Do your clients expect too much from you?

When you work in the benefits industry you tend to feel like a jack of all trades. Your clients come to you with all sorts of accounting questions, technology questions, human resources questions, marketing questions, and the list just goes on an on. And most of you, me included, will try and help them with just about everything and anything.

Is it so bad to be a trusted adviser to your clients? Is it wrong to be the first person they call when they have problem or question? Is it wrong to be the person they have confidence in, to give them the correct answers, and the best advice all the time?

The answer is – it could be!

The world of benefits, specifically Human Resources (HR), can truly be complicated. There are so many laws and regulations that seem to change almost daily, not to mention vary from state to state. If you are not a legal expert on HR, and you do not have access to an expert on your staff, you should think twice about offering HR advice.

I know what you are thinking, they just have a simple question about who they can offer benefits to and they are wondering if it’s discrimination. You’ve been in this industry for 30 years, and you know about discrimination testing, you can just give them your opinion. You certainly could give your two cents but if you do you could be opening yourself up to costly litigation.

So what can you do when you want to be that trusted adviser, and the first person your client comes to? Outsource! Offer them access to your trusted partners in various industries. Partners that you have adequately vetted, that you trust to provide your clients with quality service!

Sticking with the HR example above, give them access to an online HR Support Center they can utilize 24/7. A great online HR Support Center will have the most up-to-date laws and regulations for each state and on a federal level. They will send important law alerts directly to your email, or mobile app as things happen, and they will give you access to ask all your unique HR questions and get answers from certified HR professionals.

Additionally, most of these online HR Support Centers will also give your clients access to additional discounts for new hire on boarding/testing, custom plan documents, custom handbooks, and much more!

Giving your clients access to experts in multiple other fields will allow you to keep helping them with all their questions, without the worry of legal trouble!