EF Insurance Broker - Technology & AI Consulting Project¶

Project Overview¶

This is a consulting engagement to help EF Insurance Brokers review their technology landscape and identify opportunities to reduce repetitive administrative work using AI and automation tools.

Consultant: TD (Tom) Client Contact: TH (Managing Director) Timeline: [To be confirmed] Deliverable: Report listing issues, priorities, and proposed solutions

Business Context¶

EF is an insurance broker operating on two models: - Electronic trading: ~10% of revenue (via Acturis platform) - Manual trading: ~90% of revenue (relationship-driven, admin-heavy)

Core System: Acturis - the central system of record

Team Structure: 15 people total + 1 part-time - MD (TH) with 5 direct reports - Operations Director (Martine) managing 4 Account Handlers + Claims Specialist - Finance: Rakesh (FD, part-time 2 days/week) + Heather (Accountant, full-time) - 2 Private Account Handlers (report to MD) - 2-person Commercial team (team lead + handler) - Abir (part-time cold calling/prospecting, Year 13 student, no Acturis login) - 2,000 clients total

Strategic Goal¶

Free up staff time from low-value administrative tasks to focus on: - Building client relationships - Building insurer relationships - Providing expert advice - Growing the business

Priority Areas (from initial discovery)¶

1. Renewals & Re-marketing Process (HIGHEST PRIORITY)¶

The biggest time-sink across account handlers. Manual contact with up to 10 insurers per renewal, high-volume email/phone correspondence, manual filing in Acturis.

Key Findings from Interviews: - Account Handlers track renewals in Excel spreadsheets (exported from Acturis) - Must update both Excel AND Acturis (double data entry) - E-Trade renewals take 1-3 hours, manual renewals 1-2 hours - E-Trade only covers 25-70% of policies depending on handler's book - Templates in Acturis are generic and outdated (require manual editing) - Email-to-Acturis auto-linking "doesn't work" - manual save required - Acturis task manager available but underutilized (cultural issue)

AI Opportunities: - Quote aggregation & analysis - Communication automation - Automated filing of correspondence - Excel-Acturis synchronization or replacement - Intelligent template generation (line-of-business specific) - Email correspondence capture automation

2. Initial Risk Capture & Data Entry¶

Foundation of all new business. Team receives unstructured info (PDFs, previous insurer docs, call notes) and manually types into Acturis fields.

Key Findings from Interviews: - Quote Searcher platform: 10-20 inquiries/month, highly competitive (20-30 brokers) - Must respond within 5 seconds or lose inquiry - Proposal forms often incomplete - missing data prevents quoting - Manual data entry into multiple insurer portals with different question sets - Custom proposal forms created by staff (Marilyn) to improve conversion

AI Opportunities: - Intelligent document processing - Voice-to-text & data extraction - API integration with Acturis - Auto-response system for Quote Searcher inquiries - Pre-population of proposal forms from inquiry data - Web form option for proposal capture

3. Submission Presentation to Insurers¶

Quality of submission package affects insurer relationships and response times.

Key Findings from Interviews: - Manual renewals require custom submission documents via email or insurer portals - Acturis generates presentations but staff edit them manually - Risk of divergence between Acturis data and edited documents - JL highlighted insurer portal data entry across 4+ portals as major pain point - No integration/API with insurer systems - SMS/WhatsApp conversations must be screenshot and manually uploaded

AI Opportunities: - Optimised submission generation - Risk highlighting for underwriters - Consistent, professional formatting - Insurer portal automation (RPA) - Multi-channel communication capture (SMS/WhatsApp integration) - Document comparison (flag differences between generated vs. edited)

4. New Business Prospecting (Cold Calling)¶

Outbound prospecting to generate leads, currently performed by one part-time person with minimal technology support.

Key Findings from Abir Interview: - Abir is sole cold caller (part-time, Year 13 student balancing A-levels) - No Acturis login (cost constraint for part-time role) - Manual lead generation: Google Maps searches (e.g., "Architects London") + website research - Records everything in Excel spreadsheets: company name, business type, contact details, notes - Success rate "not that high" - significant time wasted on uninterested businesses - Passes qualified leads to relevant handlers (e.g. Rhys for PI insurance) - Books follow-up calls via Outlook invitations - Tracks renewal dates from cold calls for future follow-up

Pain Points: - "Main problem is getting the leads" - need better quality leads faster - Multiple disconnected spreadsheets getting "disorganized" - Can "forget to follow up on something" - No systematic lead tracking or CRM (Abir unfamiliar with concept) - No call recording - relies on manual notes - No integration with Acturis (leads handed off manually) - Risk of data loss if Abir leaves (university/apprenticeship planned)

