SmartCenter Admin FAQ

Ideally? Every month!

However, if you're planning out a communications calendar and want to know the times you can't miss, be sure to highlight, underline, and bold these three key times to go LOUD with SmartDollar communication. 

1. New Year's (January)

It's a New Year and everyone is setting their goals and resolutions. Not to mention, it's probably starting to sink in how much they spent over the holidays. Help your team find the information and resources they're already looking for during this season. Your company has paid for this benefit for your team. Meet them where they are and help your team make this year the best one yet with their finances!

2. Tax Season (February through April)

Regardless of your team's thoughts on taxes, whether they're procrastinators or early filers, this is the time of year where every person is federally mandated to think about their money.

Some people are excited about a refund. SmartDollar can help your team know what to do with that check and give some guidance on what they can do so that money ends up in their paycheck on a regular basis instead of as a refund. 

Others may be in shock at how much they made last year and surprised at how little they have to show for it. SmartDollar can help them make a plan so that this time next year, they smile because they stuck to that plan. 

3. End of Summer (August/September)

Stick with us on this one, because when you really think about it, it makes total sense. The summer is a top-spending season full of travel, get togethers, home improvement projects, etc. At the end of the summer, you also have families getting ready to send their kids back to school, which usually means new clothes, books, and general school supplies. When the kids are back in school and the plans dwindle down is the dust settles people realize they need to buckle down and end the year strong.

If you're a SmartCenter admin, the SmartDollar Insider is for you!

We know life can get hectic at the drop of a hat and you might not always have time to check the Resource Center for new materials or updates. We get it and we want to make staying up to date and communicating out about SmartDollar as easy as possible. That's exactly why we send the SmartDollar Insider email to you, as the HR/Benefits coordinator, for all the need-to-know updates. 

This SmartDollar Insider email will have:

• Product updates
• New communication materials
• Reporting on your team's progress

Check out this example:

 

You can have a direct impact on SmartDollar participation through ongoing, company-wide communication. Any way you can get the word out can have a huge impact. This is exactly what this Resource Center is for.

We want to continue to make SmartDollar the easiest-to-promote of all the benefits your company offers. To that end, we've created tons of resources to work in a variety of channels. We just need your help posting and sending the messages out where your team can see them. 

One thing we definitely recommend is keeping an eye on your participation graph in SmartCenter. As you send out communications, check out the impact those communications have so you can learn what channels work best and have the greatest impact. 

Believe it or not, in the same way you impact participation, you can have a direct impact on SmartDollar engagement! Through ongoing, company-wide communication, you can give an additional reminder to those that may have already created accounts but haven't been back in a while. 

You can also check out the Snapshot results in SmartCenter to see where your team is at and what topics may resonate best with them. Use those results to tailor the messages you post and share. 

Another great way to boost engagement is by hosting a giveaway or incentive program. The Incentive Report in SmartCenter can give you a time-based report of your team that is engaging with SmartDollar and how many SmartDollar Points they've earned over a given time period. 

Once someone creates a SmartDollar account, they're introduced to the features, benefits, and other success stories from SmartDollar through an onboarding email journey.

Throughout the year, SmartDollar will also send personalized emails & suggest tailored content designed to meet your team right where they are. 

SmartDollar also hosts global giveaways, traditionally a couple times each year. These are designed to incentivize regular participation in SmartDollar during the giveaway time period and, in turn, lead to long term SmartDollar engagement.

We have created a wide range of communication materials for you to use on our Resource Center. Below are a few tips on how you can use many of the materials but don’t let these ideas stop you from thinking outside the box too! We may be the communication experts for SmartDollar but you are the expert when it comes to knowing your team.

• Email Templates
  • This content can be used for more than just emails! Do you have a newsletter to send out or maybe you have Workplace by Facebook. You can save the images in the document and use them in those posts, newsletters, intranet, etc. Always remember to hyperlink your company's personal enrollment link* in each piece.
• Flyer
  • Flyers are a great hybrid piece because they can easily be printed from your office, or used digitally. If you have employees working in the office, you can leave them in high-traffic places or use them as stuffers if you provide paper paycheck or schedules. If hard-copies aren't the best way to reach your team, you can always attach or hyperlink these in an email or on your intranet.
• Posters & Postcards
  • Printed materials are great if it's in your budget! Posters are a great opportunity to really catch your team's eye in a break room or common area. Postcards are a great opportunity to meet your employees where they're at. They'll be sorting through some bills then, BAM! They can see this opportunity to have more control over them. Postcards are also great if your employee isn't the one who handles the finances at home.
• Media Slide
  • You can get very creative with media slides. One of the obvious ways is on a TV screen in your break rooms, but maybe you have an IT department that can make it a screensaver on all your company computers! You can also save it as an image and use it on your intranet or like a half-page ad in your newsletter.
    • You can create and add your own QR code using a website like this then inserting it into Powerpoint as an image.
• Video
  • Videos can be used in onboarding, intranet, or hyperlinked onto an intranet page. They are great to give a little extra context about SmartDollar for your team.

*The Enrollment Link can be found in SmartCenter.

You have a lot to juggle in your role, so it's often helpful to recruit support from leaders and champions in the company.

Leaders often have more one-on-one time with employees and if they see someone struggling or even if they're just leading a recurring meeting, it's an opportunity to talk about SmartDollar and let the team know it's availble to them. Champions are also super helpful because they aren't only aware of the benefit, but they've gone through it! We have had several clients that have some employees that have followed Dave's plan and have an amazing story that is motivating to your team. If they're willing, giving them the opportunity to talk about the difference they've noticed in their life can make a really big impact.

• New Hire Orientation
• Staff Meetings
• Open Enrollment
• Financial Literacy Month (April)
• Financial Awareness Day (August 14)
• America Saves Week (February 22-26)
• Whenever a teammate has a question about retirement.
  • While we don't give investment advice, we have content that covers Retirement. Many employees don't understand the difference between a Traditional or Roth 401(k) - we can help!

 

We've created a page dedicated to this very question. Check it out here!