do anything! Your account managers will be in touch regarding any relevant changes that you and your employees can expect. As we approach the busy open enrollment season, you’ll learn more about how the new and improved ALEX will come into play at your own organization.
