Sometimes, payroll deduction for voluntary products isn't anoption. Whether for technical reasons, employee demographics, oremployer preference, payroll deduction might not be available. Butwhen it is, it's usually the preferred methodology.

But only considering what is easiest for us and the HRdepartment is risky. It's just as important to take heed of what'sbest for the employees who buy our products. In a recent Eastbridgestudy, employees were asked to choose the payment method they'dprefer for benefits they contributed to or paid for entirely.Payroll deduction was the overwhelming choice among those surveyedat 76 percent.

All age groups, except the under-30 group, had strongpreferences (84-97 percent) for payroll deduction. About half (51percent) of the under-30 group prefers payroll deduction while 35percent said they had no preference or were unsure. Only 14 percentprefers credit card or bank account payment systems.

In fact, the convenience of payroll deduction is one of the mostimportant reasons employees buy voluntary products.

So if you decide to not recommend payroll deduction, understandwhich parties will benefit from the decision and which won't. Evenif you plan to recommend payroll deduction, ask how you mightimprove the way it is set up and the resulting implementation ofthe billing processes. But most importantly, it appears that ourcustomers think this is where our efforts should be directed.