The winners of the Insurance Business Canada Awards have been revealed, but the finalists and the teams that have supported them during their careers are still basking in the post-awards glow and the values of the insurance industry that the awards highlight each year.
“I never got in the industry for awards or to be noticed, but it feels good knowing that I’ve got a great team around me that is doing positive things for people,” said Jason Peterson, licensed insurance advisor at Surex, and a finalist for the Cansure Award for Insurance Broker of the Year at the 2019 awards.
Peterson first got into the insurance industry in 2013 when he was still a student completing a finance degree at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta.
“At the time I came across Surex, it was just getting started in the online insurance market and had recently secured a strategic partnership that was providing Surex with a lot of leads at the time,” he said. “I came on board as a broker to gain some work experience, service all the new leads and help pay for my education before moving into the world of finance upon graduation. Once I graduated, I enjoyed the work environment at Surex and wasn’t willing to part with the book of business I had been building along the way.”
In fact, his book of business and every name on that list is today one of Peterson’s key accomplishments from his time in the insurance industry so far, as is helping the company get to where it is today.
“When I joined Surex, it was a small start-up and looking back on the path it has taken to get to where it is today has been a testament of our hard work and willingness to adjust and accomplish our monthly and yearly goals to stay focused on being a leader in the insurance market,” he said, adding that another highlight has been expanding to British Columbia earlier this year, with a focus on home insurance to help grow his business.
That’s not the only thing that’s kept Peterson interested and engaged in insurance during the course of his career.
“I really enjoy the problem-solving aspect of [being] an insurance broker. Every day, I face new challenges from unique situations and I get to be a part of trying to solve their specific insurance-related problems,” he told Insurance Business. “My focus has always been on making insurance simple and fast for the client by avoiding all the extra hassle of appointments or backlogging myself with quotes or questions. Knowing that my clients are always going to be able to reach me directly or hear back from me during business hours within only a couple minutes keeps me very engaged and has become very addictive.”
Being a problem-solver in the insurance market in Alberta is a critical trait of a successful broker, considering the challenges with auto insurance in the province, which has resulted in insureds getting limited options for appropriate coverage.
“We have been fortunate to not lose any of our carriers completely, but trying to align a certain level of customer service with the desires of carriers has been a major balancing act. Filtering business and coverages based on credit, claims, and payment abilities has made it tough for many clients and has forced me to have very real and difficult conversations with people about ways to limit the impacts on them and their families,” said Peterson.
However, being a young broker in this industry means that Peterson has time on his side when it comes to overcoming these and other market challenges.
“I feel like insurance is a lot easier for young or tech savvy brokers today because companies have been rolling out different software to allow the broker more control of the client file and being able to work with these various platforms and understand portals might be more challenging for an older broker to navigate,” he said. “It’s anyone’s guess what the insurance market will look like in five, 10, or 15-plus years with technology and vehicle advancements, but it’s comforting to know that I’ve got a framework around me that is ready to adapt and continue forward.”