Technology Opportunities: - Lead generation automation/enrichment (better targeting) - Lightweight CRM system for lead tracking - Could serve dual purpose: - Immediate value: Replace disorganized spreadsheets for Abir - Strategic demonstration: Show value of modern API-enabled software vs. manual processes - Options to evaluate: Attio, Zoho CRM, HubSpot (free tier), Capsule (250 contacts free), or DIY with Airtable/Notion - Integration pathway from CRM → Acturis when lead converts - Call recording and transcription for better note-taking - Automated follow-up reminders - Lead quality scoring to prioritize high-probability prospects - Shared visibility to prevent duplicate cold calling if role expands

Strategic Considerations: - Single point of failure (only one person doing this function) - Part-time resource with uncertain future (6 months until A-levels) - No formal training or process documentation - Currently manageable with Excel, but won't scale if cold calling expands - Investment in automation must consider ROI on part-time role

5. Claims Process¶

Admin-heavy process with many emails exchanged over extended periods.

Key Findings from Laura Harris Interview: - Laura is sole claims handler, part-time (20 hours/week) - 95 active claims currently (vs. 70 comfortable) - 90% email-based workflow (not phone) - Every email has multiple attachments requiring manual processing

Specific Pain Point - Email & Attachment Upload: - Must remove attachments from email before uploading to Acturis - Upload each attachment separately due to file size limits - Videos cannot be uploaded at all (too large) - Takes 10-15 minutes per claim notification - Estimated 300+ hours/year on manual attachment processing

Laura's Success Story: - Heavily uses Acturis task manager (unlike account handlers) - Well-organized electronic files with clear activity types - Reviews every upload (doesn't rely on auto-upload) - Professional audit trail maintained

Quick Win Potential: - Specific, repetitive task (email + attachment processing) - Technically feasible (Outlook-Acturis API integration) - AI classification of attachment types - Could be implemented relatively quickly - However: Part-time role (20 hrs/week) vs. full-time renewals team

AI Opportunities: - Intelligent email and attachment upload automation - Attachment type classification (photos, estimates, invoices) - Video storage solution (too large for Acturis) - Maintain Laura's review workflow and organization - Proactive client communication automation

Interview Approach¶

When analyzing interview notes or helping prepare for interviews:

Listen for pain points - What tasks do people describe as "slogging" or time-consuming?
Identify workflows - Map the actual steps people take, not just what the system supposedly does
Note exceptions - Where do processes break down or require workarounds?
Quantify impact - How much time is spent? How often does this happen?
Understand constraints - Technical, regulatory, relationship-based limitations
Capture quick wins - Simple improvements that don't require AI
Find integration points - Where does data enter/exit Acturis?

Key Questions to Explore¶

Technical: - What are Acturis API capabilities? - What other systems integrate with Acturis currently? - Where is data currently siloed (email, spreadsheets, paper)? - What compliance/regulatory constraints exist around automation?

Workflow: - What are the actual steps in renewals/new business/claims? - What formats do insurers prefer for submissions? - How is communication currently tracked? - What causes the most back-and-forth with insurers?

People: - What tasks do staff find most frustrating? - What skills/knowledge are most valuable and shouldn't be automated? - What would staff do with freed-up time? - How comfortable is the team with new technology?

Success Criteria¶

Solutions should: - Reduce manual data entry and filing - Maintain or improve relationship quality - Integrate with (not replace) Acturis - Be practical and implementable - Show clear ROI in time saved - Preserve expert judgment where it matters

Output Format¶

The final deliverable should include: - Issues: Clear problem statements with context - Priorities: Ranked by impact vs. effort - Solutions: Specific, actionable recommendations with: - Technology approach - Implementation steps - Resource requirements - Expected benefits - Risks and dependencies

Important Context¶

This is relationship-driven business - automation should enhance, not replace, personal service
Acturis is non-negotiable as the system of record
Team capacity is limited - solutions must be realistic
Regulatory compliance is critical: FCA client money rules require separation of client/office accounts, cannot pay insurers before client payment received, monthly reconciliation required
The business runs on Microsoft 365 (OneDrive for cloud storage, Outlook for email)
IT infrastructure managed by Hitachi (Acturis support company), all servers virtual
Remote access via VPN to maintain unique IP address for Acturis access
Process consistency is a bigger challenge than technology gaps - "learn by osmosis" onboarding, no formal training

Key Insights from Staff Interviews¶

Common Pain Points Across Interviews¶

CRITICAL FINDING - Process Consistency (Rakesh Interview): "My biggest concern, and it always has been, is consistency of data. Because every person at our front end, even though we've got processes, doesn't always follow the processes." - Rakesh (Finance Director)

Root Cause Analysis: - No formal induction/training process - "learn by osmosis" - New hires bring habits from previous organizations - "Nobody's got the time to train anyone" - Individual autonomy prioritized over organizational consistency - Features exist but adoption varies widely across team

This is not a technology problem - it's a process adherence and training problem.

