The most overlooked OE strategy booster? Your own data.

Smart Open Enrollment strategy starts with a simple truth: you don’t need to start from scratch.

Everything you need to make this season better—from clearer comms to smarter plan design—is probably already in your data.

Here’s how to mine last year’s reports for strategic gold.

Step 1: Spot enrollment patterns

What to check:

• When did employees enroll—early or at the last minute?
  
• Did participation vary by location, job type, or demographic?
  
• Which benefits had the highest and lowest uptake?
  

Why it matters:
Late enrollments often signal confusion or procrastination. Low participation in high-value benefits may point to poor messaging or lack of perceived value.

Step 2: Compare enrollment vs. utilization

What to check:

• Did people use what they signed up for?
  
• Are certain plans popular but underutilized?
  
• Are high-cost benefits actually driving value?
  

Why it matters:
Discrepancies between what employees choose and what they use can indicate a misunderstanding of benefit value—and signal where you need to educate or simplify.

Step 3: Listen to what employees told you (and asked)

What to check:

• Common support tickets and questions
  
• Feedback from surveys, HR inboxes, or town halls
  
• Employee quotes from exit interviews or performance reviews
  

Why it matters:
Patterns in confusion or frustration offer clear guidance for what to clarify this year. Turn questions into answers before they’re asked.

Step 4: Create a scorecard for strategy

Assemble a quick scorecard of where things worked—and where they didn’t.

• High-impact wins: Benefits that were well-used and well-understood
  
• Pain points: Areas where confusion, low enrollment, or complaints were common
  
• Opportunities: Underutilized but valuable benefits that deserve more spotlight
  

Use this scorecard to guide decisions about:

• What to highlight
  
• What to revise
  
• What to retire or introduce
  

Step 5: Translate insights into action

With your data in hand, here’s how to make it count:

Refine communications

• Use last year’s top questions as the basis for FAQs, videos, and quick-reference guides
  
• Adjust timing and channels based on when and where employees engaged
  

Tailor messaging by segment

• Target “under-enrollers” with simplified tools or benefit walkthroughs
  
• Give “power users” tips to maximize value or explore upgrades
  

Reassess plan design

• Flag high-cost, low-use plans for reevaluation
  
• Look for gaps in your offering that data reveals
  

The compound effect

Teams that analyze their data year after year see real momentum. Every season becomes an opportunity to improve—not just execute. So before diving into content calendars and kickoff meetings, pause and ask:
‍
What did we learn last year—and how will we use it now?

The answers are already there. All you have to do is look.