Your reputation is tied to the products that you recommend to your groups. They want affordable dental insurance products for their employees and so you spend your time gathering quotes to present them with various options that meet their price range and benefits needs. But that’s not all. You also have to provide them with a quality dental plan because if they have a negative experience, not only will you have unhappy employees, you run the risk of losing that client. So what are some things insurance brokers should look for in a dental insurance carrier before recommending them to their clients?
There is a timeless phrase that a good reputation is more valuable than money. We see how businesses rise and fall based on people’s experiences and the opinions they express on television or online. So, what’s being said about your potential dental carrier?
• Do they have a fast and accurate claims payments process?
• Are consumers confident that their dental providers meet high standards?
• Is there transparency about fees and policies?
• Is the dental carrier involved in their community?
Chances are, if the dental carrier, their products and services are being recognized by consumers and leading organizations, there’s a great chance that your clients and their employees will have a good experience.
You want a dental carrier with a product portfolio that offers flexibility. Their dental plans should both fit your client‘s budget and meet the needs of their employees. Because just as people are diverse, their dental benefits needs are different. So be sure the carriers you’re considering offer more than just basic dental care. Check to see if they offer these employee-demanded dental plan features:
• Implant coverage
• Increasing calendar year maximums
• Wellness programs
Moreover, you also want a carrier that shows they can develop and customize plans to meet the changing marketplace.
Having providers who meet high standards is the backbone of a great dental plan. The carriers that fall into that category have a rigorous credentialing and re-credentialing program in place that helps screen providers who join their network, as well as monitor their current dentists and specialists. And size...does matter. In general, employees are happiest when they can access the care they need when they need it. And the bigger the network, the more likely this will be a reality. This is why some DHMO plans offer an open access network. This means employees never need to pre-select a provider and they can switch providers as many times in the contract year as needed.
Customer service representatives are the first people your clients’ employees will meet. The employee’s or individual’s experience with customer service representatives will color their view of the entire organization. So, the carrier has to have high standards where this is concerned. A good way to tell the priority of customer service excellence is to determine the following:
• Are representatives’ calls monitored regularly to assess courtesy and accuracy of the information provided?
• Are surveys mailed throughout the year to customers who contact the carrier’s service center?
• Are members able to provide immediate feedback to the carrier via their website or other means?
You may even want to call customer service yourself to see what your clients’ employees will experience. Are the representatives knowledgeable and professional? Being able to tell your employer group that you called customer service yourself and had a great experience will position you as a broker who goes above and beyond to ensure that your groups get a quality dental plan.
Employees today are offered a wide variety of benefits to choose from. And within each benefit category are various types of plans. Employees may know that they need a dental plan but may not know the differences between a DHMO and DPPO plan. Additionally, they may not understand the insurance jargon that’s used to describe their benefits. This is where the ideal carrier comes in. You can tell if health literacy and the overall wellness of members are important to them by doing a little investigation. For example, visit their website and see if they have some or all of the following:
• A member newsletter
• Helpful and informative articles or blog posts
• An intutive website that makes it easy for members to navigate and find the information they need
• Articles written in plain language, passing a health literacy policy
These send employee satisfaction sky high. Employees are most satisfied when they understand your plan choices and have a dental carrier that’s interested in educating them about their benefits and oral health.
You may have had the experience of a friend who raved on and on about the food they had at a certain restaurant but when you visited...disaster. The next time that friend makes a recommendation, it’s likely that you will view their recommendation with a high level of doubt. That’s why it’s important that you check out potential dental carriers and make sure they have all the qualities above and more. Because once you recommend a quality dental carrier, you will earn your groups’ trust and they will defer to you for all things "benefits".