Blog | Michael Fleck

Are you about to run aground in calm waters?

Posted by: Michael A. Fleck Feb 28, 2017 10:00:55 AM

sailboats in harbor

An employer's guide to navigating the perils and possibilities of the Employee Benefit Advisor-Client Relationship LIfe Cycle

In the first part of this three-part blog, I introduced three concepts you can apply to create highly successful client relationships:

Avoiding “The Magpie Effect”! Sometimes (too often, actually), what advisors offer and what employers find attractive are not things upon which highly successful relationships can be built.
All employer/advisor relationships go through a life cycle.
An outcomes-based relationship is essential for the successful navigation of the life cycle and optimal return on investment (ROI) for every dollar spent on employee benefits

Topics: independent employee benefits advisors, Hanna Global Services, Michael Fleck, The Magpie Effect, essential advisor, client relationship life cycle

All That Glitters Is Not Gold in Employee Benefits

Posted by: Michael A. Fleck Jan 19, 2017 9:54:03 AM

The Magpie Effect

Why does a magpie decorate its nest with shiny objects? The randomly gathered trinkets serve no practical purpose. Scientists suggest, and it seems likely, that these most intelligent of animals simply like the way they look.

When something is pleasing to the eye, we – like magpies – are drawn to it. Beauty can, and often does, cloud our critical assessment. This occurs in the world of benefits and benefits technology when we assume the outward appearance of an object (what we see) and what’s beneath the surface (what we get) are the same.

Topics: Benefits Passport, employee benefits advisors, Michael Fleck, employee benefits technology, Magpie effect, user interface, group benefits platform

Engagement Key to the Future of Private Exchanges

Posted by: Michael A. Fleck Sep 29, 2016 9:30:00 AM

woman on telephone In this final blog of a three-part series (you can read Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them), I’d like to look to the future – not only the future of private exchanges, but the future of benefits and health in the United States.

Topics: employee engagement, private exchanges, Hanna Global, health care innovation, Michael Fleck, employee benefits technology

How to Realize the Full Potential of a Private Exchange

Posted by: Michael A. Fleck Sep 1, 2016 9:30:00 AM

intersection of cost and benefit In Part 1 of this series, I took a few shots at some of the hype around private exchanges, but I still come down firmly on the “pro” side of the conversation.

Given the right circumstances, and by taking the right approach, a private exchange can deliver a tremendous amount of value while solving many of the challenges facing employers who wish to offer a sustainable and effective employee benefits program.

Topics: employee benefits, private exchanges, Benefits Passport, UBA private exchange, employee benefits advisors, Hanna Global Services, Michael Fleck

The Real Promise of Private Exchanges Is Still Ahead

Posted by: Michael A. Fleck Aug 11, 2016 9:30:00 AM

Changes ahead The hype about how private exchanges will revolutionize the successful delivery of employee benefits has quieted as the predicted “explosive growth” has slowed considerably. As I’ve long thought, instead of a revolution, a quiet evolutionary process is taking place.

As with many of the previous attempts to “reinvent an industry” – think WebVan and Pets.com – there is a growing recognition of the need to insert non-tech wisdom, sound processes and actual live human beings into the private exchange concept.

Topics: private insurance exchange, Benefits Passport, Hanna Global, benefits technology, open architecture platforms, insurance cost control, Michael Fleck