As brokers, we are all looking for the perfect carrier; so far most brokers have been unsuccessful in that endeavor. There are great companies in the market and many of us have the pleasure of working with some great people at these carriers. But everyone will make a mistake from time to time, some carriers a little more than others. There are so many things to look for in a carrier, but these four major administrative items are keys that all brokers and agents look for in the benefits world:

• Can a carrier issue policies?
• Can a carrier bill the client correctly?
• Can a carrier pay claims fairly and promptly?
• Can a carrier pay the broker and any down-line agents quickly and accurately?

These four basic questions, while not an exclusive list, are what the carrier/broker relationship is based on. The broker has responsibilities to write quality business and work in partnership with the carrier. What if the carrier drops the ball on one of these items, or any of the other myriad items in the broker/carrier compact? As in any relationship, the mistake is rarely the issue. The response to the mistake is. If a carrier or broker makes an error, the key to continuing the relationship is how they fix it.

There are many carriers out there that, though their words say something different, their actions say they do not care. For the average broker on the street there is often very little recourse without an MGA or some such relationship to help them. Other carriers take a different approach. They take responsibility for their actions, find a solution, fix the problem quickly and communicate with the broker every step of the way. These are the carriers with which most brokers would prefer to do business.

For more information, visit www.crowallison.com.