Being a broker today is a challenge. Health care insurance laws are changing from one day to the next, employers are balking at rising costs, and employees are disgruntled and ready to jump ship.
The silver lining is that all of these challenges create an opportunity for brokers to step in and provide solutions. And they have an ever-expanding wealth of technology and data resources at their disposal. Here are 10 tips to help ensure you're making the most of those tools:
1. “Companies that aren't incorporating AI into their businesses will continue to fall behind in productivity. Employee benefits, sales and marketing are all areas that can use technology to help you with analytics, personalization, segmentation and improving efficiency.” —Rick Ramos, HealthJoy
2. “As data analytics gets more sophisticated, remember that you shouldn't be at the bottom of the data food chain. If you take the time to uncover trends in your own business, you’ll be more confident in where to focus your efforts.” —Gil Lowerre and Bonnie Brazzell, Eastbridge Consulting
3. “To design good benefits, you need good data. It's one thing to provide a client with data; it's another thing to know how to make it actionable.” —Bruce Whittredge, ADP
4. “Setting clear goals and arming yourself with the appropriate tools will enable you to stand out as a top performer. Simplifying your workflow with new technologies and movement towards clear milestones better positions you to retain clients.” —Sally Poblete, Wellthie
5. “Technology has a place in virtually every workplace, and it's crucial to a seamless enrollment and administration of employee benefits...By educating clients about online benefits administration platforms, advisors can help clients ease some of the tedious burdens they face day to day.” —Stephanie Shields, Aflac Group Insurance
6. “Businesses need and expect more from brokers.Those who provide insight through benchmarking data and analytics, offering set up, connection and optimization support, as well as a variety of ongoing service models, will gain market share over those who don't.” —Courtney Simpkiss, ADP
7. “Small businesses want technology that addresses the full scope of HR needs. Beyond ben admin, they are looking for tools that streamline onboarding/offboarding, time and attendance, PTO, applicant tracking and more.” —Alex Tolbert, BerniePortal
8. “Telemedicine is a service that brokers can no longer afford not to offer their groups. Being able to explain how to gain increased access, including how to get started, keep employees happy and cut costs in an industry of high deductibles will be key during open enrollment season.” —David Reid, EaseCentral
9. “Millennials and centennials are least likely to actively engage with insurers. They do not trust easily and need a lot of tangible research to arrive at decisions. They are twice as likely to buy insurance online, but are least satisfied with the current level of online experience.” —Rajesh Makhija, Mphasis Wyde & Eldorado Healthcare
10. “We’re starting to see companies use all the well-being data they’re capturing to more readily design experiences for employees. All this focus on personalization will help increase well-being program effectiveness and adoption rates and support the communications issues currently at hand.” —Ann Wyatt, HealthFitness
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