Method and apparatus for benefit and financial communication

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In a system for making available financial and employee benefit information of any one individual of a group of individuals, the system having a computer which stores a plurality of programs including a plurality of operating programs for carrying out the functions of the system and a plurality of program modules relating to the financial and employee benefit information of an individual and a data base including the financial and employee benefit information for each individual of the group of individuals,

the improvement comprising

the plurality of program modules including at least one predetermined program module for calculating at least one of a plurality of possible options in financial and employee benefits in response to a request of the individual,

a computer terminal adapted to be connected to the computer and adapted to be operated by any individual of the group without formal training in operating a computer terminal to present financial and employee benefit information of the individual operating the terminal in response to a command of the individual, the computer terminal including

means for presenting visual information to the individual operating the terminal; and

means for receiving the command of an individual operating the terminal to

(i) select a predetermined program module in the computer to present predetermined financial and employee benefit information of the individual operating the terminal;

(ii) introduce data to the computer relating to the individual using the terminal which is not in the data base of the computer; and

(iii) activate at least one predetermined program module to calculate at least one of the plurality of options in benefits for the individual by utilizing the data in the data base of the computer and the introduced data relating to the individual using the terminal.

2. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the computer terminal further comprises means responsive to the identification of an individual of the group who is to operate the terminal for activating the terminal.

3. In a system in accordance with claim 2 in which the activating means comprises means responsive to an input of the individual operating the terminal which corresponds to the identity of the individual in the database.

4. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the means for presenting visual information to the individual operating the terminal comprises:

a screen for providing a visual display of information; and

means connected to the computer and the database for converting information from the program modules and database into visual displays on the screen.

5. In a system in accordance with claim 4 in which the information converting means further comprises means for forming graphics representative of information from the program modules and database.

6. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the input receiving means comprises means responsive to manual contact therewith by the individual operating the terminal for producing an input therefrom.

7. In a system in accordance with claim 6 in which the input producing means comprises a keyboard.

8. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the means for receiving an input of an individual operating the terminal is further adapted to introduce data to the computer which initiates permutations of the program modules of the computer.

9. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the means for receiving an input of an individual operating the terminal is further adapted to introduce inputs which initiate interaction between the individual operating the terminal and the program modules of the computer.

10. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the means for receiving an input of an individual operating the terminal is further adapted to accommodate inputs which initiate transactions between the program modules of the computer.

11. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the program modules relating to employee benefit information comprise program modules relating to at least one of employee benefit planning, financial planning, and retirement planning.

12. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the data base comprises at least a portion of the information corresponding to that of the file of benefit information of an individual who is an employee.

13. In a system in accordance with claim 1 in which the computer terminal further includes means for producing a copy of at least a portion of the visual information of the presenting means.

14. In a system in accordance with claim 13 in which the computer terminal further comprises means responsive to an input of the individual operating the computer terminal for selectively activating the copy producing means.

15. In a method for making available financial and employee benefit information of any one individual of a group of individuals, the method being adapted to be carried out by use of a computer which stores a plurality of programs including a plurality of operating programs for carrying out the functions of the method and a plurality of program modules relating to the financial and employee benefit information of an individual, and a data base including the financial and employee benefit information for each individual of the group of individuals,

the improvement in the method in which the plurality of programs includes at least one program module for calculating a plurality of projections of financial and employee benefits by performing predetermined calculations on variable data and comprising the steps of using a computer terminal adapted to be connected to the computer and adapted to be operated by any individual of the group without formal training in operating a computer terminal to present financial and employee benefit information of the individual operating the terminal in response to the command of the individual, the step of using the computer terminal including

presenting on the computer terminal visual information to the individual operating the terminal; and

receiving an input of an individual operating the terminal for

(i) selecting a predetermined program module in the computer to present predetermined financial and employee benefit information of the individual operating the terminal;

(ii) introducing data to the computer relating to the individual using the terminal which is not in the data base of the computer; and

(iii) selecting a predetermined program module in the computer to make projections of financial and employee benefits for the individual by utilizing the data in the data base of the computer and data entered by the individual.

16. In a method in accordance with claim 15 in which the step of presenting visual information to the individual operating the terminal comprises:

displaying on a screen a visual display of information; and

converting information from the program modules and database of the computer into visual displays on the screen.

