Did You Know:

1. Changing your benefits broker is easy. In order to change brokers you just submit a Broker of Record letter to your insurance carrier(s) appointing Alera Group as your new broker. This tells the insurance carrier you have authorized Alera Group to have access to your plans. We can immediately act on your behalf and begin providing you with the service and support you should be getting. Any fees or commissions on your plans will now go to Alera Group.
2. You can change your benefits broker anytime you want during the year. Many people mistakenly believe they can only make a change on their plans anniversary. You have the authority to appoint a new employee benefits broker at any point during the year.
3. There is no need to change carriers, plans or premiums. You are simply naming a new broker to oversee and manage your account.  You can remain with your current benefits and insurance carriers.
4. Immediate Service and Support. Once you name Alera Group as your benefits broker our team will immediately provide you and your employees with our customer service, support, and technology.

Notify Your Existing Broker

A quick phone call or letter informing them of your decision to move on is all it takes. If the broker or consultant is professional they will politely inquire about why you are leaving either directly or through a survey. At no point should you feel obligated to give specific reasons or be made to feel uncomfortable.

If you are the type that just doesn’t like to say goodbye, we’ll notify your current broker for you with a professional and courteous letter.

The “We can also do that!” Game

Be ready for the “we can also do that” game. That’s where the broker who is losing the business because they were not attentive to your needs and wasn’t providing you with any value suddenly wakes up and starts promising you the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Do I really need to change Brokers?

Think of it in these terms…Would you keep an employee who was performing only 10% to 20% of their job requirements? How long would you continue to throw 80% to 90% of their salary down the drain? But it gets worse. Much worse. Because that employee wasn’t doing their job, your company’s cost of doing business was increased by thousands of dollars. Not only could you be paying your benefits broker for services your company is not receiving, but their non-performance could also be costing you significant hard dollars in the actual cost of your benefits.

It’s Not About A 1% Savings

Anyone can undercut your current benefit costs by one or two percent. That’s not what we’re talking about.

The reality is that there is only a small percentage of employee benefits brokers that are on “top of their game” across the country. Instead of dealing with a benefits broker who peddles policies, you need a consultant who can help you control and manage the costs of your benefits plans and provide you with the service and support you need.

We understand that relationships sometimes come into play. However, the stakes have changed:

• A recent survey of CEOs indicated that employee benefit costs were one of the top five concerns for the future. The dollars at risk have increased dramatically and are having a real impact on the bottom-line performance of companies.
• Employees view their employee benefits as an expected part of compensation. Simply reducing the benefits every year is not a long-term solution and can lead to a weakening of an organization’s workforce.

_{* “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” written by Paul Simon www.PaulSimon.com}