MAJOR FINDING - Acturis Features Not Being Used (Andy Interview):

Andy Dischamps (Account Director, recently joined from James Hallam) brings 11 years of Acturis expertise and identified critical features EF isn't using:

Version Control Feature: - Groups multiple versions of same document together (e.g., 7 emails with one insurer = one entry with 7 versions) - Latest version always displayed, history preserved - Dramatically reduces file clutter - ZERO COST - feature already exists in Acturis! - Andy: "You wouldn't want six Insurance Market Exercise spreadsheets all dotted round the file" - Nobody at EF mentioned knowing about this feature

CONFIRMED BY LIAM MOORE INTERVIEW: When TD explained version control to Liam (who came from Marsh, the world's largest broker with rigorous Acturis processes): "What's version?" - Liam had never heard of it either.

Result: Andy willing to document housekeeping rules, has time (6-month client restrictions), subject matter expert identified internally. Liam can also contribute Marsh best practices to playbook.

CRITICAL FINDING - Document Loss from Attachment Handling (Liam Interview):

Liam Moore (Account Executive from Marsh background) revealed a serious document loss problem due to inconsistent attachment handling:

The Problem: - When saving emails to Acturis, staff choose "Remove Attachments" or "Separate Attachments" instead of "Embed Attachments" - Attachments become permanently unavailable

Real Example - Lost RCA: - Liam needed a 2022 Rebuild Cost Assessment for an insurer submission - Found email in Acturis: "Insurance valuation RCA done in 2022" - Opened email: "everything's removed" - no attachments - Searched for forwarded email to insurer: Not on file anywhere - Document completely lost - would need to contact original sender from 3 years ago

Quote: "I was looking for a document yesterday... I open the email everything's removed... So I don't have this RCA it's not on file."

Business Impact: - Lost client documents (RCAs, Fire Risk Assessments, engineering reports) - Cannot provide complete file to insurers - Rework/delays to obtain documents again - Professional liability exposure - Incomplete audit trail

Root Cause: No standard process - everyone chooses their own attachment handling method

Liam's Practice (from Marsh): Always "upload as activity attachments embedded" to ensure PDFs and documents travel with the email.

Acturis Underutilization - Process/culture issue, not technology
Risk details often incomplete
Email correspondence not saved within 24 hours (Andy's standard)
Copy-paste email content into description instead of brief accurate summary (Andy: "I hate that with a passion"; Liam: "Some people will copy the email and then save that as the description")
Version Control feature unknown/unused - major organizational opportunity (confirmed by both Andy and Liam)
Attachment handling inconsistent - some people "remove attachments" causing permanent document loss (Liam's critical finding)
Some staff don't save emails to Acturis at all - "there are some people that don't even save their emails to Acturis" (Liam)
Plugin selection errors - emails saved to wrong policy line because staff don't check which record is selected (Liam: "You'll be surprised how many times there that is in the wrong place")
Task manager available but unused by many (Andy expects minimum 50 tasks/month per handler; Liam uses it "sometimes" but Excel spreadsheet serves as substitute)
Some staff remove email reference numbers for "aesthetic" reasons (prevents auto-filing)
Saving at wrong level (Client vs. Policy) - makes finding documents harder
Marilyn: "I don't think a lot of people in the company do this step, but I do it" (re: Invite to Client feature)
Result: Management visibility gaps, data quality issues, cluttered files, lost documents, incomplete audit trail
Double Data Entry - Excel spreadsheets used alongside Acturis
Better UI/visibility drives spreadsheet use
Manager oversight easier with spreadsheets
Weekly reconciliation required
CRITICAL: Spreadsheet and Acturis NOT linked - mid-term changes not reflected
Risk of working on cancelled policies
Template Quality Issues - Generic templates need extensive editing
One template used across different lines of business
Outdated content (e.g., Grenfell Tower references)
Staff have requested improvements
Email Integration Problems - Outlook-Acturis linking unreliable
Manual save-back required ("ball ache")
Risk of correspondence not being captured
Insurer Interaction Friction (especially HNW)
Manual portal data entry across 4+ insurer systems
Constant chasing of slow insurer responses
Opportunity cost: could be prospecting instead
Each insurer has different question sets - no standardization
Skills-Task Misalignment
Sales-focused handlers (Marilyn, JL) spending time on admin
"I would rather look into new business because I feel I do like sales" - Marilyn
Process innovation happening informally, not systematized

