Every year, Zywave’s Broker Services Survey takes the pulse of the broker-client relationship. This year’s results, drawn from more than 1,400 employers across the U.S., point to a client base that’s more satisfied than ever on the surface, but gradually raising the bar underneath. A closer look at the data shows exactly where that bar is rising fastest, and it’s a gap AI is increasingly well-positioned to help close.
Broker Satisfaction Is High, But Client Loyalty Is More Fragile Than It Looks
The report highlights that 85% of clients are satisfied or very satisfied with their broker, matching recent years’ gains. But a third of clients only evaluate their broker after something goes wrong, and the reasons clients would leave haven’t changed in years.
The reasons include slow response times, inconsistent communication, and an inability to act as a strategic advisor. A book of business that looks stable on paper can be one missed renewal call away from walking.
Why Insurance Clients Now Expect Brokers to Be Strategic Advisors
The share of clients who say being a trusted advisor, rather than a salesperson, matters when selecting a broker has climbed from 56% in 2023 to 71% this year, now the second-most important selection criterion overall. Clients expect proactive market intelligence, benchmarking data, and strategic guidance delivered consistently, not just at renewal.
That expectation is outpacing what most brokers currently deliver. The survey found a 43-point gap between clients who want a multiyear strategic benefit plan and brokers who fully provide one, and a similar 38-point gap on commercial risk management support. These are structural gaps between what advisory service now means and what most books of business can staff for by hand.
How AI Helps Insurance Brokers Close the Advisory Gap
AI insurance tools can help close many of these gaps. Benchmarking data, market intelligence, proactive renewal outreach, and multiyear strategic planning all depend on synthesizing information faster and more consistently than any person can do by hand across a full book of clients.
AI tools that surface risk insights, flag coverage gaps, and prepare renewal recommendations automatically don’t replace the advisor relationship clients clearly want, they make it scalable across every account.
The survey data backs this up directly: for the first time, “integrating AI effectively” appeared as a new top-10 benefits challenge for employers, and “failure to leverage modern technology and AI-powered tools” now ranks among the top reasons clients would consider switching brokers. Clients aren’t just tolerant of AI in this relationship anymore, they’re starting to expect it.
Download the Full 2026 Broker Services Survey Report
These are just a few threads from a much deeper dataset. The survey also breaks down communication expectations, renewal timing preferences, C-suite-specific findings, and year-over-year trends across employee benefits and commercial lines. Knowing exactly where the expectation gaps are widest is the first step toward closing them, whether that’s through better process, better tools, or both.
Download the full 2026 Broker Services Survey Report to see the complete data and find out where your own client relationships stand.
