Product expert vs trusted advisor: Brokers must deliver integrated employee experiences

# Quick summary

Chris Morbelli, partner and Americas life and group benefits transformation leader at EY, says the competitive edge in US group benefits is becoming the integrated experience brokers deliver across an employee's working life. The broker of the future is less a product expert and more a trusted advisor who can demonstrate outcomes at the moments employees need support.

# What's changing

Gen Z and millennials now outnumber Gen X and baby boomers in the workforce. That demographic shift changes what employees want and how they engage with benefits. Younger cohorts expect personalized, life-stage and event-based solutions rather than one-size-fits-all programs.

# Why brokers face pressure

Brokers are being asked to advise on areas beyond traditional medical and dental coverage: leave guidance, infertility benefits, access to caregiving services, weight-loss medications, and mental health supports. Employers expect help translating coverage into real-world support for employees across different ages and life situations.

Interviews Morbelli conducted with brokers reveal a common question: How do we maintain pace in an unprecedented rate of change? Firms that adapt earliest will shape competition over the next decade.

# How carriers are responding

# Practical implications for brokers

• Translate coverage into outcomes: frame benefits as income protection, caregiving support, or mental-health access instead of product names.
• Expand advisory scope: develop capabilities or partnerships for leave navigation, fertility pathways, chronic care support and other event-driven services.
• Use segmentation thinking: tailor recommendations to employer size and workforce composition rather than applying the same playbook to all clients.

# Concrete examples mentioned in interviews

Brokers are fielding client questions that reach beyond core benefits: how plans support parental leave, infertility treatment access, long-term caregiving for aging parents, and employees managing disability or bereavement. These are the moments employers expect benefits to deliver tangible support.

# What success looks like

Success is demonstrated, measurable improvement in employee outcomes and clearer ROI for employers. That can mean smoother enrollment experiences for new hires, faster and more supportive claims processes for disability, or coordinated offerings that help a sandwich-generation employee manage simultaneous work and caregiving responsibilities.

# Bottom line