ANNUAL DIRECTORY OF BENEFIT COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS (A, B)

A
Administrative Solutions Group: An ADP/Mercer Alliance
1417 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, Ill. 60048; 847-267-3500; fax: 847-948-7346
Interactive benefit systems since: 1985.
Parent: Automatic Data Processing, National Accounts Division.
Software products:
Employee Self-Service Systems on Interactive Voice Response and Web.
System type/cost: Operated on a service bureau basis.
System requirements: PC system, network; operates in Netscape/MS Explorer 3.0 or higer and/or touch-tone phone for IVR. Online system.
Customized system.
First installation: 1985.
Total installations: 250.
Benefits communicated: Options available for savings plans, health plans, pension plans, workers comp benefits, flexible benefits and flexible spending accounts, comp/HR applications.
Features: Options available to add plan descriptions; personal information; direct enrollment; modeling/projections; employee specific recommendations; option selection/adjustment; health claims status; details on investment alternatives; transfers among investment funds; reports via computer diskette, electronic mail, printer, fax and mail.
Accessed through: Telephone, kiosk, employee's PC, benefit department kiosk, Internet, intranet.
User support: User groups/meetings, onsite training, telephone assistance 24 hours per day, consulting.
Staff: 94 total, 60 professionals.
Branch offices: Louisville, Ky.; Silver Spring, Md.; Princeton, N.J.; Salt Lake City.
Officers: Tim Lamb, president-national accounts division; Brenda Jennings, senior vp; Jacqueline Dienstag, senior vp; Debbie Higgins, senior vp; Chris Matthews, senior vp.
Aon Consulting
123 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago,
Ill. 60606; 312-456-4514;
fax: 312-456-4500
Interactive benefit systems since: 1995.
Parent: Aon Corp.
Software products:
Smart Enrollment -- Smart Response.
System type/cost: Purchased: $50,000 to $200,000.
System requirements: PC system, network/Internet; operates in Windows or Web Server. Online system.
Customized system.
First installation: 1995.
Total installations: 30.
Benefits communicated: Options available for savings plans, health plans, pension plans, workers comp benefits, flexible benefits, flexible spending accounts, vacation, holidays, total compensation.
Features: Options available for benefit plan descriptions; personal information; direct enrollment; modeling/projections; employee specific recommendations; option selection/adjustment; health claims status; details on investment alternatives; transfers among investment funds; reports via electronic mail, printer, fax and mail.
Accessed through: Kiosk, employee's PC, benefit department kiosk, Internet.
User support: User groups/meetings, onsite training*, telephone assistance eight hours per day, data exports to all vendors.
Branch offices: 62 locations nationwide.
Officers: Daniel J. Cox, chairman-Aon Consulting Worldwide; Donald C. Ingram, chairman-Aon Consulting.
Contact: Chicago: Maria Bradley, 312-456-4514; San Jose, Calif.: Dave Bertheau, 408-301-2529.
*Included in system price.
B
BeneSoft Inc.
P.O. Box 3530, Bethany,
Conn. 60524; 203-393-0320;
fax: 203-393-0325
Interactive benefit systems since: 1987.
Software products:
Flexible Software.
System type/cost: Purchased: Price varies.
System requirements: PC system; operates in DOS, Windows.
Customized system.
First installation: 1987.
Benefits communicated: Flexible benefits, flexible spending accounts.
Features: Standard system provides plan descriptions, personal information, direct en rollment, option selection/adjustment, reports via computer diskette and printer.
Accessed through: Telephone, employees' PC.
User support: User groups/meetings, onsite training*, telephone assistance 12 hours per day*, emergency pager number.
Staff: 25 total, 20 professionals.
Branch offices: Santa Rosa, Calif.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Beaverton, Ore.
Officers: Faisal A. Saleh, president; Steve Froebel, vp.
Contact: Faisal A. Saleh.
*Included in system price.
Buck Consultants Inc.
2 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10121-0047; 212-330-1000;
fax: 212-695-4184
Interactive benefit systems since: 1985.
Parent: Mellon Bank Corp.
Software products:
Buck Voice Response.
System type/cost: Purchased: Price varies. Operated on a service bureau basis.
System requirements: Voice response unit (not applicable if service bureau). Online system.
Customized system.
First installation: 1989.
Total installations: 61.
Benefits communicated: Options available for savings plans, health plans, pension plans, flexible benefits, flexible spending accounts and all health and welfare benefits.
Features: Options available to add plan descriptions; personal information; direct enrollment; modeling/projections; option selection/adjustment; health claims status; details on investment alternatives; transfers among investment funds; reports via computer diskette, printer, fax and mail; confirmation statements generated for all transactions.
Accessed through: Telephone.
User support: User groups/meetings*, onsite training*, telephone assistance 12 hours per day*.
The Buck Retirement Planner.
System type/cost: Purchased: $18,000.
System requirements: PC system, single user; operates in Windows.
Customization optional.
First installation: 1993.
Total installations: Three.
Benefits communicated: Savings plans, pension plans, profit sharing, social security.
Features: Standard system provides modeling/projections; reports via printer; individualized retirement planning. Options available to add plan descriptions; details on investment alternatives.
Accessed through: Kiosk, employee's PC, benefit department kiosk, Internet.
User support: User groups/meetings, onsite training.
Survey Magic.
System type/cost: Purchased: $15,000. Leased: $2,000 per 20 days with 500 calls. Operated on a service bureau basis.
System requirements: PC system, single user or network; operates in Windows or voice response unit. Online system.
Customization optional.
First installation: 1995.
Benefits communicated: Surveys any benefit or other topic desired, including performance feedback.
Accessed through: Telephone, employees' PC, Internet.
User support: User groups/meetings, onsite training, telephone assistance.
Community Solutions.
System type/cost: Purchased: $175,000. Operated on a service bureau basis.
System requirements: PC system, network; operates in Windows.
Customized system.
First installation: 1996.
Total installations: Two.
Benefits communicated: Savings plans, health plans, pension plans, workers comp benefits, flexible benefits, flexible spending accounts, life events, personal financial planning.
Features: Standard system provides plan descriptions; personal information; direct enrollment; modeling/projections; health claims status; details on investment alternatives; reports via electronic mail and printer. Options available to add employee specific recommendations; option selection/adjustment; transfers among investment funds.
Accessed through: Telephone, kiosk, employee's PC.
User support: Onsite training, telephone assistance.
Staff: 23 total, 18 professionals.
Clients: 67 total, including 12 new clients and 16 who added additional features to their interactive benefit communication system in 1996.
Branch offices: 64 locations worldwide.
1996 gross revenues: $238.6 million total.
Officers: Joseph LoCicero, president/CEO.
Contact: Ed Gadowski, marketing department, 201-902-2565.
*Included in system price.