17. In a method in accordance with claim 16 in which the step of converting information further comprises:

means for forming graphics representative of information from the program modules and the database of the computer.

18. In a method in accordance with claim 15 and further comprising the step of activating the computer terminal in response to the identification of an individual of the group who is to operate the terminal.

19. In a method in accordance with claim 18 in which the step of activating the terminal is in response to the inputting of the identify of the individual in the data base of the computer.

20. In a method in accordance with claim 15 in which the step of receiving an input of an individual operating the terminal includes accommodating inputs which initiate transactions between the program modules in the computer.

21. In a method in accordance with claim 15 in which the step of selecting the program module related to the employee benefits comprises selecting a program module relating to at least one of employee benefit planning, financial planning, and retirement planning.

22. In a method in accordance with claim 15 in which the data base comprises at least a portion of the information corresponding to that of the benefits file of an individual who is an employee.

23. In a method in accordance with claim 15 and further comprising the step of producing a copy of at least a portion of the visual information being presented.

24. A system for making available financial and employee benefit information of any one individual of a group of individuals, comprising:

(a) a computer including

(i) a plurality of programs having a plurality of operating programs for carrying out the functions of the system;

(ii) a plurality of program modules relating to the financial and employee benefit information of an individual, including at least one program module for offering benefit information options that can be selected by the individual, at least one program module for presenting benefit information of the individual by outputting predetermined information and data relating to the individual, at least one program module for initiating financial transactions in response to data introduced by the individual, and at least one program module for calculating a plurality of projections of financial and employee benefits in which the calculations are predetermined and the data used in calculating the projections can be varied; and

(iii) a data base including the financial and employee benefit information for each individual of the group of individuals,

(b) means connected to the computer and adapted to be operated by any individual of the group without formal training in operating a computer for inputting instructions into the computer relating to financial and employee benefit information of the individual operating the system, the inputting means being adapted to receiving an input of an individual operating the inputting means to

(i) select a benefit information option from among the choices offered by the system;

(ii) select a predetermined program module in the computer to present predetermined financial and employee benefit information and data in the data base relating to the individual operating the inputting means;

(iii) introduce data to the computer relating to the individual using the system which is not in the data base of the computer;

(iv) select a predetermined program module in the computer to initiate financial transactions; and

(v) select a predetermined program module in the computer to make projections of financial and employee benefits for the individual by utilizing the data in the data base of the computer and data entered by the individual; and

(c) means connected to the computer for presenting visual information to the individual operating the inputting means system.

25. A system in accordance with claim 24 in which the means for presenting visual information to the individual operating the inputting means comprises:

a screen for presenting a visual display of information to the individual operating the inputting means; and

means connected to the computer and the screen for converting information from the program modules and the database of the computer into visual displays on the screen.

26. A system in accordance with claim 25 in which the information converting means further comprises means forming graphics representative of information from the program modules and the database.

27. A system in accordance with claim 25 in which the information converting means comprises means responsive to inputs at the inputting means for forming visual displays of the inputs which can be observed by the individual operating the system.

28. A system in accordance with claim 24 further comprising means for activating the system responsive to the identification of an individual of the group who is to operate the inputting means.

29. A system in accordance with claim 28 in which the activating means comprises means responsive to an input of the individual operating the inputting means which corresponds to the identity of the individual in the data base of the computer.

30. A system in accordance with claim 24 in which the inputting means comprises means responsive to manual contact therewith by the individual operating the inputting means for producing an input therefrom.

31. A system in accordance with claim 30 in which the input producing means comprises a keyboard.

32. A system in accordance with claim 31 in which the keyboard includes keys adapted to provide predetermined inputs relating to selected predetermined program modules.

33. A system in accordance with claim 24 in which the inputting means is further adapted to introduce data to the computer which initiates permutations of the program modules of the computer.

34. A system in accordance with claim 24 in which the inputting means is further adapted to introduce inputs which initiate interaction between the individual operating the inputting means and the program modules of the computer.

35. A system in accordance with claim 24 in which the inputting means is further adapted to accommodate inputs which initiate transactions between the program modules in the computer.

36. A system in accordance with claim 24 in which the employee benefits related to the financial and employee benefit information of a individual comprise at least one of employee benefit planning, financial planning, and retirement planning.

