Two Powerful Webinar Tools Oregon’s Education Board Uses for Open Enrollment

More than 65,000 members and their dependents rely on the Oregon Educators Benefit Board during open enrollment season to relay information and answer questions regarding their health insurance plans. It’s a daunting task, but one Jackie Cowsill, OEBB’s Communications Coordinator and OEBB staff are proud to take on.

Daunting but Doable?

Getting the right information to members can be tricky. With multiple carriers covering an array of options, and reps overloaded with presentations to give and calls to return, the small (but mighty) team needed a platform that would help them reach their wide membership base across the state while saving time and reducing travel expenses. Using ON24 Webcast Elite, the team lightened its workload and got members on the right track.

Here’s how they did it:

Tool One: Pre-Recorded Videos

Jackie Cowsill asked OEBB staff and carriers to pre-record their presentations for audiences to view during the live webinar, or “on demand.” By dividing and conquering with bite-sized videos, team members and insurance carriers could revise and refine messages in advance and deliver a substantial amount of information, clearly and concisely. With pre-recorded messages in place, the team ensured all plan options were thoroughly covered and each attendee got a chance to ask questions. Presenters appreciated that they no longer needed to worry about running out of time, forgetting to mention a critical point, or accidentally misspeaking, like they used to with live presentations.

Tool Two: Live Q/A

For the OEBB members, choosing an insurance plan can be confusing and stressful. Implementing a live Q&A at the end of each pre-recorded video empowered the OEBB team and insurance carriers to answer everyone’s questions in real-time, reducing the enormous volume of phone inquiries the team had grown accustomed to. OEBB members appreciated that they could type their questions privately into the Q&A and receive a quick direct response from an expert without needing to wait their turn or risk embarrassment in front of a large group.

Using ON24 Webcast Elite, OEBB was able to provide a more satisfying enrollment experience for its members while reducing their workload and cutting costs. By replacing in-person presentations with webinars, The board was able to streamline communications, answer member questions with more privacy and speed and deliver clear and complete information to members in one seamless experience.