Business Partner of the Year
This category is designed to recognise outstanding service partners who consistently go the extra mile for their UK-based brokers and insurers to help them structure, deliver, and communicate about their products and services to their clients and partners.
From loss adjusters, technology firms and ratings agencies, to communications/ marketing agencies, consultancies, fraud and credit data specialists – judges were looking for innovative approaches and expertise, tireless service and demonstrable evidence of success.
All the finalists are listed below. Use the links to find out more from the entrants who have answered our series of Q&As.
GOLD: Close Brothers Premium Finance working in partnership with Ardonagh
SILVER: Xceedance
BRONZE: Confused.com and iovation, a TransUnion Company
Acturis Limited
Solera Audatex UK and Markerstudy Insurance Services
EDAM Group
IDEX Consulting
Acturis Limited
What key achievement did your entry highlight?
Following client demand and working closely with our clients, Acturis developed a native app allowing real-time access to the Acturis system on-the-go from a mobile device. The app is available for iOS and Android and, uniquely, access is free to our partners. A tool that aligns to today's working practices and helps our partners drive digital strategy at no extra cost.
Can you share data or testimonials to back up your bid to win?
"Our account execs and claims managers report that the app adds real value to the way in which they service their clients as they will now have the full client record at their fingertips." Gareth Cotty, MD, Thomas Carroll.
"By using the Acturis app, our teams have front-line access to client and risk data in the palm of their hands, both in and out of working hours." Gavin Mead, director, GM Insurance Brokers.
"Another advantage to Acturis being mobile is it creates a sleek and professional appearance for ARs when accessing their clients' needs." Dawn Derbyshire, director, Ten Insurance Services.
What sets your firm apart from the other shortlisted contenders?
We always work with the aim to add continuous value to our partners. This, along with our process, is what sets apart from the other contenders. Throughout this project, we worked in partnership with our clients to research and identify true needs of the users, collaborated on an early-phase pilot to spot further enhancements and launched the first version to reflect our partners' demands. Since then, the app has been continuously enhanced in close collaboration with our partners, to increase benefits for their business and maximise efficiency for their teams.
How will you celebrate if you are the victor?
Being recognised once more for our long-term commitment to our partners will be a great honour for Acturis. We always celebrate this kind of success by giving credit to our hard-working and devoted teams – the people behind the scenes who do their best to serve our clients and help them champion digital change.
Solera Audatex UK, Markerstudy Insurance Services
What key achievement did your entry highlight?
Audatex worked with Markerstudy's project team to personalise and deploy its AudaFNOL platform into the organisation's back-office systems, as part of a long-term strategic business partnership designed to underpin its customer charter. AudaFNOL enables Markerstudy to handle its claims management processes from FNOL to repair or settlement, with care, attention and sensitivity. The key strategic objectives were to place the customer at the heart of operations while allowing Markerstudy to control costs, drive operational efficiencies and deliver superior service. Through shared understanding of priorities, best technology and industry practice Audatex and Markerstudy have built an integrated system that delivers continuously on that.
Can you share data or testimonials to back up your bid to win?
"Our partnership with Audatex has allowed us to offer customers another level of personalisation, improving the overall service we can offer our policyholders, which is always a priority. AudaFNOL has enabled us to significantly enhance the flexibility and transparency in our claims process, facilitating greater cost control and consolidating the relationship with our network of approved repairers. The integration of its solutions into our systems has been seamless, delivering improved communication and enhanced internal efficiencies." Steve Cross, group head of claims, Markerstudy Group.
What sets your firm apart from the other shortlisted contenders?
Audatex's AudaFNOL solution is the only available solution that utilises all customer and vehicle data throughout the claims process, from FNOL to settlement, placing the customer at the very heart of a claim. Working closely with Audatex to introduce AudaFNOL as part of a long-term partnership, Markerstudy has seen significant return on its implementation of the technology, whilst delivering on all four of our joint strategic objectives. Adding AudaFNOL's unique image capture capabilities into third-party claims has also put the customer in control of the process and given Markerstudy a USP in what is a highly competitive marketplace.
How will you celebrate if you are the victor?
