Securian Financial Introduces Benefit Scout™

Securian Financial has launched Benefit Scout, a consumer-facing “decision-support experience” that educates employees about the voluntary benefits the insurer offers through employers.

Available at no cost to qualifying Securian Financial group insurance customers, the new digital platform leverages “artificial intelligence” to guide employees step-by-step through the decision journey, resulting in less guesswork for employees and fewer questions for HR staff during enrollment. To start, employees answer a few questions about their family, lifestyle, savings and debts. Benefit Scout then analyzes their answers to calculate the different available options. Finally, employees get specific voluntary insurance benefit recommendations and cost estimates, which they can customize before enrolling. As part of the experience, employees get access to Scout, the platform’s virtual chat assistant, and they can contact on-demand Securian Financial benefit counselors by phone or online chat for one-on-one support.

In a 2018 pilot launch with a large health care provider employing more than 41,000 workers, 85% of employees who completed Benefit Scout’s experience enrolled in a voluntary insurance benefit. In addition, 92% of employees who used Benefit Scout said they were more confident about their benefit decisions after completing the experience.

“Benefit Scout helps employees better understand and make informed decisions about the Securian Financial insurance benefits available to them through their employers . It can increase enrollment and improve participation in employer voluntary benefit programs, which helps to reduce the rate of uninsured and underinsured employees.” – Travis Symoniak, Securian Financial’s manager of group insurance enrollment solutions.