37. A system in accordance with claim 24 in which the data base comprises at least a portion of the information corresponding to that of the file of benefit information of an individual who is an employee.

38. A system in accordance with claim 24 in which the computer terminal further includes means for producing a copy of at least a portion of the visual information of the presenting means.

39. A computer terminal for making available financial and employee benefit information of any one individual of a group of individuals, the terminal being adapted to be connected to a computer which stores a plurality of operating programs for carrying out the functions of the system and a plurality of program modules relating to the financial and employee benefit information of an individual, including at least one program module that exectutes a predetermined set of mathematical operations on hypothetical data in order to make projections of financial and employee benefits, and being adapted to be operated by any individual of the group without formal training in operating a computer terminal to present financial and employee benefit information of the individual operating the terminal in response to the command of the individual, the terminal comprising

means for presenting visual information to the individual operating the terminal; and

means for receiving an input of an individual operating the terminal to

(i) select a predetermined program module in the computer to present predetermined financial and employee benefit information of the individual operating the terminal;

(ii) introduce data to the computer relating to the individual which is not in a data base of the computer that includes the financial and employee benefit information for each individual of the group of individuals; and

(iii) select a predetermined program module in the computer to make projections of financial and employee benefits for the individual by utilizing hypothetical data from the data base of the computer and data entered by the individual.

40. In a system for making available information relating to financial transactions with a business organization of any one individual of a group of individuals who have financial transactions with the business organization, the system having a computer which stores a plurality of programs including a plurality of operating programs for carrying out the functions of the system and a plurality of program modules relating to information concerning the financial transactions of an individual with the business organization, and a data base including information relating to the financial transactions of any one individual of the group of individuals with the business organization,

the improvement comprising a computer terminal adapted to be connected to the computer and adapted to be operated by any individual of the group without formal training in operating a computer terminal to present information of financial transactions of the individual operating the terminal in response to the command of the individual, the computer terminal including

means for presenting visual information to the individual operating the terminal; and

means for receiving an input of an individual operating the terminal to

(i) select a predetermined program module in the computer to present information relating to financial transactions of the individual operating the terminal;

(ii) introduce data to the computer relating to the individual using the terminal which is not in the data base of the computer; and

(iii) obtain projections of finances for the individual from the computer by entering hypothetical data into the computer through the terminal.

41. In a method for making available financial and employee benefit information relating to financial transactions with a business organization of any one individual of a group of individuals who have financial transactions with the business organization, the method being adapted to be carried out by use of a computer which stores a plurality of programs including a plurality of operating programs for carrying out the functions of the method and a plurality of program modules relating to the information concerning financial transactions of an individual with the business organization and a data base including information relating to the financial transactions of any one individual of the group of individuals with the business organization,

the improvement in the method in which the plurality of programs includes at least one program module for offering benefit information options that can be selected by the individual, at least one program module for presenting benefit information of the individual by outputting predetermined information and data relating to the individual, at least one program module for initiating financial transactions in response to data introduced by the individual, and at least one program module for calculating a plurality of projections of financial and employee benefits in response to a request of the individual and comprising the steps of

using a computer terminal adapted to be connected to the computer and adapted to be operated by any individual of the group without formal training in operating a computer terminal to present information relating to the financial transactions with the business organization of the individual operating the terminal in response to the command of the individual, the step of using the computer terminal including

presenting on the computer terminal visual information to the individual operating the terminal; and

receiving an input of an individual operating the terminal for

(i) selecting a benefit information option from among the choices offered by the method;

(ii) selecting a predetermined program module in the computer to present predetermined information relating to financial transactions with the business organization of the individual operating the terminal;

(iii) introducing data to the computer relating to the individual using the terminal which is not in the data base of the computer;

(iv) selecting a predetermined program module in the computer to initiate financial transactions; and

(v) selecting a predetermined program module in the computer to make projections of financial and employee benefits for the individual in response to the request of the individual.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a comprehensive employee benefit and financial communication system. More particularly, the benefit and financial communication system includes a center which is a conveniently located facility on the premises containing an easy-to-use unattended computer terminal that an employee having no formal training can operate for a number of purposes including inquiries, transactions, and forecast concerning benefits, savings plans, and financial service information.