Quick Wins Identified¶

Explore Acturis auto-renewals automation - May solve Excel spreadsheet problem without custom development (Daniel: "rolled out hundreds of times")
Lightweight CRM for prospecting - Free tier tools (HubSpot, etc.) to replace disorganized Excel spreadsheets for Abir's cold calling, integrate via Lead Upload API when converting
Version Control training - Andy to lead, £0 cost, immediate impact on file organization (confirmed by both Andy and Liam as unknown feature)
Email filing standards - Andy's 24-hour rule, proper descriptions, save at correct level, Liam's Marsh best practices
Mandate "Embed Attachments" - CRITICAL to prevent document loss (Liam's RCA example shows real business impact)
Plugin training - Check selected record before saving to prevent wrong-policy-line errors
External storage for large files - Videos/high-res photos too large for Acturis (30MB limit), link from electronic file (confirmed by Daniel as standard pattern)
Claims email automation - Laura's attachment processing (specific, quantifiable, quick to implement)
Improve Acturis templates (line-of-business specific) - already requested by Lucy
Fix Outlook-Acturis email integration reliability
Better Acturis dashboards to reduce Excel dependency (Data Warehouse API if custom needed)
Task management pilot - Could replace Excel spreadsheet duplication (Liam already uses it partially)
SMS/WhatsApp integration (clear manual workaround exists)
Quote Searcher auto-response system - Marilyn identified 5-second response window (Lead Upload API for automated capture)
Pre-populate proposal forms with inquiry data - reduce client friction
Acturis-hosted Payment Portal - Quick rollout option for online invoice payment (vs. custom build)
Acturis-hosted Document Vault - Quick rollout option for customer self-service document access

Strategic Opportunities¶

Acturis built-in automations audit - PRIORITY: What exists that EF isn't using? (Daniel's recommendation)
Lead generation automation - Better targeting to improve cold calling efficiency, Lead Upload API + Duplicate Check for CRM integration
Process documentation and training - Foundation for all other improvements (bigger challenge than technology per Rakesh)
Acturis file audit intelligence tool - EF implementing soon, can identify process non-compliance
Insurer portal automation (RPA) - significant time savings potential
E-Trade expansion where possible (much faster than manual)
Culture change: increase Acturis adoption and data completeness
Quote comparison assistance for competitive analysis
Skills-based role optimization - align tasks with handler strengths (sales vs. operations)
Formalize process innovations (Marilyn's custom forms, email strategies)
Quote Searcher platform optimization - 120-240 inquiries/year, unmeasured conversion
Telephony integration with AI transcription - Many providers include AI summarization now (Daniel noted as latest trend)
Customer self-service portals - Document Vault, Payment Portal (Acturis-hosted quick options available)

Finance Operations Assessment (Rakesh Interview)¶

Finance operations are efficient and appropriate for current scale: - 2-person team (Rakesh part-time, Heather full-time) manages 15 staff, 2,000 clients - Acturis accounting module used despite limitations (avoids data transfer overhead) - Payroll outsourced efficiently to Moore Kingston Smith - Manual processes (expenses, purchase invoices) justified by low volume - Client money rules (FCA regulation) well-managed via Acturis - Automation threshold: Would need to "double or triple in size" before finance automation justified

Key constraint: FCA client money rules require separation of client/office accounts, monthly reconciliation, cannot pay insurers before client payment received. Acturis chosen specifically for this compliance capability.

Recommendation: Focus technology investment on operations side (renewals, claims, new business), not finance.

Acturis API Capabilities (Daniel Higgins Technical Discovery - 19 Nov)¶

KEY STRATEGIC INSIGHT: Explore built-in automations before custom API development

Daniel emphasized that Acturis has auto-renewals functionality and other automations already rolled out "hundreds of times" at other brokers. Many desired outcomes may already be achievable without API development. Recommendation: 1 month automation rollout vs. 6 months custom development.

