For our employer-paid lines, we always take the best care of ouremployer customer (HR, plan administrator, decision-maker, etc.).We cultivate them, educate them, sell them, check in afterwards,service them, etc. They pay the bill.

Intellectually, we know that as we become an increasinglyvoluntary/worksite industry, the nature of the customer haschanged. In our new world, the employee is our customer, butsomehow, for some of us, our actions don't seem to have made thetransition. Amidst some interesting trend data, it may be time toask whether we are serving our new customers as they deserve. Arewe taking the best care of them? Are we cultivating, educating,selling, following-up and servicing them as we should? Becausetoday, they pay the bill.

The trends present reason for doubt. First, traditional employeebenefit brokers (EBBs) have come to dominate the industry's sales.Second, electronic, self-service platforms are rapidly growing asmany EBBs' enrollment platform of choice. But third, participationrates are falling.

It's seductive to buy into the logic that the platform can takecare of education, cultivation, selling, follow-up and service.That certainly makes life simpler. Plus, many EBBs don't have muchexperience in taking care of employee-customers. It is notsomething we have had to do, at least not to the extent nowrequired. And these platforms may be more efficient, morecost-effective, and require less of our personal time (the “It'sall about me” syndrome). You may even tell yourself that with allthe investment in online tools (widgets, calculators, avatars,etc.), the platform experts must have figured it all out. Or atleast they want to appear like they have figured it out. Andcertainly, that logic makes life easier for you and for theplatform vendor. But our customers seem to be saying somethingdifferent.

Maybe we should start by examining our own results. Do we havecases with less than 10 percent participation? Are our personalparticipation results sliding also? At what point doesparticipation become so low that the product(s) offered are nolonger meaningful as an employee benefit? Do they become more likea benefit for a few employees?

If the numbers are dropping, do we see any correlation betweenthese results and the level of engagement and customer care webring to the table? Have we fallen into the trap of being aplatform vendor? Is there still room for us to be consultative?Should we be engaging with our customers or do we delegate thecustomer relationship to a website?

Everyone knows that if you don't take care of your customers,someone else will. Competition is heating up. Are you ready?

More to come.