News

Answering your questions

 

Following Broker Assistance Ltd’s restructure and re-launch as BAIS, Broker Standard meets the company’s managing director Jon Ralph to talk about what the changes mean for customers and what new developments the market can expect in 2012.

 

Speaking from the company’s Warrington headquarters, BAIS Managing Director Jon Ralph reflects on 2011 with a philosophical tone. “It’s been a challenging year for many businesses and the insurance industry has been no exception. We were not immune from these challenges ourselves and have had to work hard to support ourselves, keep as many people in their jobs as possible and provide a seamless service to our customers. I’m very confident in the prospects for Broker Assistance Insurance Services. This is a company with a real focus; to guarantee insurance brokers and motor fleets of the best possible service, keeping their customers on the road with minimum disruption and helping them achieve maximum renewals.

 

What’s new at Broker Assistance Insurance Services?

 

BAIS has experienced some changes in the past few months,” says Jon. “The company was bought by its management in October 2011 and we’re positioned to grow and develop the business in 2012, focusing on motor claims handling on behalf of insurance brokers and fleets. We’ve got an excellent portfolio of clients from some of the country’s best known insurance broker brands and we’re looking forward to demonstrating what we can do to an increasing audience.

 

Are there any new faces at the company?

 

Yes, we’ve recently appointed a brand new broker relationship team. Dave Kaar has been appointed Business Development Manager and will be responsible for new business at the firm. He has spent over 15 years within financial services marketing, including as BDM at North West-based Broker Support and Horizon Finance. Lee Davies is BAIS’ new Sales Account Manager, charged with supporting the company’s established portfolio of clients which ranges from nationwide commercial brokers, networks and fleet specialists, to smaller, high street motor intermediaries. Lee also has over a decade’s worth of insurance supply chain management experience, having spent a number of years with Homeserve where he was Customer Liaison Manager before joining BAIS.

 

Sarah Maxfield completes the team and as Internal Account Manager she will help co-ordinate BAIS’ business development strategy, Jon continues. Sarah has enjoyed a steady rise at the company and has built up an intricate knowledge of the products and services within the BAIS portfolio. We are extremely pleased to have this team in place as BAIS moves onto the next stage in its development.

 

Can brokers expect any new products?

 

BAIS’ highly successful range of motor claims handling products Xtra Assistance, Xtra Assistance Plus and Xtra Assistance 4 Vans will continue to be a key aspect of our service. In addition, the company is also in a position to provide brokers with some valuable new additions to our range, including a variety of lifestyle and assistance products, excess protection and total loss recovery solutions. For more on these products, I would urge brokers to contact Dave Karr who would be happy to explain their benefits in more detail.

 

FAQ - Who will be my first point of contact at BAIS?

 

Lee Davies and Sarah Maxfield are here to support brokers with any query they have. Both are experienced customer relationship managers and have an intimate knowledge and understanding of motor claims processes.

 

FAQ – Will BAIS be introducing additional products in the near future?

 

We will shortly introduce a trio of new products which we hope to be able to market with our partner brokers. Please contact Dave Kaar for more details on the BAIS product portfolio

 

FAQ – How can BAIS help me retain my customers?

 

Put simply, BAIS is there to offer your customers the support they need when their mobility is affected. Here’s a story from one customer who was in desperate need:

A BAIS Broker’s client – a UK based entertainment equipment hire business, servicing the film and entertainment industry, is wholly dependent on its fleet of vans for delivery and collection of its valuable equipment from film sets on location, conference sites etc.

Overnight, 5 of its small fleet of vans were rendered useless when their catalytic converters were stolen.

Time is money – no vans, no equipment supply and no revenue, a potential catastrophe for a small business.

Fortunately, the business had the foresight to purchase Xtra Assistance Plus for its van fleet.

Within an hour of reporting the incident, the damaged vehicles were allocated to a repair facility and the first of the vans picked up.

Within 24 hours, 5 replacement hire vans were supplied (covered by the policy) for a period of 14 days to maintain “business as usual” status.

Within 2 weeks, all vehicles were repaired and returned with minimal business interruption, thanks to the Xtra Assistance Plus cover and the excellent support work of the BAIS team.

To add insult to injury, the insurer attempted to recover 5 excess payments from the client, 1 for each van – thanks to the expertise and persistence of the BAIS team, the claim was treated as one incident and only one excess payment was charged.

 

Result – One happy Broker and one happy Broker client