Point of View: Creating Web Tools That Work: Why Some Tools Drive Results and Others Drive You Crazy

Interactive, online tools give employees the ability to process large amounts of information, calculate benefits, model various scenarios, and make better choices — if they're good. If not, the very same technology empowers an employee to log off, send an e-mail to 25 coworkers warning them against your latest and greatest, and write a Dilbert-esque post on their blog so everyone on the Web can see the inadequacy of your efforts. So, how do you stay in the good graces of your employees? You give them what they want. Tools that work.

Start with the basics and test with employees.

The three biggest barriers to effective use of employee tools are lack of relevant content, poor tool design, and limited consumer awareness (California Healthcare Foundation). Your Web solution doesn't stand a chance unless it offers accurate, well-organized information and tools that get the job done and don't get in the way. Navigation must be easy and intuitive, and the content must be credible.

The best way to make sure you're hitting the mark is to test your tools with employees early and often. You'll find out what works, what doesn't, and what's missing. When a large global entertainment company decided to move pre-enrollment communication online, they tested receptivity with employees and asked business segment representatives to get involved in the planning process. This proactive, inclusive approach resulted in an 11 percent increase in active enrollment as well as a 2 percent increase in online enrollment (up to 84 percent overall). The majority of employees who switched to online enrollment were hourly employees — typically the most difficult population to reach.

Spread the word.

As you put more information and tools online, it's important to create a strategy for getting the word out. "Build it and they will come" doesn't work here. You need to sell it! There's a direct correlation between how often employers promote available tools and how frequently the tools are used.

Focus on your people, not the agenda.

Remember when online self-service was going to save the world? Go paperless. Reduce staff. Lower call volume. Cut costs. But when employers first rolled it out, employees didn't embrace their new buddy, HR-3PO. Why? Because it was designed to serve the Corporation, not the Jedi.

To generate and sustain positive results, Web solutions must meet employee needs. As overall site traffic increases, so does the usage of individual tools. Post the weather, local news updates, or the company directory — anything that interests employees and changes frequently — to encourage regular visits and increase exposure to new features.

Here's one more way to maximize utilization — reach out to the friends and family network. Employees look to their loved ones for advice, and family members have a large impact on plan costs. They need and want to be part of the benefit decision process. What's good for the employee is also good for the bottom line. When companies deliver employee-centered resources, their people use them. Again and again. They make smarter choices. They demonstrate healthy behaviors. They take action to manage costs. Everyone wins.

Create an experience that cements the bond with employees.

As you develop new tools and resources for employees, ask yourself "What will help us attract and motivate our future workforce?"

Consider Kim. She's in college now, but one day she'll be heading up product development at your organization. Kim loves her mint-green iPod®. She can play her favorite songs in any order she chooses, or kick it into "Mix on the Move" mode for one happy surprise after another. Her Levi's® Redwire DLX Remixed Capri pants have an iPod docking cradle built into a side pocket, making it easy to adjust the volume and other settings anytime, anywhere. The bar is high. It's up to you to create an experience. More options. More flexibility. More extras. More control. In less time, and with less hassle. If I can get it from my iPod, why settle for less from my employer?

In the beginning, the corporate intranet site was filled with static content. Too many still are. Although tools were added to support HR transactions, no one was paying much attention to the fact that as more "stuff" was added, employees were finding that the "good stuff" was becoming harder to find and more difficult to use. The poor employee experience was creating a real disconnect. By organizing portals around the "things people need to do" rather than the "things people need to know" many employers have improved the efficiency of these resources as well as the experience they provide. But other employers are starting to advance the value proposition beyond efficiency, building Web solutions to improve employee productivity, performance, and retention (Forrester Research). Think about it. Your employee portal is the ambassador of the employment brand — attracting new employees, integrating them into the organization, and enabling them to succeed. There are amazing opportunities to differentiate your offer and motivate people to jump on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, there are also countless ways to drive the wagon into a ditch.

What Makes a Good Online Tool?

Employers are often surprised when fewer employees than expected actually use online tools intended to help them make better decisions. Although poor utilization is often a consequence of minimal promotion or a hard-to find location, many times it's because of poor tool design.

A good online tool design will:

Use plain language that's easy for non-experts to understand.
Focus on helping employees take action, make decisions, or get answers to questions.
It follows the principle that "less is more," emphasizing quality over quantity and readability over cramming.
Provide resources that are directly relevant to the actions employees want to take or the decisions they need to make at that specific point in time.
Respect the employees' time and need to be productive — minimizing clicks, steps, and text to make it easier and faster to take action with less reading.
Minimize the amount of information employees must enter, asking employees only for information they can easily provide from memory.
Present results visually and simply — using charts, layouts and/or tables that are concise, easy to read, and easy to understand.

Bottom line: good online design helps employees make decisions easily, confidently, and quickly.

Levi's ® is a registered trademark of Levi Strauss & Co USA.
iPod ® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.