As the role of brokers continues to evolve, they are no longer just insurance providers but strategic advisors helping businesses navigate workforce complexities.

3Sixty Insights’ Geoff Webb sits down with Andrea Dumont, Vice President Channel Marketing at isolved, to discuss how brokers are adapting to meet the changing needs of HR and HCM. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Andrea shares insights into how brokers are expanding their service offerings, leveraging technology, and strengthening client relationships to provide greater value.

She explores the increasing reliance on brokers for strategic business advice, the impact of compliance challenges, and how HR technology plays a central role in delivering long-term success.
How are brokers differentiating themselves in a crowded market? What role does trust and technology play in building lasting client partnerships?
Tune in as Andrea breaks down the latest trends shaping the broker landscape and how HCM platforms like isolved are helping them stay ahead.

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Transcript:
Geoff Webb 00:00

Hello and welcome to this 3Sixty Insights, #HRTechChat. My name is Geoff Webb. I’m contributing analyst with 3Sixty Insights, and today I have the huge pleasure to be joined by Andrea Dumont from isolved. Welcome Andrea,

Andrea Dumont 00:15

thank you, Geoff. It’s so great to be here. Appreciate it. Oh, thank you

Geoff Webb 00:19

for joining us. Tell me a little bit just before we really get started about you and your role at I solved

Andrea Dumont 00:26

Absolutely. So I’ve had the pleasure of working in the HCM space for just over 20 years now, and it’s been unbelievable change across those 20 years. There’s no doubt. And so I’ve worked on everything across the talent acquisition side in terms of, how do you find the right people, no matter where they live and work in the world, to the talent retention side of, once you have those folks there, how do you keep them? How do you keep them engaged? How do you make sure they have a great experience? So that’s part of what brought me to isold, as we’re kind of working a lot with partners and brokers and really understanding how we can help them give their clients the best experience possible. So my role is to work with all of our partner community and really help them understand not only the value that we could bring, but all the products that we have in our portfolio as well.

Geoff Webb 01:15


Yeah, absolutely to that point, isolve really does have a huge range of capabilities. It brings to market both sort of for the sort of directly for organizations, but also for those partners and those brokers. You really deliver sort of the full suite from sort of finding and, as you say, finding employees all the way on through onboarding and education and development and payroll and everything else that you could possibly imagine. It’s a really, really broad offering, which is amazing, and of course, it obviously has an impact on the things that the brokers can deliver, too. I’d love to get your perspective before we sort of dive in on exactly the relationship between isolved and the brokers and everything else. What do you see happening in the world of those brokers right now? You

Andrea Dumont 01:59

know, it’s really interesting, because it’s changed so much, I would say in the last year or two, I think that a lot of the brokers are working with small businesses that are still navigating the impact of the pandemic. I mean, I know that’s probably overstated at times, but they’re still dealing with, how do we manage folks, how do we bring them back to the office? How do we have them have a great experience? And so that’s really looking at kind of the rapidly changing workforce, which I know is a topic all organizations are addressing in terms of not just generational issues, but what does the look of the workforce be now in terms of how we bring a company together? I think the other piece that a lot of kind of the current situation is looking at is, I believe there’s really increased complexity dealing with compliance requirements and workforce expectations that are really, dare I say, burdening HR departments, or really giving them an opportunity to really have to broaden their scope there, and that’s a huge stretch for them, and a huge change. And I think also, you know, from a broker perspective, I would say business leaders are really relying on them very heavily to not just bring an insurance discussion, but to bring strategic business advice or operational consulting, right? So both worlds are changing so significantly, you’ve got the increased complexity on the HR side, and they’re really leaning into these brokers to help them navigate all that change.

