A Complete Guide to Open Enrollment Communication to Employees (Templates Included)
- Brandon Daniell
- 23 hours ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 7 minutes ago
Key Takeaways on Open Enrollment Communication to Employees
Text messaging delivers 97% open rates with messages read within three minutes - your most powerful channel for reaching the 80% of employees who work away from desks
Structure campaigns in 4 stages: two weeks prior for awareness, kickoff day, midway point, and final deadline for urgency
Lead with SMS alerts directing to portal resources, other communication, and virtual/in-person meetings to ensure the highest reach rate and engagement rate.
Personalize messages with names and segment by employee situations (new parents, near-retirees) for relevant information
Leverage two-way texting with trackable links and keyword responses to monitor engagement and provide targeted information
Track daily enrollment rates to identify lagging departments and escalate outreach as deadlines approach
Create visual resources - infographics, charts, and mobile-friendly guides - to simplify complex plan comparisons
Use post-enrollment SMS surveys and click-through analytics to improve next year's campaign
Open Enrollment Basics
What Is Open Enrollment?
Open enrollment is your employees' annual opportunity to select or modify their benefits for the upcoming year.
This 2-4 week window, typically occurring in the fall, allows workers to enroll in new health insurance plans, adjust coverage levels, or make changes to dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
They can also elect contributions to FSAs and HSAs during this period.
Here's what makes timing critical: if employees miss this window, they're locked into their current selections until next year.
The only exceptions are qualifying life events like marriage, birth of a child, or loss of other coverage.
During open enrollment, your team can add or remove dependents, switch between plan tiers, or even waive coverage entirely - decisions that will affect both their healthcare and their paychecks for the next 12 months.
Are Employers Required to Notify Employees?
You're legally obligated to notify employees about open enrollment, including all benefit options, changes, and deadlines.
The specific requirements depend on your company size and the benefits you offer.
You might need to provide a summary of benefits and coverage, HIPAA privacy notices, or COBRA rights notices.
These aren't just bureaucratic checkboxes - they protect your organization from compliance violations while ensuring employees have the information they need.
Federal and state regulations vary, so understanding your specific obligations helps you avoid penalties while supporting your workforce effectively.
How Should You Notify Your Team?
The way you communicate can determine whether employees actually engage with enrollment or let it slip by.
Text messaging delivers a 97% open rate, with 95% of messages read within three minutes - making it your most powerful tool for time-sensitive reminders.
Compare that to email, which 79% of companies have traditionally relied on, despite messages often getting buried in crowded inboxes.
Your workforce likely isn't sitting at desks all day.
With 80% of the global workforce consisting of non-desk employees, mobile communication becomes essential.
While 74%Â of organizations use internal websites for benefits information and 60% still hold on-site meetings, these methods miss distributed teams entirely.
The solution? Lead with SMS communications.
Send SMS alerts directing employees to link to the HR portal or check their email for detailed information.
Post resources on your company portal. Schedule both in-person meetings and video conferences.
Consider workplace flyers, mailed materials, and brown bag lunch sessions.
Each channel reaches different segments of your workforce, and together they create a safety net ensuring no one misses out.
The 4 Critical Stages of Your Open Enrollment Campaign
Stage 1: Two Weeks Prior - Building Awareness
Start building anticipation exactly two weeks before enrollment opens.
This gives employees time to review options with their families and gather questions.
Your benefits portal should already be live with updated information. Lead the communication with your Open Enrollment text campaign.
Text Template:Â You can go basic or make more personal but lead with SMS - as it has the highest open rate of any form of communication.
"[Company]: Open enrollment starts [Date]. Review your benefit options at [URL]. Check your email for full details. Reply STOP to opt out."
Pro Tip:Â Â Make your SMS more personal for higher read and response rate. - with Dialog Health you can Automated and Personalize group texts with our easy-to-use dynamic tags. Just one of our many features for a higher level of engagement.
Email Template: Though email has much lower open rate than text messaging - it is still good to send an email to your employees with all the Open Enrollment details.
Pro Tip: Mention the email in your text message.
Subject: Important: Open Enrollment Begins in Two Weeks
Hi [Employee Name],
Open enrollment for [Year] benefits begins on [Date] and continues through [Date].
During this period, you can:
Review and compare health insurance plans
Make changes to your current coverage
Add or remove dependents
Elect FSA/HSA contributions
Visit our benefits portal at [URL] to review your options in advance. Watch for additional information coming soon.
Questions? Contact HR at [email/phone].
Best regards, [Company Name] Team
Stage 2: Kickoff Day - Launch With Impact
When enrollment officially opens, your message needs to cut through the noise. Include step-by-step instructions and make portal access as simple as clicking a link. Start with your SMS.
Text Template:Â
"[Company]: Open enrollment is OPEN! Visit [URL] to make your benefits selections by [Date]. Questions? Call [phone number]."
Pro Tip: And don't even get us started about our Short Links - trackable links and you don't even need to leave the platform.
Email Template: Follow-up email with all the Open Enrollment details.
Pro Tip:Â Â Make sure to use the same portal link in your SMS as your Email so there is no confusion for the employee.
Subject: Open Enrollment is NOW OPEN!
Hi [Employee Name],
Open enrollment is officially open through [Date]!
Take action now:
Log into [benefits portal URL]
Review your current elections
Compare available plans
Submit your selections
Remember: If you take no action, some benefits may not carry over from last year.
Need help? Contact HR at [phone/email].
