“We’re looking to break the mould about what a traditional insurance broker is in today’s industry,” Tate Harris (pictured) told Insurance Business. A partner and broker at Canberra-based allinsure, Harris is clear in his view that clients should be treated as business partners, with this relationship based on a bedrock of trust and sound advice.
“We value advice - to our clients it is of the upmost importance,” he said. “It’s about building relationships to help find solutions.”
A two-time Insurance Business Top 10 Elite Brokers & Young Guns nominated broker, Harris is now a partner at the firm having spent the last 12 years in the insurance industry. He got his start in the industry the ‘old-school’ way, beginning with an entry-level receptionist position at Aon, before moving up the ladder to where he is now.
“I got the hang of it, enjoyed it and moved through the ranks from there,” explained Harris.
Born and bred in the capital, Harris has dedicated his time to working for clients based in the city – and he has no plans to leave that anytime soon.
“I don’t really see myself leaving,” he told Insurance Business. “I love visiting other cities and I enjoy seeing other cities, but there’s just something about Canberra that I enjoy coming back to.”
Read more: Tate Harris of allinsure
Word, Harris explained, spreads in Canberra – emphasising the need for brokers go above and beyond for their clients.
“Word of mouth spreads like wildfire, in Canberra in particular,” Harris said. So, how does allinsure ensure that it builds lasting, trusted partnerships with its clients?
“The four core pillars really drive the way that we want to approach business and how we deal with our clients,” Harris explained. Trust, choice, value and advice form these core values – and act as the engine that propels allinsure forward.
The brokerage’s commitment to sound advice, seen in its advice-based proposition commitment, is arguably the most important, relevant and appreciated value that the brokerage advocates.
“The other three values follow and naturally come through advice,” Harris explained. “It relates to being transparent with clients – you’re not holding back information from them, for whatever the reason may be. Our advice-based proposition is sitting down with them, being transparent and working it through – one size doesn’t fit all.”
Read more: How to win client trust as a young broker
Harris explained that allinsure is looking to cultivate a different image of insurance brokering.
“We’re looking to break the mould about what a traditional insurance broker is today in society,” he said. “We’re seen as a used car salesman – ‘we’ll sell you a product for the sake of it’ – and that’s not how we want to be seen.”
Sitting down with clients face-to-face, offering them well-researched and well-intentioned advice and valuing them as a partner is how brokers can go about reclaiming that positive image. Harris refers to the relationship one has with their accountant, or lawyer, as what brokers should be aiming to establish.
“The accountant is viewed in any business’s eyes as – ‘I need to go check with my accountant if I can do that.’ We want to be viewed as that – ‘I want to go check with my insurance broker as to what risks that may pose.’”
As a result of the recent bushfires and hailstorms, Harris and the team at allinsure utilised technology as an enabler to find clients in affected regions and reach out to them to offer assistance within hours of the events occurring, rather than sitting back and taking a reactive stance. “The truest test of our relationship is when our clients suffer a loss,” he said. They rely on us for advice, support and understanding and to be their advocate when they need it most.
“Nothing will ever replace a relationship and the ability to sit in front of someone, speak to them and look them in the eye and say ‘this is what that is, this is what it does and this is how it will work’.”