Geoff Webb 03:24

Yeah, and I’ve had the been very lucky. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to some of the brokers that work closely with isolved, and they certainly echo that. That sentiment, right, that the pressures on them have changed, the demands, what their customers expect from them, has become far more, far more integrated into sort of understanding how to manage their business and navigating those challenges. Of to your point, exactly the changing workforce that’s occurring and that,

Andrea Dumont 03:54

you know, I would also say it’s their advantage too, though. Jeff right, because I think that when brokers are kind of expanding their service offering beyond the traditional insurance to HR Payroll, enhancing value and differentiation to the workforce. So I would say that it gives them an opportunity to increase their offering, not just for financial advice, but also, I would say, support advisory, in helping these overburden HR teams kind of manage these challenges. So it does present a great opportunity for them.

Geoff Webb 04:27

I love that. I love that, yeah, you’re right, that that’s this is both an increase in the demands on the brokers, but also a huge opportunity for them to, as you say, right, to deliver more value that obviously, therefore has, you know as the customer’s world is changing, the broker’s world is changing as they respond to that, that must therefore also have an impact on what the sort of the brokers are asking of technology providers like I solve that that sort of feeds back into what they want from you. Of course, absolutely. And how are you seeing? That evolving? Yeah,

Andrea Dumont 05:01

I think that it’s a couple of ways, it’s interesting. We did kind of a study where we interviewed, I would say, very, three very large national brokers that, you know, they represent approximately 20 billion in business, right? So they really are, what I would say, at the forefront in the evolution of, kind of this industry, and it’s really interesting, because they’re each taking a very different approach to how they’re to this challenge that you just brought up, right? How are they growing their business, and how are they dealing with the changing nature of their relationship? And I kind of broke it, I’d like to break it down in kind of three ways, in terms of how I see they’re responding right to this and really kind of trying to adapt it. I think that going to their broker community in the past, from an HR perspective, they were really looking for, I would argue, most cost effective insurance, right? And today, it really represents a much more highly consultative advisory approach, where brokers are expected to provide advice and support on a wide range of questions regarding the business. It’s no longer just the insurance fee, so, right? So from that perspective, you know, brokers really need to look for that partner and the technology that allows them to allow have that wide range, right? And it’s interesting one, I think one interviewee that we talked to said, you know, I’m here to consult, right, and solve your problems and help whatever way we can to empower your business to grow efficiently. I mean, talk about broad scope that they now have, versus kind of looking just at the insurance and what they can bring so they now have this remit that allows them to have the technology discussion and the strategic discussion that they hadn’t before. And I thought that was just really interesting because, you know, it now broadens the scope of a broker which is promising and also challenging at the same time, right? And that’s why I think we’re seeing so much of the advisory boards pop up across these brokers to really look at technology implementation, things of that sort. Yeah,

Geoff Webb 07:09

yeah, you’re right. So again, it becomes more of a again, the brokers are seeing a requirement and an opportunity to become much more strategic in their engagement with their customers. And I think for you know, a company like I solve that has such a broad range of offerings that you can take to the brokers and therefore to their their customers, that that is both, again, an opportunity to change the sort of the nature of the relationship and what you can deliver. Also, of course, it is. It throws out challenges you have to then be able to respond to the needs of the brokers and ultimately, their customers. And you know, what do you think brokers are looking for in a partner when they think about, Well, where am I going to go to get the support for a technology and services that I need to meet the requirements of my customers?

Andrea Dumont 07:56

Yeah, it’s a great question. I think brokers do it a different way. I think that there, there’s different, I would say, a growing need for these advisory boards that have technology evaluation expertise, if you will. I know one of the the individuals we spoke to, they had a HR Technology Division right that stays on top of latest developments, but they also work with their clients, I would say, to evaluate their customers need, and then are able to recommend a solution that fits, you know, the problems that they’re saving. So I think that that’s how they’re evolving to really evaluate that technology piece where they didn’t have that opportunity before. So how do you evaluate that tech stack? Assist with integrations, troubleshoot some stubborn issues, if you will, that prevent HR teams from running smoothly. And I think on the tech side, we’ve seen, to my point, that people that are really doing the evaluation all the way through implementation, and then we see some folks that are like, Nope, I’m not touching implementation, right? We’re going to stay agnostic from that perspective. And folks have a different approach to where they rather than becoming involved in the implementation, their approach stays more, I would say, overall, kind of as a strategic advisor, right? So you’ve got HR tech consultants, if you will, where they talk to customers about a full suite right of human capital issues that they’re having. Or do I need a standalone technology for COBRA Benefits Administration, and it really helps the client, I think, create a strategy to have that unbiased advisor, if you will, and helps them really evaluate the marketplace, which is so crowded, as you know?