Best regards, [Company Name] Team
Stage 3: Midway Point - Maintaining Momentum
Halfway through enrollment, target employees who haven't completed their selections.
Emphasize the consequences of missing enrollment - waiting another year or losing certain benefits entirely. SMS is the perfect way to get employees attention quickly and efficiently.
Text Template:Â
"[Company]: Open enrollment ends [Date] - only [X] days left! Complete your benefits at [URL]. Need help? Reply YES for assistance."
Pro Tip:Â Â Â And You can use the basic copy above or you can take it to the next level with Emojis, Links, Multiple Languages, and Two-Way Automated Responses. Dialog Health's self-service console allows you to "set and forget" reminder campaigns with all these features - saving you hours and hours of reminders calls or emails. Find out more today.
Email Template:
Subject: Reminder: Open Enrollment Halfway Point
Hi [Employee Name],
We're halfway through open enrollment - it closes on [Date].
Haven't enrolled yet? There's still time:
Visit [URL] to make your selections
Review the benefits guide attached
Schedule a one-on-one consultation if needed
Don't wait - some benefits require active election each year.
Contact HR at [phone/email] for assistance.
Best regards, [Company Name] Team
Stage 4: Final Deadline - Creating Urgency
In the final days, your communication shifts to urgency mode.
Make it crystal clear that after the deadline, changes are impossible until next year except for qualifying life events. Last day - lead with a text!
Text Template:Â
"[Company]: LAST DAY to enroll! Benefits enrollment closes today at [time]. Visit [URL] NOW or lose coverage options until next year."
Pro Tip:Â Â Â And When it is urgent and you need responses quickly - SMS is the best channel. Make sure your SMS vendor is Tier 1 and secure. Dialog Health's easy-to-use platform is trusted by the Nation's top HR teams. Find out more today.
Email Template:
Subject: URGENT: Open Enrollment Ends Tomorrow
Hi [Employee Name],
FINAL REMINDER: Open enrollment closes tomorrow at [time]!
If you haven't made your selections:
Go to [URL] immediately
Complete all elections
Print confirmation for your records
After tomorrow, you cannot make changes until next year's enrollment period.
Act now or contact HR immediately at [phone/email].
[Company Name] Team
Proven Tips to Boost Employee Engagement During Open Enrollment
Implement HIPAA-Compliant Two-Way Texting for Maximum Reach
Traditional one-way broadcasts tell employees what to do.
Two-way texting lets them respond with questions or confirmations, creating actual conversations.
You can schedule automated campaigns weeks in advance, personalizing each message with employee names and specific benefit details.
Since 97% of mobile phones access the internet, include direct links to your enrollment portal right in the text.
Use shortened, trackable links to monitor who's clicking through and who needs follow-up.
Set up keyword responses - employees text "DENTAL" to receive information about dental plans, or "HSA" for health savings account details.
Personalize Your Messages Using Employee Names and Relevant Details
Generic "Dear Employee" messages get ignored.
Address people by name and segment your communications based on their situations.
Full-time workers need different information than part-timers.
New parents want to know about dependent coverage, while employees nearing retirement need retirement planning resources.
Use dynamic tags in your automated campaigns to insert current benefit elections or contribution amounts.
Adjust your language complexity too - skip the insurance jargon for frontline workers while providing detailed breakdowns for those who want the full picture.
Create Visual Resources That Simplify Complex Information
Transform confusing plan comparisons into side-by-side infographics showing costs, deductibles, and coverage levels at a glance.
Design charts illustrating how different selections impact take-home pay.
Develop video tutorials walking through enrollment step-by-step.
Make sure everything displays properly on smartphones - your mobile-friendly benefits guides should be as easy to read on a phone screen as on a desktop.
Consider creating decision trees that guide employees through questions to find their ideal plan match.
Offer Multiple Support Channels and One-on-One Assistance
Schedule sessions at various times - early morning for night shift workers finishing up, lunch hours for office staff, and evening options for those who can't break away during the day.
Offer both virtual and in-person consultations so location never becomes a barrier.
Set up a dedicated benefits hotline with extended hours throughout enrollment. Add online chat for quick questions.
For diverse workforces, provide language translation services ensuring everyone gets help in their preferred language.
Track Participation in Real-Time and Follow Up With Non-Responders
Monitor daily enrollment rates to spot problems early.
If certain departments lag behind, investigate why.
Your analytics should show which employees opened messages but didn't click through, and who started enrollment but didn't finish.
As the deadline approaches, escalate your outreach to non-participants.
Generate reports by department or location to identify areas needing extra support.
This targeted approach ensures you're helping those who need it most.
Find a platform that allows you to track in real-time - every step of the way.
Gather Feedback to Improve Next Year's Campaign
After enrollment closes, send surveys asking what worked and what didn't.
Track which communication channels generated the highest engagement through click-through rates and portal logins.
Document common questions to address proactively next time.
Analyze your data to identify benefits with surprisingly low participation - they might need better explanation.
Create a specific action plan based on feedback, turning this year's lessons into next year's improvements.
See How Healthcare Leaders Achieved 78% Enrollment Response Rates
Managing open enrollment communications across multiple channels while tracking participation can overwhelm any HR team.
Dialog Health's HIPAA-compliant two-way texting platform simplifies everything.
We've helped thousands of healthcare organizations achieve:
78% enrollment response rate (versus 20-30% industry standard)
Reached 4,000+ employees in 10 minutes
50% reduction in costs through automation
Real-time tracking with AnalyticsPRO dashboard
View these case studies and many more - Case Studies.
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