Solution Underwriting is replacing its original online quoting tool with a new one, and here finance and operations manager Sarah Scoble (pictured) outlines what the underwriting agency aims to offer insurance brokers through the switch.
“It’s built in the same system as our internal tools,” Scoble told Insurance Business, referring to the new quoting platform. “What it means is that if a broker puts in a submission into the online quoting tool and it has to be referred, then our internal underwriters are notified of this immediately and they can, within the system, pick up where the broker left off and then finish the quote off for them.
“It makes the referral process much more efficient, as we’re notified as soon as a referral trigger is hit. And we don’t need to re-key the data in; it’s already in our system – we can just grab it, and then the internal underwriter can finish off the quote and get it back to the broker very quickly.”
It’s that link to the underwriting agency’s internal system that mainly differentiates the new quoting tool from its predecessor, which in itself was a good platform. Additionally, the replacement features increased security.
The Solution executive noted: “It’s got current best practice security over the top of it, so brokers can really have the comfort that the client data and information is secure, which in this day and age is so important.”
Lifting the lid on the move, Scoble revealed that the wider company system was purchased two years ago and that, while developing internal tools for the team, they recognised the opportunity to rebuild Solution’s existing online quoting tool within the new system.
Talking about some of the features of the quoting tool, she said: “It’s a nicer user interface for the brokers. We can provide workflow information to tell them where they’re at, and there are also more occupations that they can get a direct quote from on the system than previously.”
The new tool is far from being in its final form, though. In fact, Solution sees it as just the beginning, with further streamlining planned for the benefit of brokers.
“We want to continue to grow the tool so that it becomes a one-stop shop for brokers where they could eventually access certificates of currency,” highlighted Scoble. “Over time, we’ll also run renewals of policies through there. [The goal] is for it to become the portal for brokers to transact with Solution, rather than through emails.”
Meanwhile the old quoting tool will remain accessible via the agency’s website until the end of July, after which brokers will have to transition across to the new system in full.
“What we’ve been doing is emailing brokers in batches, and telling them about the new tool and how to log into it,” noted Scoble. “We wanted to do it not all straightaway, in case there was any issue with it, so we just did a staged rollout. The last set of brokers will be emailed in the next week, and then at the end of the month we’ll be turning the old system off.”
She went on to tell Insurance Business: “[So far] the broker feedback has been excellent. People say that it’s very intuitive and easy to use. And there have been no issues, which has been really nice as well.
“We’ve got the basics in place, and I’m excited about where we can go from here just to make the way brokers deal with us much easier for them. And we’ll continue to develop those other pieces of functionality so that it becomes the portal for dealing with Solution. I’m just excited to be able to have everyone on it.”
