In today’s environment where information is readily available and leveraging the web and mobile to provide service is an expectation, personalizing that service is also expected. When I buy an airline ticket I am asked how I would like to be informed of any changes (email, text, phone call). When I check into my preferred hotel chain they have my preferences and personalize my service. For some reason this type of personalized service hasn’t become the standard in the benefits business, or at least to the level of other industries.
I often reference the Wellness Newsletter I got from my broker giving me tips about pre-natal care. As a 54-year-old male this is not relevant and the email itself not only did not address my needs but in some way reflects poorly on my broker. It made me think he is really not that organized. Not only was the newsletter not relevant to me, but what my broker also does not know is that I already subscribe to a Wellness Newsletter directly from another online company. This newsletter sends me the information that relates specifically to someone my gender and age and is delivered at the frequency I want in the method that I want. I did not need a Wellness Newsletter.
On another occasion a broker I know provided an online HR Library to the HR person of an employer where the outcome was not what was expected. This HR person was on a committee for a company that also provided HR content on the web and she found many flaws in the product the broker delivered. It started with good intentions, but the outcome was not what the broker intended. Should the broker have known the HR person was on such a committee?
I can go on and on. People putting in enrollment systems to clients that already owned one but didn’t know it? Building benefit websites for employers that already had a regularly used intranet. I am not just pointing the finger here at others. In my own organization we struggle with the same issues when serving our clients.
All this reminds me of some stats I saw from a book published by Jack McKean titled, “Information Masters: Secrets of the Customer Race.” In the book he cites the following:
“Only 2% of the knowledge that organizations have about their customers is actually used.”
“Only 5% of the body of knowledge about a client is available digitally and indeed only 20% of the knowledge is recorded at all.”
What is amazing is that this book was published in 1999. The stats may not be the same today but it in many cases it is close to the truth. And of course this is not reflective of you and me. We are better than this.
It takes a lot of work to create a personalized service experience. You need technology to store and manage the data. You need a methodology to gather information and keep it current. You need processes in place to automate certain functions. You need people either on staff or through an outside resource to plan and execute such a strategy. It is a herculean effort.
In today’s environment most brokers provide service to the employer which could include HR, finance or the business owner. This has its own challenges but at least gathering information to personalize the service for a few people is somewhat manageable. Imagine the effort if we move to a consumer centric world where the services need to be personalized for the employee. What is the broker’s role in this environment? What would be the cost in time, technology, and resources, to deliver the experience consumers expect in today’s world.
From the employer’s perspective they have the same challenges. The expectations of how they are going to support their employees is changing. The needs of a 26 year-old with significant college debt are much different from a middle-aged employee preparing for retirement who may have health issues. These employers may not have the resources, technology, or capital to move their HR to this new level.
Many brokers say they provide such services but I have not seen it. Many do provide great service but not in the personalized way I am talking about. Relative to their peers in the current environment they may superior. But what happens when someone comes along and raises the bar? This happens often in many industries.
As someone in the technology consulting business I am seeing firms behind the scenes beginning to develop new models of service. Models that don’t exist today in the benefits world that can raise the bar. And it can raise it in a way that gives these firms a distinct competitive advantage that is not easily duplicated. Like providing benefits advice to a millennial on a Saturday afternoon via video conferencing. Some of these firms are traditional brokers but others are coming in from outside the industry. Those outside the industry love disrupting current business models. The health care business, and by extension the benefits industry, is a primary target because the capital running through it is so high it invites disruption. People want a piece of a very large pie.
Many brokers rely on relationships and are pretty sure their clients are loyal. I once saw a statistic that said that most companies think about 80% of their clients would be loyal. When employers were asked how loyal they were to their vendors the answer was 20%. This is a huge disconnect between perception and reality. One way a relationship can be severed is when a competitor brings in a better idea or better service. Companies like Zenefits displaced $63 million in commission business from many brokers with loyal customers. One told me he lost a 20-year relationship to Zenefits. So new ideas can be powerful.
I am not going to pretend to have all the answers. And I certainly look in the mirror when writing this because I am somewhat talking to myself too. But I have seen technology and models that can start the process to personalizing service for employers and employees. I have spoken to some companies that have started the process. I have seen the revenue models too. I don’t know when this “tipping point” will happen, but it will, because it is possible and the market wants it. And the opportunity is there for those who want to provide such services, but one must start. So my advice is to start. And start today because it is a big challenge.
JOE MARKLAND 