Five strategies to help employees make the most of their benefits

To Get Your Employees Engaged in Their Vision Plan, Eliminate Friction

Vision plans are an important part of any employee’s benefits package. They can also play a vital role in the overall health of a company. One study from the National Headache Foundation reported that headaches—many of which are caused by eyesight issues—result in $17 billion in lost productivity, sick time, and medical bills.

(With that amount, you could purchase the most valuable football, soccer, baseball, and basketball franchises and still have $500 million to spare.)

But getting employees to use their vision benefits can be a challenge. Especially among millennials and younger consumers, friction that older members might have viewed as merely an inconvenience can become a deal breaker.

But this doesn't have to be the case. Employers hoping to get their teams engaged with their vision plans need to show that those plans have value—and that it’s easy for employees to reap these rewards. Plans such as those from VSP® increasingly offer attractive and convenient online services like Eyeconic®—the only online in-network retailer where VSP members can use their vision benefits to purchase glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses.

Make sure your vision partner can create an employee engagement strategy will help your employees make the most of their benefits. These five engagement strategies can help employees see their plans’ many advantages.  

Explain, Explain, Explain

According to one survey, 35 percent of millennials don't understand their insurance options, and 39 percent have a hard time making health plan decisions. When it comes to vision plan benefits, more knowledge equals more power. Working with employees to ensure that they know what they are getting is an essential step toward getting buy-in on the plan. Typical vision plans cover basic preventive care like eye exams and vision tests, as well as eyeglass lenses, frames, and lens protection. Some even offer added benefits such as daily disposable contact lenses or even discounts on corrective surgery. When employees know what they’re getting for their money and how much things cost—How much are copays? What percentage is their responsibility?—their benefits make more sense.  You can make it easier for your employees by telling them specifically what they are getting for their money.

Highlight the Low Costs

Strong benefits are good. Low costs are great. And if your employees can take advantage of excellent benefits while saving money, well, that's the best of all. This powerful combination is possible with a vision plan from a company like VSP. Patients pay the lowest out-of-pocket costs, and there are no claim forms to complete when they visit a doctor in the huge VSP network. On average, VSP members can save hundreds of dollars on yearly out-of-pocket costs. Just one example: When they use the Eyeconic® store, VSP members receive 20% off eyewear, with the average out-of-pocket cost of only $31.

Meet Dr. Easy

VSP has the largest network of independent doctors in the country, along with a host of retail and online options. The upshot? Your employees can be confident they’ll have multiple options within a close range of the office and home. Finding a doctor is as easy as entering a zip code and seeing the names that appear. (For non-English speakers, there's a list of languages spoken at each office.) At the appointment, VSP members will get a comprehensive eye exam, while those who use a VSP Premier Program location enjoy the latest and greatest in eye health technology and eyewear offerings. Seeing the doctor has never been simpler or less painful.

The Ease of Buying Online

Let's be honest: People are busy. Taking the time to visit an eye doctor’s office and then a store to buy glasses might not fit into their schedule. What if you could try on and buy glasses from the comfort of your couch? With VSP and Eyeconic®, your employees can. The process is simple. Start by watching a quick video for tips on picking the perfect lenses. Then, use the Virtual Try-On tool to record a short video of yourself and snap a photo. From there, you can see how you look with any frame available. After selecting the perfect pair, you can link your benefits and see the savings you’ll get with your VSP coverage. Then upload your prescription, check out, and get ready for your new glasses to arrive.

Seeing (The Benefits) Clearly

At the end of the day, you want your employees to have good vision, and they want to have it as well. The goals and incentives align. A vision plan like VSP focuses on low costs and high-quality service. Combine those appealing attributes with the ease and added value of Eyeconic®, and your employees will find their vision plans simply make too much sense to overlook.

The benefits of vision care insurance are 20-20. VSP, which has the highest usage in the industry, can put a custom employee engagement strategy for you to make sure they see the benefits clearly.