Keeping Our AR Network at the Top in 10 Simple Steps
Here at Gauntlet Enterprise, we have what we call ‘Tom Daley syndrome’. It means that we know we’re only as good as our last dive. We recognise that, if we want to keep attracting top talent in the insurance sector in the form of ambitious and high-flying insurance account executives, we need to continually stay on top of our offer as an AR principal.
Here are 10 ways in we seek to remain as the AR network of choice, for those good enough to join:
1. IT Systems
We recognise that IT systems are the means to give appointed representatives the life they dreamed of, free of the commute, with no need to hold meetings in offices, and with global access to their clients’ files and more. Big investment announcements will soon be made, to show our ongoing commitment to slick IT in 2020.
2. Broking
Our broking has been better than ever in the past 18 months, with various ARs benefiting from having schemes that we have accessed for them, often down really tight market niches. The end result, for them, is competitive advantage and client satisfaction.
3. Under-one-Roof Risk Placement
We recognised that many of our appointed representatives, although focused on commercial risks, also wanted to place their clients’ personal lines risks, for luxury cars, high net worth homes, van insurance and even travel. Guess what! We’ve grown a personal lines division at head office, just to help ARs keep client insurances under one roof.
4. Claims and Administration
We’ve overhauled our claims and administration in the last year, now having administrators sitting with the AR brokers that they support, so that the dialogue about client risks is one that is easy to maintain and managing an AR broker’s clients is a real shared, team responsibility with ownership at its heart. Our mini hubs are now buzzing!
5. Network Communications
As our network has grown, so have our communications vehicles. We now have a network newsletter that connects our ARs to our head office news and vice versa. With an AR and a head office person profile carried in each monthly edition, it’s a great way of showing that we are one team.
6. Peer Networking & Recognition
We know that our ARs really value getting together, so are working on ways to do this more, to supplement our once a year annual conference. We are also looking at ways to convince more ARs that it’s a not-to-be-missed occasion. This year, we again created a vibrant event – with ‘Apprentice’ style tasks, no less – but also launched our AR Awards, to provide recognition where recognition was due.
7. Compliance
We are always looking at new ways of making FCA compliance as pain-free as possible for our ARs. Whilst we do handle this for them, we need their input and so devise information-grabbing forms, reporting mechanisms and other tools, which make it easy-to-do and not something that eats up much time.
8. Brand Marketing
We know that keeping Gauntlet at the forefront of industry conversation, as well as maintaining a strong brand with great values attached to It, matters to our ARs, so are constantly coming up with new ideas and ways of doing that. We like to think we are innovative and known for being experienced, honest and ethical.
9. Health & Safety
We believe our ARs could be earning more income still, if they took advantage of our in-house health and safety team, its services and its specific offering for golf courses and clubs. To make this happen, we are looking at new materials that can help ARs sell these services in, and also understand them better. After all, who doesn’t appreciate extra money in their pay packet?
10. AR Agreements
We are not stuck on a one-contract-fits-all way of looking at AR agreements and are happy to discuss terms, if someone has a great proposition to bring to the table. This fluidity has enabled us to work with some of the most talented brokers in their field.
We shall continue to focus on these 10 areas in 2020, to keep our AR network full of talent, vibrancy and the spirit of
co-operation. Even marginal gain leads to improvement – as Tom Daley will surely know!