Polaris Release
September 12, 2019
Welcome to the Polaris Release
Polaris is commonly referred to as the North Star, and, because it is directly above the Earth’s rotational axis, it stays virtually motionless in the night sky. This makes it perfect as a guide star and it has been used for navigational purposes for centuries. It is our hope that the enhancements in our Polaris release will help you navigate to a better benefits experience.
Introducing Text Messaging To the PlanSource Communications Center!
New beta program opens new avenues for benefits communication
With the PlanSource employee communications tool, you can create unlimited campaigns, customize the message to your target audience, and test, schedule and track all your communications.
And now we are pleased to announce that text messaging is available as a communications option as well. Currently in beta, the tool allows HR teams to combine email and texts to expand the reach and effectiveness of their messaging.
Integrated Text Messaging
Employees must opt-in to receive text messages
Message and data rates may apply
Employees can text STOP to opt-out anytime
Send email, text or both!
Available directly in the PlanSource System!
Text messaging will become generally available in Q1 2020. Contact your Sales rep or Account Manager for information on how to participate in the beta program.
Enhancements to the New HR Experience!
One of our biggest focus areas the last 18 months has been redesigning the HR experience. We launched our new user experience for HR Teams in our Calypso release in December of 2018 and have been rolling it out in phases throughout 2019. Sections of the experience that have been updated are now the default view but users can switch between the new and classic experience at any time using a toggle button.
The dashboard in the new HR Experience gives HR teams a quick overview of tasks, enrollment stats and other vital benefits info.
Jellyvision Beta Program Now Available
PlanSource and ALEX – better together
PlanSource has partnered with Jellyvision to integrate ALEX, Jellyvision’s interactive benefits counselor, into the PlanSource benefits administration system. ALEX offers one-on-one interactions to help employees understand personal health care and financial issues and offers recommendations tailored to each individual.
The Jellyvision-PlanSource integration is available now as a beta program for all group sizes. If interested in the beta program, please reach out to your PlanSource contact or Account Manager.
Employee Experience Updates
We continue to enhance and improve on our mobile-responsive employee shopping and enrollment experience. With the Polaris release, we have made some significant updates, including:
A to-do list has been added directly on the employee dashboard to help employees stay organized and focused on required action items.
Usability enhancements to the ”My Profile” and “My Family” pages, which groups information into easily review-able blocks.
Reminder: Support for Classic Employee Experience Expires in September 2019
We will no longer provide product or technical support for the classic version of the employee experience. New features, enhancements and bug fixes will only be addressed in the new version. If you encounter issues with the legacy enrollment system, the recommended course of action is to migrate to the new version.
New Videos Added to the PlanSource Video Library
We are pleased to announce that we have added several new videos to the PlanSource video library. As a reminder, these are educational videos we create for educating employees about their benefits. They can be used within the PlanSource system or anywhere needed!
With Polaris, we have some great new topics based on customer requests:
• What is an Employee Assistance Program?
• Know When to Go – Telehealth, Urgent Care and Emergency Room
• What is Vision Insurance?
• What are Commuter Benefits?
Known Issues Community
We want you to be able to see what issues or updates we are working on, in real time. So, we created a convenient dashboard within PlanSource Community to communicate the status of “known issues” on demand. This tool is available via self-service to all PlanSource customers and partners.
Coming Soon: Updated Mobile App with Enrollment
We are making significant updates to the PlanSource Mobile App in order to provide employees with more flexible options to shop for, enroll in, and use their benefits. Updates include:
• Access our advanced mobile-responsive employee enrollment experience from within the PlanSource Mobile App.
• Upgraded mobile application authentication methods including facial recognition, fingerprint and four-digit passcode.
• Compatibility with external links and integrations including: plan content links, decision support, Jellyvision’s ALEX and EOI completion.
Coming Soon: New Gender Options
Several state and local governments have specific protections that prohibit discrimination against gender-nonbinary individuals, increasing compliance requirements encompassing HR technology. In Q3 we will be releasing a closed beta program to support these needs. In addition to the Male (M) and Female (F) gender options in the PlanSource system, we will also include Undisclosed (U) or Unspecified (X) gender values.
Additionally, employees and their administrators will have the ability to modify dependent gender directly through the user interface.