How does Service 1st Benefits support my business during open enrollment?

We personally manage the entire open enrollment process — from educating employees to handling enrollment forms and answering plan questions. Our goal is to make open enrollment smooth and stress-free for everyone.

Can employees contact you directly for help?

Yes. Employees can reach out to us anytime for questions about claims, coverage, ID cards, or plan details. We act as your team’s benefits partner, not just your broker.

What size businesses do you work with?

We specialize in serving small and medium-sized businesses, typically ranging from 1–200 employees. If you’re growing or planning to expand, we help scale your benefits as your team grows.

Do you handle communication with insurance carriers for us?

Absolutely. We take care of claims issues, employee changes, renewals, and any carrier communication so you don’t have to spend hours on hold.

Do you offer voluntary or supplemental benefits?

Yes. We can provide optional add-ons like disability, accident, or critical illness insurance to enhance your benefits package at little or no cost to the employer.

What types of group benefits do you offer?

We provide comprehensive group health, dental, vision, and life insurance options for small and medium-sized businesses. We help you compare plans, handle enrollment, and manage carrier communication.

What information do you need to provide a quote?

We typically need: Number of employees Basic employee census (age, gender, ZIP code) Current plan (if applicable) Desired benefits or coverage goals We keep the process as simple as possible.

Do you charge fees for your services?

No. Our services — including plan comparison, open enrollment, and year-round support — are provided at no additional cost to your business.

5 Signs It's Time to Switch Employee Benefits Brokers

Charlie Hopgood
2 days ago
2 min read

You already pay for broker service — it's baked into your premium whether you use it or not. So if you're not getting it, you're not saving money by staying put. You're just leaving service on the table. Here's how to tell.

1. You only hear from them at renewal

If the only time your broker calls is 60 days before your plan year ends, they're managing a book of business, not managing your account. A broker who's actually working for you checks in through the year — before problems show up, not after.

2. Your employees call you, not them

When an employee can't figure out a claim or needs help with enrollment, who do they call? If the answer is "me" instead of "my broker," you're doing their job for them, unpaid, on top of running your business.

3. Renewals just... go up, every year, no pushback

A renewal increase without a real negotiation — no re-shopping the market, no plan design alternatives presented, just "here's your new number" — means nobody's fighting for you. That's the single most expensive sign on this list.

4. Enrollment is still manual

Spreadsheets, paper forms, emailed PDFs — if this is still how your team enrolls in benefits, your broker isn't running modern administration. Platforms like Employee Navigator exist specifically to take this off your plate. If you've never heard your broker mention it, ask why.

5. You've never met the person handling your account

At a big national broker, account reps rotate. If you're on your third contact in three years and nobody actually knows your business, you've got the resources of a large firm and the personal service of neither. That's the worst combination in this business — you're paying for size and getting none of the benefit of it.

What switching actually involves

This is the part that keeps owners stuck with a broker they've outgrown: they assume switching means disrupting coverage. It doesn't. Your plan, your carrier, your rates — none of that has to change mid-year. What changes is who's managing it. A new broker can typically step into the broker-of-record role on your existing plan without any interruption to your employees' coverage.

Start here

If two or more of these sound familiar, don't wait for your next renewal to do something about it — that's exactly the passive approach that got you here. Talk to Service 1st Benefits about a broker-of-record switch. We'll review your current plan, tell you honestly if it's competitive, and take over administration without your employees noticing anything except better service.