2. State of the Prior Art

It is customary for employers or insurance companies on behalf of employers to maintain employee benefit and financial information on mainframe computers. These computers output benefit information in various forms, often in formats which are only meaningful to benefit administrators or those familiar with the benefit system due to the use of extensive coding and numerical data. Periodically, typically annually or semi-annually, personalized benefit statements detailing the status of an employee's benefits are produced and delivered to the employee. At any other time during the year if an employee desired similar information on a current basis, he or she must initiate an inquiry to the appropriate department of the employer, usually the benefits administrator. The benefits administrator would then format an interrogation and refer it to the appropriate data entry input unit or directly input the request to the mainframe computer. The computer would thereafter provide the information, usually in some coded and numerical form. This information enables the benefits administrator to prepare the appropriate response in a form which can be readily understood by the employee. Under the best of conditions, this inquiry process can take several days.

Banks have recognized the importance of personalized direct electronic access of bank account information by individual customers by use of automated teller machines (ATM). These machines provide customers with the ability to make inquiries as to their account balances and to direct that simple banking transactions be performed; however, such automatic teller machines are not adapted to present the relatively complex information such as that connected with employee benefit plans or to enable individuals to select options and to seek projections describing what savings or withdrawals in various amounts and under various conditions might mean to them in the future.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The benefit and financial communication service of the present invention utilizes an easy-to-use unattended computer terminal for the direct use of employees who are generally untrained with respect to the operation of a computer terminal. The invention is based upon a synthesis of technology and various business expertise (as found in areas concerned with employee benefit planning, financial planning, retirement planning, etc.) to create a unique communication and education medium. The invention includes a terminal supported by a sophisticated computer-based process which delivers various services.

It is an object of the invention, referred to as a benefit and financial communication service, to provide useful benefits, savings and other financial information to employees. The system of the invention enables the employee to access information concerning their up-to-date savings plans and the values thereof, withdrawal information, explanations of provisions, employee benefit information (e.g., group life insurance, disability coverage, vested retirement, etc.), explanations of savings plan and benefit options, and benefit news bulletins.

It is a further object of the invention to provide information dependent upon interaction by the employee, such as forecasts of accumulated values of voluntary salary savings and other deferred compensation programs, forecasts of dollar benefit of new savings plans, IRA's, 401K's, etc., the results of different combinations of benefit coverages (as would be required under a flexible benefit plan arrangement) and the implications of each variation, as well as the results of "what if" financial games.

It is another object of the invention to provide transactional services by which the benefit and financial programs can be changed in a manner that affects the existing benefit and/or financial programs, such as, savings plan option selection, moving monies from one fund to another, withdrawals, etc.

The benefit and financial communication service provides a powerful tool for corporations to use in providing benefit and financial information directly to employees based on the plans offered by their corporate employers. The invention has its roots in a data processing system environment; however the invention significantly enhances the manner of presentation. The system design focuses on presenting benefit and financial information in an easy-to-use format and on demand basis, thus eliminating the benefits administrator from the basic inquiry function and improving the turnaround time from several days to seconds and minutes. The only prerequisite to using the benefit and financial communication service is that the individual be an employee of the corporation sponsoring the employee benefit and financial planning center.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal used in the benefit and financial communication service of FIG. 4;

FIG. 2 is a sample keyboard as found in the videotex environment;

FIG. 3 is a sample keyboard as found in the VM environment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the principal elements of a benefit and financial communication system constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a portion of the computer-based process for performing inquiry, transactional, and interactive (e.g., forecasting, "what if", etc.) services;

FIG. 6 is a representation of a CRT display of choices which can be made by the user;

FIG. 7 is a representation of a CRT display of a choice screen directed at a specific benefit topic;

FIG. 8 is a representation of a CRT display of a screen directed at the acceptance of employee-entered information for interactive services;

FIG. 9 is a representation of a CRT display of a screen presenting data derived from calculations using current and/or employee entered data;

FIG. 10 is a representation of a CRT display of a choice screen directed at a specific benefit topic;

FIG. 11 is a representation of a CRT display of a screen directed at the acceptance of employee-entered information for transactional services;

FIG. 12 is a representation of a CRT display of a screen directed at the acceptance of employee-entered information for transactional services;

FIG. 13 is a representation of a CRT display of a screen directed at the acceptance of employee-entered information for transactional services;

FIG. 14 is a representation of a CRT display of a screen directed at the acceptance of employee-entered information for transactional services; and

FIG. 15 is a representation of a CRT display of a screen indicating that an employee-requested transaction has been performed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The drawings describe the process by which employees by means of the benefit and financial communication service can obtain personalized information in confidence since they no longer require the services of another individual to obtain this information for them and to obtain the information whenever they wish, and with immediate results.

