America's Benefit Specialist April 2023

FROM MANUAL TO MODERN: HOW MEDICARE AGENTS ARE EMBRACING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MEDICARE MATTERS

By Sarah Jacobson CEO, FairStreet San Francisco, CA sarah@thefairstreet.com

To do their jobs effectively, agents must juggle several tools. These include quoting and enrollment, client man agement, call recording, training platforms, carrier websites, email communication and similar resources. Some agents have over 50 websites bookmarked in their web browser for these different needs (not to mention the corresponding usernames and passwords). To serve a single client, they may need as many as 10 tabs open at once. This reality creates a significant dilemma: The tedious, administrative tasks required of an agent take away valuable time that could be spent attending to the needs of seniors. ADDING UP THE HOURS In December of 2022, FairStreet surveyed 170 independent Medicare agents ranging from one year of experience to over 30 years in the industry. The survey results show that agents devote an average of 77 minutes per client in one-on-one

For seniors, the prospect of retirement can be overwhelm ing, with significant changes to their insurance coverage, finances and daily routine. Independent Medicare agents play a crucial role during this transition in educating seniors on their healthcare and insurance options. However, being a successful agent requires more than a friendly personality and a knowledge of policies and benefits. AGENTS ARE STRATEGIZING WAYS TO IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AND PERSONAL WELL BEING DURING THE UPCOMING AEP.

24 ABS | benefitspecialistmagazine.com