The small business landscape is changing, and the way today's mom and pop shops look may surprise you. Small businesses are being run online and young entrepreneurs are rushing to work for them. According to a 2012 report by Payscale, 47 percent of millennials in the workforce are employed by small businesses of 100 or fewer employees, many of which are run by entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, only 23 percent work for larger companies. This generation is sidestepping traditional career paths and becoming the driving force behind the new small business landscape. Not only is this younger workforce more technologically savvy, they now make up the majority of the working population. This knowledgable workforce is in search of opportunities that leverage new technology and balance their well-being and career growth.
Similarly to previous generations, they are looking for help and assistance in doing this. The difference, however, is the desire for more efficient and direct ways of doing so through technology. Today's brokers are well aware of this. In fact, according to the BenefitsPro 2016 health care survey, embracing technology is seen as a pivotal component of brokers value proposition to clients. Despite this recognition, the survey found that the majority of brokers are concerned about the disrupting technology and have very limited experience with technologies like private exchanges.
These findings represent a clear disconnect between understanding clients' needs and taking action to address them. If 64 percent of brokers understand that their clients are looking for them to embrace the latest technology, why are they so afraid to do so?
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Instead of being fearful that technology will hurt their business, brokers must embrace technology and meet clients where they are — in their location or on the go. Here's why:
- Technology makes health insurance more accessible: Brokers can gain the trust of their customers by making the process of deciding benefit strategies simpler and more transparent.
- Technology educates its users about health insurance: Brokers can emphasize their value by finding all the opportunities for savings or potential penalties, including tax credits and subsidies from the Affordable Care Act.
- Technology aids in communication with clients: Whether through live chat, email, or social media, brokers can embrace technology channels as a means to communicate and share their expertise with their clients.
- Technology gives brokers a competitive edge: With such a high demand from small businesses for brokers to embrace technology, brokers need to adopt it to set them apart from their competition.
In today's hyper-competitive climate, broker tools must do more than just quote their small business clients, they need to attract them, educate them and expertly guide them to the right, affordable coverage option for them. As the small business landscape changes, the broker industry must respond with technology that meets the new small business owners where they are and makes the process of getting coverage for their employees simpler and faster.
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