Geoff Webb 09:45

Yeah, absolutely, I see that’s interesting. So what you’re seeing then is that the brokers are really again, obviously, it depends on the way that the broker engages with their customers and the value that they’re offering. Everything from we’re sort of technology advisors all the way. Through to Wigan alone and help you implement, which, again, that must therefore reflect that you get a range of requirements from the brokers of how you need to support both the sort of point of view of, are they asking you to educate them all the way through to do they help? You know, are they coming to you and asking helpers implement and drive success for the customer themselves? I mean, is that, is that the range that you get 100

Andrea Dumont 10:22

100% spot on? And I think, I think, despite whatever difference philosophies they bring to the table, what’s really exciting for me, at least, is that they all have a central importance of HR and HCM in delivering value, right? So finally, see they’re seeing that, that wheel, that HR and HCM is the center, if you will, of that change. And I think, you know, I look at how they’re coming to us in kind of three types of categories, or different areas of value that they’re they’re bringing and centered around. I think the first one that they look at is, how can I evaluate the differentiated offerings? Right as a business leader, as a broker, I’m seeking, I would say the business leaders are seeking more and more advice on dealing with complexity of this market, who can provide tailored advice in a to attract customers in a way traditional brokers with a limited portfolio right could not right. So they’re really looking at their bag of business and saying, What can I put in that bag to really differentiate myself? I think that the second area that I’ve heard a lot about is the concept of close involvement with HR or HCM brings value to both right client and broker, because I would say that a large chunk of what some of these brokers do with payroll and capital management is not just about the insurance or the benefits, it’s about what they can deliver through the ecosystem, right down to payroll, all the way through to alumni strategies, right so looking at that value offer and really understanding the diverse range of services they could provide. And I think the third, I guess the way that I would look at the third way that when we’ve been doing a lot of interviews and talking to these brokers, is really just the connection, I would say more deeply with our clients, because in the end, like with any business, I think the lasting connection between them and the businesses they serve is going to be their lifeline. I remember one interview that we did, one of the gentlemen said, I look at payroll and HCM as a line that perhaps leads to other lines, right? So delivering solutions that help the company fuel their growth, and so that differentiation of offering is really important, because they may come in for a point solution, but now you can grow with them. Oh, that’s really

Geoff Webb 12:57

interesting, yeah. And that really is a pretty profound change in the way that they’re operating. Then that, again, to your point, it differentiates them, but it also opens the door to longer term value, which therefore sort of further cements the relationship. That’s, yeah, that’s a that’s a real evolution. And again, great that you’re there in a position to support them as they as they sort of evolve themselves in the way that they deliver value to their customers. So, I mean, I know isol puts a lot of time and energy into those relationships. And I’m curious, from your your sort of lofty perspective, from, you know, you see, what is going on. Tell me a little bit about what isol, you know, how do you focus and what’s isol sort of focusing on when it comes to relationships with the brokers?

