How EB360 is Transforming the Benefits Onboarding Mess

Benefits brokers face a recurring annual nightmare: open enrollment season. Picture this—mountains of paperwork, manual data entry across multiple insurance carrier systems, each with their own quirky requirements, and constant risk of errors that cascade into service headaches. It’s a process that drains time and creates friction for everyone involved: brokers, employers, and ultimately their employees.

Equitable’s Employee Benefits business recognized this pain point and made a bold move. They’ve completely reimagined their EB360 digital platform by automating what was previously a manual, document-heavy process. The transformation isn’t just about converting PDFs to fillable forms—it’s a fundamental rethinking of how brokers and employers interact during the critical onboarding phase.

The Problem That Demanded Innovation

Every year, benefits brokers spend countless hours wrestling with the same obstacles. Different insurance carriers have different data requirements. Information needs to be manually entered and re-entered into various systems. The potential for human error lurks in every keystroke. These friction points didn’t just annoy brokers—they delayed client onboarding and created administrative nightmares downstream.

According to the 2023 Workforce Benefits Study by LIMRA and Ernst & Young, the market is already signaling its readiness for change: 66% of small organizations, 70% of midsize employers, and 73% of large employers plan to rely more heavily on carrier-provided technology over the next five years. The demand for smarter solutions was clear.

The EB360 Solution: Speed Meets Accuracy

Equitable’s enhanced platform tackles these issues head-on. The digital onboarding process now enables employers to complete their entire insurance application in as little as 15 minutes—a dramatic reduction from the traditional timeline. This speed improvement comes without sacrificing accuracy; in fact, digitization eliminates the manual entry errors that previously plagued the process.

The platform increases transparency throughout the client journey, giving brokers and employers real-time visibility into where they stand in the onboarding process. It’s designed to be intuitive, removing the cumbersome legacy system experience that has long slowed down benefits administration.

“Without being weighed down by outdated technology infrastructure, Equitable can rapidly iterate and improve based on direct feedback from brokers and their employer clients,” explained Alyssa Arellano, Head of Technology Strategy for Equitable’s Employee Benefits business. This agility matters—as market demands evolve, the platform can adapt quickly.

Why This Matters for the Industry

The timing is strategic. Brokers are increasingly shopping for carriers that invest seriously in technology and administrative efficiency. Equitable’s EB360 enhancements position the company as a carrier that understands broker pain points and acts on them.

For Equitable’s core market—small- and medium-sized businesses—the impact is tangible. The company offers a comprehensive suite including group dental, vision, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, and supplemental health products like accident coverage and critical illness insurance. These products reach employers through Equitable Advisors and an extensive network of national, regional, and local brokers.

The digital transformation represents more than a software upgrade; it’s a competitive advantage in an industry where administrative efficiency directly translates to better service experiences and faster time-to-value for clients.