November 2023 Semi-Annual Meeting of the Retirement Plan Services Roundtable

General Session

Moderated discussion among peers on hot topics and burning issues suggested in the registration process.

Format: Roundtable discussion

Moderators: Eric Henon and Mary Kay Leydon

Location: First Floor Training Room

Client Relationship Management Track

Presentation and discussion of the results of the Client Relationship Management Leadership survey.

• Services offered to help clients implement mandatory SECURE 2.0 features
• Relative priority of optional SECURE 2.0 features
• Services offered to help clients make decisions on optional SECURE 2.0 features
• Time allocation by segment
• Strategies to monetize the business
• Preferred plan success metrics
• Preferred Annual Plan Review meeting delivery
• Evolution of the Client Relationship Manager Position
• M&A activity
• Future evolution of the industry

Presenter / Moderator: Eric Henon, EACH Enterprise

Peer Roundtable Discussion

Location: Boston Commons Room

Account Management Track

Segmentation and organization: this session will discuss of successful relationship structures across markets, distinction between “Account Manager” and “Client Service Manager”, classification of clients based on at-risk status – red, yellow, or green and impact on assignment and service mode, team preparation before important client calls, and using CRM and Workflow automation to enhance internal communication and client knowledge.  The discussion will lead to the formulation of a company practices poll regarding team organizational structures.

Moderator: Dave Bodick,- Ascensus

Location: Faneuil Hall Room

Participant Strategy Track

Presentation and discussion of the results of the two plan sponsor surveys on participant adoption of the digital experience, comparing perceptions of decision makers and employee benefits specialists.

• Participant access to digital technology devices
• Work location and delivery of participant education
• Perceived participant utilization of digital technology vs. reality
• Attitudes toward participant adoption of digital technology
• Preferred trade-off between security and convenience
• Preferred trade off between “transactional” and “experiential”
• Barriers to log in

Moderator: Mary Kay Leydon, EACH Enterprise

Location: Fenway Room

General Session

• Reports from breakout sessions and cross-disciplinary discussion.
• Implications for the 2024 program of the Roundtable
• Further discussion of hot topics and burning issues

Moderator:  Eric Henon and Mary Kay Leydon

Location:  First Floor Training Room

Five winning teams – Client Relationship Manager / Account Manager couples recognized for their success tell us how they make it look seamless to the outside world.

Co-Moderators: Molly Weber, OneAmerica and Wanda Johnson, Transamerica

Panelists:
Janai Holland-Long and Kaitlyn Vondle - Empower
Allyson Hendriks and Tim Ruggles - Fidelity Investments
Julie Goodman and Angela Gott - OneAmerica
Brenda Coffin and Ann Waren - Principal
Marisa Ortiz-Merrill and Stephanie Quesnel -Transamerica

Location: Boston Commons Room

Client Relationship Management Track

At this session, we will finalize the questionnaire of the Client Relationship Manager (frontline) Sentiment poll series regarding the future of the sector and decide ins and outs of implementation.

Moderator: Eric Henon, EACH Enterprise

Peer Roundtable Discussion:

Location: Boston Commons Room

Account Management Track

As intuitive as we would like self-service plan sponsor platforms to be, the complexity of retirement plan legislation and regulation requires continuing education of plan administrators on the platform.  We will discuss strategies to set expectations in the transition process (initial installation AND at turnover), how to balance intuitiveness, comprehensiveness, insights and custom reporting in the digital experience. Can plan sponsor dashboards and AI help make platforms more intuitive?  What sessions are available on the plan sponsor CE catalogue? (Cybersecurity, testing, 5500, contribution submissions, loans and distributions, changing payroll service providers, tour of the website), what are the right cadence, triggers, and packaging of plan sponsor education to drive utilization?

Moderator: Darien DaCosta CRPS^®  AIF^® | Ameritas:

Participant Strategy Track

Behavioral finance principles have had a major impact on plan design and outcomes over the last 10 years.  Technology and the availability of data has facilitated personalization, targeting, and segmentation of messages, bringing about the era of just-in-time communications that appear to further drive behaviors.  How do providers want to mold the experience for sponsors and their participants?  Where does the role and responsibility for sponsor engagement in the participant experience reside? What are best practices for virtual education? How do we compete for share of mind with addictive and entertaining social media experiences?  What does SECURE 2.0 really mean from a participant lens and how does it vary by segment?  (retired, active with FICA earnings under $145k, active with FICA earnings over $145k)

Moderator: Mary Kay Leydon, EACH Enterprise

Working Luncheon

Location: Boston Commons Room