Only 56% of companies procuring staff benefits use a broker, yet 90% of those who do think it is money well spent, Denplan has found.
The dental cash plan provider's 2011 benefits survey of 600 employee benefit decision makers and 3,106 UK adults, found only 34% of companies see the importance of using a broker to impart expertise that was not available from within the company.
In general, the cost of engaging a broker was viewed as the main barrier (30% of companies overall) but 21% of companies didn't feel they understood the benefit of using a broker, suggesting that further education is required.
The most valued service a broker brought to the table is negotiating power (30%), a service that increased in value as the size of the client company increased.
Other key services include provision of impartial market reviews, provision of expertise and market updates. For both companies that use and broker and those that don't, these services formed the top four most valuable broker services.
Pam Whelan, Denplan's Corporate Dental Sales Manager says: "The Dental Benefits Survey shows just how influential brokers are when it comes to those choices. These results can help understand the key dynamics in the broker/client relationship and ensure you're maximising your commercial opportunities this year."
Denplan also found nearly a quarter of UK companes (23%) offer no health and wellbeing benefits to their staff at all, rising to 40% for the SME sector, according to Denplan.
The top two factors in choosing benefits are cost and value for money, with 50% of company decision makers citing this as the primary basis for choosing benefits.
The popularity of dental plans among employers was actually higher than it was amongst employees. While 71% of companies think a dental plan is a valuable benefit to employee welfare, 58% of employees without a plan would appreciate access to a plan.
Roger Matthews, Chief Dental Officer, Denplan, commented: "We all know that prevention is better than cure and evidence is mounting that poor oral health can lead to a host of general health issues. It seems that the economic climate is having an effect on dental attendance, but this makes dental benefits schemes all the more attractive and valuable for brokers, companies and employees alike."
Up to 31% of companies reviewing their employee benefits are considering adding a dental plan.
