Recently at Eclipse, our first annual benefits and HR conference,I had the pleasure of facilitating a panel that discussed what ittakes to be a cutting-edge broker.

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I was joined by Ben Milcarek of Regions Insurance and BradMandacina from Lockton, two great minds in the insurance industry.We covered a lot of ground, but one of the most interesting pointsmade during the discussion was this: insurance brokers need to stopbeing brokers and start being consultative partners.

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The benefits and HR industry is being rocked by seismic changesbrought on by new regulations, advances in technology and thegrowth of consumerism.

Insurance brokers are in a unique position to help their clientsnavigate this increasingly complex landscape, reduce employers'overall benefits costs and make an even bigger impact on the livesof employees and their families. But as we talked about the stateof the industry, it became clear that in order to succeed, brokersmust change their approach. Here are three areas that can transformthe role of the broker.

Understand the role technology plays

To be a truly consultative partner, a broker today mustunderstand the benefits (as well as the limits) of technology. Insome areas, technology is a must-have.

For example, the panel agreed that automation is essential forcomplying with the Affordable Care Act. The measurement, trackingand administration of employee data, generation and filing ofmultiple forms, and other requirements imposed by the ACA isincredibly cumbersome to do manually.

As such, brokers must be knowledgeable of what technologies areavailable and advise their clients on how to automate theseprocesses.

Taking that idea one step further is the cosourced model, inwhich the broker takes on the responsibility of implementing,maintaining and servicing software for their clients. This approachis gaining traction in many firms. It does require that a brokerhave a tech-savvy staff, but it is a great way to build strongconnections with clients and provide a more intimate level ofservice.

Communicate frequently and use all channels at yourdisposal

As benefits choices become more complex, communication is moreimportant than ever. Many employees are not knowledgeable ofbenefits plans and insurance terminology and, as a result, are atrisk of getting inadequate coverage or buying products they do notneed. To rectify this, communication around benefits choices isessential, and brokers can play a big part.

Many brokers offer benefits communication services and some evenhave in-house creative staff to create co-branded, custom pieces.Our panel unequivocally agreed that when communicating, you have tomeet employees where they are. You have to look at the workforceand determine what channels would be best to reach employees.

A growing portion of the population in America is dependent onsmartphones for Internet access. This means that communicationsneed to be tailored to be consumed on phones via text messages,apps or mobile-responsive websites. And while electronic channelsare an efficient way of communicating, they don’t work for everyoneand will often need to be supplemented by paper or other moretraditional forms of communication.

Make voluntary benefits as easy as possible, avoiding “benefitsfatigue”

Communication is especially relevant for voluntary benefits,such as life insurance, hospital insurance, accidental death anddismemberment, and long-term care insurance.

These types of benefits are usually placed towards the end of anenrollment process, after consumers have already completed theshopping and enrollment process for medical, dental and other plansoffered by their employer.

At this stage in the process, many people begin to experience“benefits fatigue” and do not want to spend any more timeresearching these products.

To combat benefits fatigue, brokers need to make voluntarybenefits as easy as possible. They should give employees quick andeasy ways to find out how these benefits options work and why theycould be valuable. Short, online videos can help accomplish this,but it is also important to consider the work environment andtailor communications to reach as wide of a population aspossible.

In addition, voluntary benefits shouldn’t just be placed at theend of the benefits shopping process as an afterthought.

Employees should be guided through the process in an order thatmakes sense - based upon employee demographics as well as benefitsalready selected.

For example, accident and critical illness benefits complementHigh-Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs) because the benefits are paiddirectly to employees, allowing them to use the money forout-of-pocket and non-medical expenses such as rent, child care andother bills that can accumulate when an employee is not able towork.

These types of benefits should be offered immediately after theemployee selects an HDHP, with just the right messaging to explainwhy the employee should consider purchasing the benefit.

I believe it is fitting to close with one last thing our paneltalked about: the fact that there is no silver bullet. Brokerstoday must use every resource and piece of technology at theirdisposal if they want to remain relevant in today’s market andbecome a trusted partner in their clients’ quest for a betterbenefits experience.