Easy to use and affordable

We did a demo with Common Census and were very impressed. There are only a handful of companies that can compete with their capabilities. The are a first rate pick for enrollment ease, data management, setup and customer support. Our company was looking for a self-enrollment solution for groups where census data was not available. We also needed to reverse eligability through a PDA and instant registration process. These were not fully available. Thus, this system wasn't for us. However, this system would be great for 99% of traditional employee benefits management firms. We are just a little out side the box.

Pros

I love the enrollment setup. It makes it very easy to bring in a new group/enrollment.

Cons

Didn't offer a reverse registration process when no census data was available.

Common Benefits Review

Very satisfied with the team that handled the install. Our rep was responsive and knowledgeable. He took care of items that came in right away.

Pros

The system is very functional and easy to set up. It's user friendly and has good capabilities. It's ideal for brokers that have an enrollment team that will interview employees on the phone and enroll them remotely.

Cons

I think it could have been a bit more robust. EDI connectivity took a long time to set up.

Out dated

Pros

tabs for benefits, personal information, employment information, etc.

Cons

not easy to use. cannot complete EOIs during enrollment. the EDI feed was not correct to the carrier. customer support was not user friendly. when you complain the company gets their feelings hurt and shuts down on you.

This gives our enrollment firm a cost effective way to be very responsive and flexible for clients.

Pros

Common Benefits allows us to build our own cases, on our own schedule, at a very reasonable price. Because of their relationships with nearly all major voluntary benefit carriers, we're able pull a wide variety of core and VB products onto one platform, which is a real pain point with other products that are often unable to handle one or the other. The system is very flexible and allows for a variety of solutions to typical enrollment and reporting challenges. This flexibility also means that the learning curve can be steep, but we have felt very well supported by the company's staff. They are quick to respond and are very solution oriented. With Common Benefits we can usually set up a new case for enrollment in less than two weeks, at minimal cost (sometimes free). Outsourcing the same case to another vendor would typically take at least six weeks and cost us thousands of dollars or, depending on the carriers, be free but take more like 8-12 weeks.

Cons

Some of the features that seem like they could be 'built in' require custom scripting, specifically some of the rating and enrollment rules for certain benefits. A couple very common reporting challenges are not handled well, specifically reporting on changes to data within the system. With that said, the staff is more than helpful with providing ready-to-use solutions to these and other issues. None of this requires us to have programming knowledge or to hire someone specifically to do it.

Great company, great platform

My company has been using and providing our clients with the Common Census enrollment/ben admin platform for over a decade. During that time we have consistently been impressed with the team from Westbrook, Maine, as well as their flexible system. Common Census allows producers and employers the ability to manage annual and ongoing enrollment, life event processing, and EDI file feeds via a flexible suite of tools that can accommodate nearly any benefit configuration.

Pros

Attractive pricing (sometimes free!), intuitive navigation, simple build process, responsive home office team, willingness to evaluate "out-of-the-box" solutions, integrated with numerous insurance carriers, multi-language support... There is a lot to like.

Cons

Perhaps not as "flashy" as other platforms. This is not a true negative, in my opinion, as many other platforms offer lots of bells and whistles that are seldom utilized by HR or employees, and can detract from the true objective, which is selecting benefits. Some may lament the lack of flashier decision support tools, but I don't.

Excellent customer service on a user friendly platform!

I have worked with Common Census for 10+ years, and have found that while there are some areas that other software systems may be more advanced or flashier, that Common Census makes up for in quality, and support. I would much rather use a software that allows for ease of use on all parties involved thus allowing the most effective enrollment, than a platform that offers every tip, trick, and option making setups more complicated, confusing, and at times taking away from the true value of an enrollment. I believe Quality over quantity goes a long way, and Common Census offers the quality!

Pros

The software is incredibly user-friendly on both the system setup and end-user side. The attentive customer support provided is above all others in the industry that I’ve experienced!

Cons

In some areas, customization of certain tools, features, and displays are not available to meet specific needs. However, I find that actually makes the overall setup, deployment, and wrap up of an enrollment more efficient and effective. There is something to be said about “Less is More”.

Great Enrollment Software

Common Census is a great technology partner who's product fills our needs and who's customer service is ready when needed. The features of their platform lead us to use them on many of our cases!

Pros

Flexibility, options and customer service.

Cons

Time needed to produce EDI files.

Easy to use - understands our business

Multiple voluntary / core benefits enrollment

Pros

The full range of benefits that can be enrolled.

Cons

Can be expensive for slight tweaks or modifications

I love CB

Pros

Biggest reason we chose Common Benefits is because it just works. Reliability matters most to us and CB fits that bill. The team knows their system and are always ready and willing to help when we need it.

Cons

Some features and enhancements can use some added testing before they get rolled out.

Referral Partnership

Great Staff !!

Pros

The engagement of the team and the Zero PEPM offering when purchasing certain products.

Cons

Everything works as expected. We are excited about this offering.

It works for me

very pleased, so far the responce has been a positive suprise

Pros

easy to use, like how it imports my data, like the templates...really like the initial support in getting started

Cons

cant think of anything it was all pretty easy

Great company, Great product, Great people

Love working with the system and our support and all the other staff members. My only complaint is the reporting system. It needs more pre-built global reports and a better structure for building your own in the system. Not enough explanation of which report works best for what outcome.

Great product for small groups

Pros

Eliminates redundancy and opportunity for errors. It's reduced our admin time and improved our efficiency.

Cons

It doesn't integrate with some of the other carrier-sponsored technology.

Common Census has been a great enrollment partner with our mutual clients.

Successful participation results with this Common Census enrollment technology support.

Pros

The Guardian benefit coach is a valuable tool with both one on one enrollment and self serve clients.

Cons

One drawback was the need to customize our permanent life offering which created a system incompatibility on one of the many cases written over the last six months.

Best Product Ever

Pros

If you're not using this product, reconsider.

Cons

The only thing I didn't like about this product was that I had to go without it for so long. I recommend it to anyone!

Simple to use and easy to deploy

I have had a 15 year relationship with Common Census and have always found the system simple to use and extremely easy to deploy.