The direct link between the service and the employee is the terminal or kiosk 20, shown in FIG. 1. Terminal 20 comprises at least a CRT (cathode ray tube) or display screen 21 and a keyboard 22. The terminal is especially adapted for ease-of-use and interactive communication with the computer. Through the terminal keyboard 22 the employee enters personal identification, initiates basic inquiries and transactions, enters financial information, and requests printing of displayed data. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate keyboards 22a and 22b for use with systems that interface with the employee in the videotex (22a) and VM (22b) formats, respectively.

The CRT 21 enables the employee to view the information presented. One of the first screens displayed on the CRT 21 is an introductory screen which welcomes the employee to the benefit and financial communication service. The introductory screen is followed by the screen(s) requesting personal identification number(s) once an employee makes a request for information by introducing a first instruction. The introductory screen is displayed once again when an employee concludes his session with the terminal, thereby resetting the benefit and financial communication service for the next employee. The screens displayed by the terminal guide the employee from screen to screen and therefore from topic to topic, until the employee terminates the session with the computer. Each screen is predefined with text and graphics, except for areas left blank, in order that the program moudles can add variable data which is data made available directly from the database and/or computed data. In this way the screens serve as a mask which the subprogram uses to superimpose over the personal benefit and/or financial information.

A terminal 20 is usually located in the lobby of the corporation's office(s) where privacy can be ensured; however, the benefit and financial communication terminal 20 can be located in any area which the corporation deems appropriate. There can be provided several benefit and financial communication terminals to serve the needs of the employees of the corporation, thereby making it possible for several employees to communicate simultaneously with the computer.

The benefit and financial communication terminal 20 is "powered-up" on a daily basis through a log-on procedure. Each of the screens in the system are associated with a program module that is a specialized program for performing particular functions. The program module accepts the employee's input, obtains the required screens and data, performs the necessary calculations, inserts the appropriate information on the screens, and handles the dialogue with the employee for as long as the employee remains in that information set (i.e., until the choice of another information set is made by the employee). Each benefit and financial communication service is customized to reflect the particular corporation's employee benefit plans, other financial programs and the systems environment; however, the benefit and financial communication service provides for a common core set of modules which are preprogrammed to perform the basic services, e.g., inquiry, transactional, and interactive ("what if") capabilities.

Players in the Benefit and Financial Communication Service

1. The user--The employee or consumer who uses the benefit and financial communication service for information retrieval, "what if" games (interactive capability), and generating transactions.

2. The communications network provider (e.g., common carrier).

3. The system operator--The corporation which operates the system, i.e., manages the service, controls the access, and monitors usage.

4. The information service provider (e.g., the sponsoring corporation whose information is presented by the system).

System Configuration

As shown in FIG. 4, the system configuration comprises a plurality of components including an unattended stand-alone terminal/koisk 20, the database in memory 26, the computer 24 and the software therefor, and the communication facilities.

The invention requires the functionality of each component, but is not dependent on a specific manufacturer, software vendor, model or type of hardware. The invention can be delivered in various formats such as by a dumb or intelligent terminal with communications facilities to a large mainframe, by a personal computer which uses a floppy disk, or by a T.V. monitor and decoder. The employee can communicate with the system by utilizing any one of various media such as a video display screen 21 with specially adapted keyboard 22, a touch-sensitive video display, or by voice. The system can interface with the employee by means of various formats including a VM format (22b), a videotex format (22a), a print format, a video disk format, or a voice format.

