Each new product and service has the potential to be purchased at a point of sale or use—meaning that digital service and multi-channel strategies are crucial to serving the new SMB cohort.

Today’s digital hub works best when many different types of spokes work together efficiently, including different payment and data types, differing product types, and even different customer types.

Instead of continuing the decades-long fight for a share of the same large employer market, we now have an unmet market opportunity with small and medium employers.

Insurers are in the midst of a tremendous shift that will require not only retooling systems but mindsets as well—it is a necessary reconfiguring for insurers that wish to retain and grow market share.

The real answer in the data game is to figure out where the data may be applied, where it will have the most impact, and do the best.

Group and Voluntary insurers must address one of their most impactful stressors—their operational model and technology foundation—which requires a focus on business transformation.

Leaders that wish to remain on top of the competition will keep distribution technology at the forefront of their priorities. They will also return frequently to their distribution strategy and assess its alignment with individual and business customer channel trends.

APIs, microservices, digital capabilities, new/non-traditional data sources, and advanced analytics capabilities are now essential to growth, profitability, customer engagement, channel reach, and workforce change.

Can group & voluntary insurers prioritize updates to their data frameworks, as well as improve their digital service through cloud-based core systems? These are questions of immediate importance as SMBs quickly grow adept at locating and carrying innovative benefits and services.