Benefits Renewal Merge

The Benefits Renewal merge exports Benefits Plan details and Benefits Batch data from ClientSpace into an Excel Spreadsheet, referred to as the Benefits Renewal Workbook, so that you can analyze and compare the offered benefits for each benefits plan in a batch.

This topic covers configuration details, how to enter coverage counts and how to run the merge. There is also a demo video included.

Note: In a future release, we will create a DocuSign Benefit Renewal Email Template so that you can get a client's approval on their selected Offered Benefit Plans using DocuSign. See the Getting OBP Approval Using DocuSign section in this topic for additional details.

For a video demonstration on how to run the Benefits Renewal Merge and created the Benefits Renewal Workbook, also see Learning how: Creating a Benefits Renewal Workbook.

Configuration

Both the merge record and associated link are Active and available by default. The link is secured to the Benefits_Member role. No merge record configuration is required. However, users with access permissions to view Merge Admin Detail configuration can go to System Admin > Outputs > Merges and open the Benefit Renewal Workbook record:

Entering Coverage Counts

While most of the information used in the spreadsheet calculations do not require user data entry, you are required to provide Coverage Count details on each Offered Benefits Plan record in the batch. These counts are used in the spreadsheet calculations.

Note: If you are running the Benefit Renewal Workbook Excel merge in a parent company workspace, ClientSpace also retrieves any coverage counts entered on child workspaces and displays a combined total for each Coverage Count shown in the spreadsheet if the following is True:

• The parent company must be specified in the Benefit Parent Company field of the child Benefits Batch dataform.

• There must be a policy and benefit group match found on an offered benefit plan in both the parent and child workspaces. For example, if the Parent Company has an offered benefit plan containing Policy A with a Benefit Group of B, the Child Company must also have an offered benefit plan containing Policy A with a Benefit Group of B.

  Counts will not be combined on any offered benefits plans where there is not an exact match to the policy and benefit group in the parent and child workspaces.

To enter the Coverage Counts:

1. Open the Benefits Batch record from which you want to run the Benefit Renewal Workbook Excel merge.
   1. From the modules bar, click Workspaces.
      The Workspace Search dashboard (i.e., workspace landing page) opens.
   2. Select a workspace and click (Open).
      The Workspace page opens.

   3. Scroll down the page to the administrative tiles where you see the dataform categories.

      

   4. Click Benefits and then click the Benefits Batch tile.

2. On the Benefits Batch dataform, in the Action Center under Links, click Offered Benefit Plans.
3. If there is only one offered benefit plan, the Offered Benefits Plan dataform displays the plan details. If there is more than one offered benefit plan, the Offered Benefits Plan dashboard displays. Click (Open) next to an offered benefit plan to display the plan details.
4. Scroll down to the Coverage Count sub-fieldset (located within the Coverage Details fieldset and fill in EOCount, ECCount, EKCount, ESCount, and EFCount fields:

   • EOCount = Employee Only coverage count

   • ECCount = Employee +Children coverage count

   • EKCount = Employee + Domestic Partner coverage count

   • ESCount = Employee + Spouse coverage count

   • EFCount = Employee + Family coverage count

5. Click Save or Apply.

6. If there is more than one offered benefit plan, return to the Offered Benefits Plan dashboard and repeat steps 4 and 5 until coverage counts are filled in for all offered benefit plans in the Benefits Batch.

Running the Merge

You can only run the merge on a Renewal batch (i.e., the batch type shown on the Benefits Batch dashboard must display Renewal in the Type column.)

To run the merge:

On the Benefits Batch from which you want to run the Benefit Renewal Workbook Excel merge, click the Renewal Workbook link located in the Action Center under Reports.

You can retrieve the merge document from your Windows Downloads folder.

Getting OBP Approval Using DocuSign

In a future release, we will create a DocuSign Benefit Renewal Email Template so that you can get a client's approval on their selected Offered Benefit Plans using DocuSign. Currently, as of ClientSpace Release 142, there is a DocuSign Benefit Renewal merge record and custom link in place to support the upcoming email template. You can run the merge but the DocuSign Email Template component is still underway. (However, you could also create your own DocuSign Benefit Renewal Email template using the elements that are already in place.)

This document can still be used to obtain a signature even without DocuSign as it is a summary of selected OBPs and contains placeholders for the signature and signature date:

To run the merge:

On the Benefits Batch from which you want to run the Benefit Renewal Workbook Excel merge for use with DocuSign, click the Docusign Benefit Renewal link located in the Action Center under Reports.

Clicking the link generates a Benefit Renewal Document Merge Template Excel file in your Windows Downloads folder. The RenewalPlans tab displays a summary of selected OBPs and the ClientRenewalNotes tab displays exported notes from the Client Renewal Notes field on the Benefits Batch record.

You can retrieve the merge document from your Windows Downloads folder. (Once the Email Template is in place, clicking the link will also send the link to the email recipient(s) designated in the Email Template configuration.)