Andrea Dumont 13:40

Absolutely, I think, you know, it’s, I’m asked this question a lot, and I’ve always kind of break it down into three areas. It’s about service, trust and flexibility. That’s kind of how I look at that. And I think that the vital importance of having a high degree of trust, for example, in their partners. Every single person we interviewed across some of these folks for this interview and for the research notes, said trust was the number one issue, because when a broker brings a third party to a customer, it’s the broker’s reputation that’s on the line, right? So a poorly chosen vendor or partner or any other supplier, right? Can can cause that broker to lose a valuable customer, and you have some credibility issues, so that absolutely across the board, is something that we pride ourselves in, in terms of really looking at that white glove level of service and helping them bring the full power of isolt to their clients. And as you mentioned earlier, we have a lot of everything from acquisition to retention to alumni in our suite, and so we do a significant amount of work with our brokers to not to only educate them on our offering, but also for them to understand that we understand your clients. We start with a little wedge of what we’ve got right so how can we help you build that and expand your book of business and protect their. Relationship with their customers, right? That’s a big, big part of everything.

Geoff Webb 15:08

Yeah, I love it. I love it. I think, you know, again, what we’ve talked about through most of this has been that sort of long term evolution, the changes that occurring, and obviously what that means for you. I’m curious if you have any sort of sense of where all this is headed in the future. Do you see this continuing? Do you think we’ve sort of plateaued? What’s the sort of sense of where all that’s going to head over the next few years?

Andrea Dumont 15:34

Yeah, it’s a really good question, because it’s so evolving. And I think, you know, I think it’s the need for brokers customers to continue to evolve, as do the brokers, right? HCM platforms, and this is what I love about the HR market, is that HR platform sits squarely, in my opinion, at the heart of business operations. They touch every employee on a constant basis, right? So from that perspective, they form an ideal platform for brokers to offer more strategic value right than simply streamlining and proving operational tasks, right? So when we look at that, how do we help drive strategy for HR and provide that ability to use deep insight across the technology and the operations of the business to offer more services. And I think that’s some of the key for brokers, is that without having that integral engine right that can really understand employee experience, they may not have that insight otherwise, so they won’t have that opportunity to create that connection of I’m seeing this point of business, therefore you really should focus on this in your next step of your journey. I

Geoff Webb 16:46

love it. I love it. I love that. That’s that sort of sense you describe it as the engine of insight and employee experience. What a great place to be as a supplier, as a vendor, as a partner with these folks as they sort of navigate what’s happening in the future. That’s

Andrea Dumont 17:02

a great really, is an incredibly powerful time to really think through that. And I think the other piece is not just the technology, right in terms of the the aspect of that, but it’s the HR industry in general. And you know, there’s definitely going to see, over the next years, a reduction in number of tenured HR professionals. They’re thinking about retirement, career changes, right? And so we’re really thinking about, you know, those HR teams not only were under such extreme pressure, but the pandemic, but they haven’t fully recovered as a result of that. So that’s why some of these consulting partners and brokers are offering more support to the teams. One one broker I spoke to recently said that there’s because of the high turnover they’re dealing, perhaps with a younger generation coming in without the big scope of the experience. So they’re really jumping into company so frequently that where the younger generation, or the younger folks coming in, are inheriting technologies that weren’t part of their build they’ve never had exposure to, and so they’re partnering with their broker to be like, explain this to me, help me understand, is this the direction we should go in moving forward?

Geoff Webb 18:17

I love it. Yep, there’s a lot of change going on, changes in generation, changes expectations, and again, that evolves and changes the relationships between the technology providers like I sold to provide a lot of support and technology for all of those brokers and their customers too. And it’s great to see that you’re going to be right there with them, helping them as they navigate all of those changes and continue to be successful and be that engine of employee experience. What a great way to think of the whole thing. This has been awesome. Thank you. Andrea, I really appreciate you giving us a perspective on what’s happening in the world of brokers, what’s happening with their customers, and how technology providers like isol can be right there to support the broker and ultimately, therefore make their customers successful. Built on that relationship of trust, which is absolutely perfect. My name is Jeff Webb, and this has been a 3Sixty Insights #HRTechChat with the amazing Andrea Dumont from isolved. Thank you. Thank