Intermediaries deliver value for money, research suggests

An “overwhelming” majority of employers which use brokers to source dental cover as an employee benefit believe they represent value for money, according to a major piece of research published this week.

Almost nine in ten (87%) of companies believe this to be the case, the research suggests, with an even higher percentage of medium-sized businesses valuing intermediated advice on dental benefits.

The survey of over 500 HR decision makers across the country, carried out by Denplan, shows that 91% of medium-sized businesses that have used a broker to access dental benefits for staff believe they offer value for money.

The importance of brokers’ ability to negotiate deals or special rates has increased from 29% in 2011 to 41% this year. Thirty four per cent of respondents to the survey said "market advice" was an important reason for using a broker, while the "expertise" they provide was ranked as key for 34% of those surveyed.

The survey also shows that those employers which have not tried the services of brokers are less convinced of the value they can add, with less than 10% rating any of these attributes as important.

The research, which also contains results of a survey of consumer and employee attitudes to dental cover, is available for free by emailing corporatesales@denplan.co.uk.