Brokers play a pivotal role in delivering client service – but many feel their partnerships with insurance carriers aren’t keeping pace with customer expectations. From outdated platforms to a lack of real-time visibility into claims, brokers face frustrations that ultimately impact the client experience.
This is according to Caroline Giroux-Huppé (pictured), manager of customer and growth, marketing, sales and service at EY Design Studio. She said that, based on their latest report, three issues stand out as the most persistent: limited personalization, sluggish processes, and outdated technology.
Giroux-Huppé noted that while traditional insurers still hold key advantages – such as trusted brand recognition, long-standing customer relationships, and the ability to offer competitive pricing – these strengths alone may no longer be sufficient in today’s market.
Insurtech firms and online disruptors are raising the bar by designing operations that are streamlined, digitally integrated, and hyper-focused on customer needs from day one, she says. In contrast, legacy insurers often struggle with siloed data and complex infrastructure, which slows their ability to innovate.
“The disruptors are much more agile at figuring out what the customers will want or expect from insurance and then focusing on that right away,” she told Insurance Business.
According to Giroux-Huppé, brokers often find themselves caught between rising customer expectations and the limitations of the systems their insurer partners provide. One of the most frequent complaints is a lack of real-time information during the claims process.
Customers today expect near-instant updates and seamless service – but many are still forced to navigate opaque systems that don’t tell them what stage a claim is at, how long it will take, or what’s missing. This uncertainty erodes trust and makes it harder for brokers to confidently manage client relationships, she says.
Behind the scenes, claim centers, call centers, and back-office teams often operate in silos, with limited integration. This disconnect, she said, means brokers and clients must chase down updates or rely on fragmented communication, especially during critical moments like contract finalization or policy amendments.
At the same time, she warned that brokers feel they can’t offer the level of personalization that customers have come to expect. This undermines their value proposition – especially when compared with the seamless, customized experiences offered by digital-first competitors, she said.
Another recurring frustration is the lack of self-service tools and insufficient autonomy. In an era where other industries empower users to manage their own services with dashboards and instant access to performance metrics, Giroux-Huppé said that brokers are often left in the dark.
She addeds that many report limited control over key workflows, particularly during the claims, cancellation, or refund process. She warns that , without visibility or the ability to act independently, brokers are unable to respond quickly to clients – creating bottlenecks that damage their credibility and hamper business performance.
In addition, Giroux-Huppé said that brokers frequently cited a lack of timely support from insurers, especially outside of core business hours. Whether it’s a weekend policy bind or a last-minute client request, delays in insurer response can create confusion, prolong deal cycles, and lead to customer dissatisfaction.
“That can lead to dissatisfaction, but also confusion, if there's multiple back and forth. It also [impacts] their ability to close the deals, their performance, as well as the consumer experience,” she said.
Giroux-Huppé said that personalization isn’t just a customer expectation, but something brokers themselves are asking for. Many want insurer resources and services to be better tailored to their own focus areas and clientele.
Not all brokers, she said, offer the same mix of products or serve the same segments. Some specialize in commercial clients, others in personal lines; some operate in rural areas, others in urban centers. Yet, she added that many insurers still deliver one-size-fits-all support and offerings, which can limit broker effectiveness and leave niche needs unmet.
The goal of the report wasn’t just to document frustrations – it was to uncover what was happening in the “backstage” of insurers that might be creating friction. That included legacy technology, siloed data, under-supported employees, and rigid processes. By aligning these factors with broker and customer experiences, Giroux-Huppé said that her team was able to pinpoint opportunities for change.
To move the needle, Giroux-Huppé said that insurers can’t get away with internal assumptions, and they should be prioritizing pain points identified by brokers and customers themselves.
One of the fastest ways to improve outcomes, she said, is to simplify and streamline the most painful processes first.
Insurers need to focus on messy workflows (like unclear handoffs or redundant steps), adopt clearer roles and benchmark against best-in-class practices.
“The insurers need to find pain points for the customers, and try to bridge the gap between the customer experience and their expectations. Your main problem is not necessarily what you think it is,” she said.
