The number of brokers considering a human resource informationsystem (HRIS) PPACA compliance tool isstaggering. It’s the number one topic of conversation at everyindustry function I attend. I just spoke at a carrier’s topproducer event and when I told a group of attendees that we havenot only fully embraced a tool for this, but make it a mandatorypiece of doing business with us, some jaws dropped.

Certainly, the number of options has proliferated in the lastcouple of years. Please excuse me for being blunt, but if youare considering an HRIS now, you are way too late! If youdon't already have a single system you work with and the people inhouse to manage and build that system, you are waybehind. Many brokers I talk to think that picking and payingfor a system is a big decision and a big investment. Well in myexperience, that's the easy and far less expensive part. Byfar, the bigger piece is having the in house experts needed tobuild the tools for each client, educate each client, and get theemployers and employees dependent on it for their day-to-daybenefits-related concerns (and that little thing called IRS codes6055 and 6056). In my agency, our in house lead, Joan, can get mefrom employer decisions to open enrollment ready in under fourhours!

In my humble opinion, this tool is not something you use foryour biggest and/or best clients. After all, there is a hugelearning curve for most of us on this technology and that curve isonly elongated if you use the system sparingly. Instead, ifyou embrace it fully, wrap your arms around it and give it a bighug, it becomes more valuable to you and your clients in a farquicker fashion.

If you are already an expert in a particular system and have inhouse resources to build it and use it, you are light years aheadof your competition. And if you do this, doesn't it put you onpar with the Silicon Valley startups as of late on thetechnology front while blowing themaway on the solutions side? Some industry gossip puts that startupretention around 60 percent!

And a little advice, if I may, on which system to go with:

1) Make sure there is no PEPM charge.

2) Make sure it is not tied to a particular carrier.

3) Make sure the employee interface is beautiful.

4) Make sure it can handle all clients, large andsmall.

5) Hopefully I don’t need to say this, but make sure it had verycapable PPACA capabilities.

6) Most importantly, make sure you get behind a system that youhave 100 percent confidence in, that will stay ahead of the rapidchanges, and that will always be dedicated to brokers.