Check the firm and the service
Use the FCA's guidance to check the firm, its permissions and the contact details you have been given. If the firm is an appointed representative, check its principal and the activities it can undertake. A listing is not a recommendation of that firm's service.
Compare the work between renewals
Describe a situation your People team actually faces: a joiner waiting for cover, an employee who cannot find a claim form, or an insurer query that nobody has resolved. Ask the broker to walk through who does what, how you raise the issue and what record you receive when it is closed.
Use the same questions with every firm. Ask to see a sample service calendar, renewal report and issue record with all client information removed. Write down what the broker will do, what your team must do and what the insurer decides.
Use the broker-work checklist. The 51-Week Benefits Broker Standard records Alltoogether's twelve service expectations. It is our published standard, not an external accreditation.
Check the cover and advice you need
List your existing arrangements and the questions you need answered before asking for a proposal. Ask which products and insurers the firm can advise on, where its service stops, and who handles work that needs a different specialist. Ask it to explain the proposed arrangement and any charges in writing before you agree.
The benefit guides explain the questions to take into a discussion about individual products. They do not select a policy for your organisation.
Considering a different broker?
If you are considering an alternative to your current consultancy, write down what you want to change in the service. Compare the proposed responsibilities, the people doing the work, the information you will receive and the cover that needs protecting during a transition.
Changing the adviser and changing the insurance are separate decisions. Ask what appointment documentation, insurer agreement and member information your circumstances require. Agree the sequence before cancelling or changing anything.
Speaking to Alltoogether
Alltoogether is a UK employee-benefits broker. You can use these questions with us. Our service and transition explanation sets out how we approach the work; the service scope for your arrangements is agreed before you appoint us.