API Architecture: - Modular APIs: XML OAuth 2 web services (hundreds of services matching Acturis internal APIs) - E-commerce API: JSON RESTful for building quote-and-buy journeys - Upload APIs: Asynchronous policy/claims/lead upload (single message or batch) - Event APIs: Webhooks for Acturis events - Data Warehouse API: Incremental data pull for reporting/analytics - Security: All APIs IP-restricted, OAuth 2 authentication, UAT environment available

Most Relevant API Packages for EF:

Lead Upload Modular API - Perfect for Abir's cold calling workflow
Push leads into Acturis from forms/CRM
Duplicate Check API returns existing customer IDs to prevent duplicates
Add Opportunity records for product interest
Create Follow-up Tasks in Acturis task manager
Auto-Renewals Automation (Built-in Feature)
May solve Excel spreadsheet double-entry problem
Should explore before considering API development
Data Warehouse API alternative for custom reporting dashboards
Telephony Integration Package
Call lookup, activity creation, transcript/recording linking
Trend: Many providers now include AI summarization built-in before pushing to Acturis
External hosting for recordings (same pattern as video storage)
External Storage Solution (Confirmed Strategy)
For Laura's large video/photo claims files (30MB Acturis limit)
Host externally, link from Acturis electronic file
Same pattern applicable to call recordings
Document Vault & Payment Portal (Acturis-Hosted Quick Option)
Customer self-service for document access and invoice payment
Acturis-hosted versions available for quick rollout
Custom build option via APIs if more control needed

Pricing Model: - Fixed costs for most packages (based on user count) - Transactional: Policy/Claims Upload, E-commerce API (£0.20/RFQ creation, £1.50/acceptance) - Implementation support: Reserved developer support time (0.5-1 day/week based on complexity)

Implementation Process: 1. Share use case requirements (high-level, not detailed specs) 2. Daniel/Callum recommend: built-in automation vs. API approach 3. If API: Project order → 1-2 week lead time → API credentials → Developer support 4. Include Callum for automation discussions

Key Questions to Follow Up: - What specific auto-renewals automations exist? - Can Acturis Task Manager + better dashboards replace Excel spreadsheet tracking? - Which Acturis-hosted solutions (Payment Portal, Document Vault) are quick-win options? - External storage provider recommendations for large claims files?

Completed Activities¶

✅ Technical discovery call with Acturis about API capabilities (19 Nov) - Built-in automations should be explored first
✅ Interview with JL - HNW Account Handler (19 Nov)
✅ Interview with Lucy Leech - Account Handler (26 Nov)
✅ Interview with Marilyn Bothello - Senior Account Handler (26 Nov)
✅ Interview with Laura Harris - Claims Handler (26 Nov)
✅ Interview with Rakesh Zaveri - Finance Director (01 Dec)
✅ Interview with Andy Dischamps - Account Director (01 Dec) - CRITICAL: Acturis expert, version control feature identified
✅ Interview with Liam Moore - Account Executive (05 Dec) - CRITICAL: Document loss from attachment handling, Marsh best practices, confirms version control unknown
✅ Interview with Abir - Part-time Cold Calling/Prospecting (10 Dec) - New business lead generation workflow, CRM gap identified

Next Steps Identified¶

Follow up with Daniel/Callum on Acturis built-in automations - PRIORITY: What auto-renewals features exist? Can Task Manager + dashboards replace Excel?
Interview Martine (Operations Director) - understand renewal spreadsheet creation
Shadow Lucy on manual (non E-Trade) renewal process
Interview Reese/Jamie (Executives) - understand their workflow with Lucy
Shadow Laura (claims specialist) to map claims process
Review Acturis API documentation when received (Daniel sending slides)
Investigate Outlook-Acturis email integration issues
Consult with key insurers about ideal submission formats
Research modern CRM tools - Evaluate free/low-cost options for cold calling lead management:
Attio - Modern, API-first CRM
Zoho CRM - Established player with free tier
HubSpot - Popular free CRM option
Capsule - Free plan supports 250 contacts
DIY options: Airtable or Notion
Dual purpose: (1) Solve Abir's immediate spreadsheet chaos, (2) Demonstrate value of modern API-enabled software as proof-of-concept for broader digital transformation
Integration path: Lead Upload API + Duplicate Check when leads convert to Acturis
External storage solution research - For Laura's large video/photo files, telephony call recordings
Acturis-hosted quick wins - Get timelines/costs for Payment Portal, Document Vault rollout vs. custom build

How to Use This File¶

Reference this context when analyzing interview notes
Keep strategic goals in mind when suggesting solutions
Maintain focus on the three priority areas
Remember the 90/10 manual/electronic split - optimize for the 90%
Always consider: "Does this free up time for relationship-building?"