Our celebrations will be shared by everyone on the Audatex and Markerstudy teams who worked extremely hard together to build and implement the solution, with such excellent results. Whether those celebrations will also involve congratulatory bubbly, football-esque team trophy shots and some interesting dance moves, that remains to be seen.
IDEX Consulting
What key achievement did your entry highlight?
In 2019, IDEX partnered with a pioneering insurance regulatory technology firm, enabling them to recruit 10 key individuals over six months, including a finance director, a sales team and account directors. IDEX created an efficient and effective process that minimised the client's financial and time costs and allowed them to focus on building a market-leading business. IDEX used a number of unique solutions including talent microsites, video interview technology platforms and a thorough skills assessment of existing staff, to benchmark the required traits and identify gaps in the client's talent pool.
Can you share data or testimonials to back up your bid to win?
"IDEX's bespoke solution resulted in the recruitment of 14 individuals, based on the value they can add to the business, regardless of their background, in keeping with our Damp;I strategy. This was achieved at a significantly reduced total cost, with an "interview to offer" ratio of 2:1, ensuring that the minimum amount of client time was wasted on unsuccessful interviews. An additional metric was to reduce the firm's reliance on contract workers and ultimately all costly, ineffective contractors were replaced with permanent workers who have gone on to generate record levels of income and additional revenue from the 3rd party referrals."
What sets your firm apart from the other shortlisted contenders?
The key in any organisation is the quality of its people. IDEX the only recruitment/talent management business in the category. We are a real business partner that can influence the direction of our clients by introducing and recommending the right people for their business. The recognition that people make the company would be a triumph for all of us. As Donald Trump has shown, the wrong people in the wrong job can be very dangerous.
How will you celebrate if you are the victor?
Shout about the award on all of our social media sites and celebrate with our people, as they are the most important part of our business.
SILVER: Xceedance
What key achievement did your entry highlight?
Our key achievement was to partner with a team of insurance professionals with many years of industry experience but no technical experience. We helped them launch an MGA, underpinned by an automated quote/bind/PAS platform, writing five lines of business (home, motor, investment property, pet and travel) within eight months of formation. As our MGA partner, Archipelago Risk Services, notes: Xceedance achieved this goal by utilising its MGA Agility Suite, a platform that — through usage of multiple data sources, connectors to third parties, inclusion of a sophisticated rating engine, and an automated underwriting process — is 10-15 times more efficient than a traditional MGA operation.
Can you share data or testimonials to back up your bid to win?
"By typical industry standards, one insurance professional can manage 1,000 individual policies annually. But with the Xceedance MGA Agility Suite, each Archipelago team member can manage 5,000 policies containing 25,000 individual risks annually. Moreover, it's a significant advantage that the application allows us to manage five homes, 20 cars, 20 investment properties, plus travel, and pet insurance, under a single policy. The Xceedance MGA Agility Suite empowers Archipelago with highly-automated workflows and a streamlined policy lifecycle — boosting efficiency, enhancing the policy buying experience, and lowering operating costs for us and our intermediary partners." Richard Coleman, managing director, Archipelago.
What sets your firm apart from the other shortlisted contenders?
Xceedance is a technology business that focuses exclusively on the global insurance and reinsurance industries. Xceedance combines deep technical knowledge of disciplines such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data and robotic process automation with a sophisticated understanding of insurance operations lifecycles and processes, and the practical challenges companies face on a day-to-day-basis. This means that the Xceedance team offers much more than technical support to insurance companies. It relies on its industry experience to create bespoke solutions that enable diverse insurance organisations to operate more efficiently, accurately, and profitably.
How will you celebrate if you are the victor?
First, Xceedance and Archipelago will be jointly thankful, and appreciatively celebrate the validation of the Insurance Times judges' panel — in acknowledging an exceptional partnership, and successful implementation/support of a state-of-the-art, MGA-focused bundle of technology and services. After that, Archipelago will continue to leverage its platform and partnership with Xceedance to further accelerate its considerable growth. In turn, Xceedance will leverage its comprehensive experience with Archipelago to add MGA platform feature-functionality, as well as implementation fluidity and expert insurance lifecycle service delivery, to the global MGA ecosystem.