Benefit and financial communication services can be supported with any one or several of the different technologies referred to above. Therefore, at any one time it is conceivable that benefit and financial communication services can be configured differently depending on the needs of the coporation and the available hardware and software. Nevertheless, the benefit and financial communication service is based on a preprogrammed set of modules which perform the basic services, e.g., inquiry, transactional, and interactive ("what if") capabilities. Although it is possible for the hardware and some of the supporting software to differ among different benefit and financial communication services, the purpose and functionality of the services remain the same from the point of view of both the corporation which is looking to enhance its benefit and financial communication network and the employee who will utlimately benefit from the inquiry, transactional, and interactive capabilities being offered.

A block diagram of the system configuration is shown in FIG. 4. The system includes a main computer 24 having an input 25 for receiving information concerning the employee's benefit program. This information is updated on a periodic basis. When entered and processed by the computer 24, the information is then stored as part of the database in memory 26 in a format which allows the particular information to be addressed by the category of the information being sought (such as savings or investments) and by the employee's identification number.

The benefit and financial communication service also includes a terminal 20 which, as previously indicated, is located for convenient availability to employees and can be operated without any special training. The terminal 20 can be programmed by either a program from the main computer 24, or by means of a microprocessor 27 and memory 28 (such as disc memory) within the terminal 20. The CRT decoder 29 is the software and hardware that supervises and controls the operation of the CRT displays. For example, videotax software may be used in order to present alphanumeric information, graphic and color formatting, and the like to the CRT 21 for display of information to the employee. Text information is presented on the CRT 21 to the employee with appropriate instructions as to which keys on the keyboard 22 should be pressed in order to request specific information. The keyboard 22 also enables the employee to enter identification and personal financial data into the computer 24. Details of savings and investment plans and the like are drawn from the database in the memory 26 and the main computer 24 for each employee. For a given employee, the main computer 24 calculates the future value of benefit program options under various conditions. As a result, by means of the terminal 20, the employee can conveniently review the status of all aspects of his benefit program.

The benefit and financial communication service also enables the employee to change his benefit program by introducing transaction commands into the keyboard 22 in response to instructions provided on the CRT 21. Such commands may be executed immediately and entered into the main computer 24 and the database in memory 26, or the commands may instead be transmitted to the buffer 30 for introduction into the input of the main computer 24, only after some independent confirmation of the transaction is received by the employee and the benefits department of the employer. A printer 23 can be included in the benefit and financial communication system in order that the employee can obtain a written record of all displayed information by entering the appropriate command into the terminal keyboard 22.

Software & Displays

The system's database comprises an abstract of the employee files and contains all the information necessary to respond to basic inquiries concerning the employee's current benefits, coverages, account balances, and interactive transactions. The abstract is created on a periodic basis using the employer's mainframe and is loaded into the system memory 26. At the time the abstract is loaded, several predefined calculations can be performed to establish values that remain constant during the period covered by the abstract. This eliminates the process of repeatedly valuing fixed data. The results of the calculations are made part of the database.

The introductory screen, presented to the employee upon visiting the benefit and financial communication terminal 20, is under the control of the appropriate program module. On the introductory screen, the employee is instructed to press a particular key, depending upon whether the employee wishes to receive instructions or to bypass the instructions and to continue. The system will then bring up the appropriate screen and information. Once the employee has read the instructions and the appropriate key is pressed to indicate a desire to continue (or once this choice is bypassed), the personal identification screen (ID) is displayed. The ID screen (one or several depending on the corporation's security scheme) instructs the employee to enter his personal identification, which can take the form of a social security number, employment number, and/or personal identity number. The employee enters the appropriate numbers via the keyboard 22. The system then responds by displaying another screen or with instructions to re-enter the number because the system is unable to match the identification which the employee has entered. The identification is validated by the system, more specifically the appropriate program module, before the employee is able to continue with the session. Each time a separate identification is entered, the validation procedure is repeated. Some of the information on the benefit and financial communication service may not require security measures, and if so, the identification procedure can be eliminated. Each corporation determines the extent of security to be incorporated in the system.

A valid identification results in the display of a choice (menu) screen which offers benefit and financial options that can be selected. In the alternative the display may comprise a message reciting that the employee does not participate in the benefits program/plan or that the employee should consult with a particular department of the corporation for assistance and information.

A benefit and financial communication service will have several, if not many, choice screens. These screens are designed to direct the employee quickly to the benefit and financial information desired without a great amount of dialogue. The first choice screen may be broad in scope, but subsequent choice screens may be directed to specific benefit and financial topics. The employee