Interview: JL - HNW Account Handler¶

Date: 2025-11-19 Interviewee: JL (Account Handler - High Net Worth clients) Format: In-person (informal discussion) Note: Rough notes from unrecorded conversation

Key Responsibilities¶

Managing High Net Worth client relationships
Obtaining quotes from multiple insurers via web portals
Submitting presentations to insurers
Client communication (phone, email, SMS, WhatsApp, Teams)
Manual data entry into insurer portals

Current Workflow & Tools¶

Insurer Interaction Process¶

JL and Steve share the workload of manually entering client data into at least 4 different insurer web portals (all web-based, no API integration). This is required for each quote request.

Communication Channels¶

Phone: Preferred for quick answers from clients
Microsoft Teams: Used for scheduled conversations with clients ("locking people down" - gets in diary)
Email: Standard business communication
SMS/WhatsApp:
Receives client messages via both
Current process: Screenshots WhatsApp conversations and manually uploads to Acturis
No integration = significant friction

Presentation Generation¶

Acturis generates initial presentation from form field data
JL typically edits the generated document manually
Risk identified: Edited presentation can diverge from Acturis system of record
Consultant insight: AI could compare generated vs. edited versions to flag discrepancies

Pain Points & Frustrations¶

1. Insurer Interaction Friction (PRIMARY ISSUE)¶

Manual Portal Data Entry: - Entering same client data across 4+ insurer web portals - Repetitive, time-consuming work - No automation or API integration available

Slow Insurer Responses: - Insurers increasingly using lower-paid admin staff instead of decision-makers - Poor productivity from insurer side - Constant chasing required for quotes and responses

Quote: "constantly bogged down with the grind of chasing insurers"

Opportunity Cost: If freed from this administrative burden, JL would be: - Meeting property agents - Prospecting for new clients - Business development activities

2. SMS/WhatsApp Documentation Burden¶

Manual screenshot and upload process for each conversation
Time-consuming and error-prone
Breaks communication flow

3. Quality Control Gap¶

No formal quality control process at EF
Only ad-hoc spot checks by TH and MD
Contrast with JL's previous employer (larger broker) where all communications were checked and measured

Strategic Insights¶

Client Relationship Management¶

HNW client work is hard to automate - personal connection is critical
Low bar for customer service in insurance industry = competitive advantage opportunity
Proactive file review before renewals could differentiate EF from competitors
JL prefers immediate control over communications (vs. outsourced team at previous employer)

Market & Product Insights¶

E-trading only viable for <£1m rebuild value properties
EF would benefit from expanding insurer panel
Current manual processes likely limit capacity to work with more insurers

Process Philosophy¶

JL has experience from much larger broker where: - All incoming/outgoing communication was checked and measured - Outgoing emails written by outsourced team - More structured but less immediate

His preference: Keep immediacy and personal control, but reduce administrative friction

Critical Finding¶

Priority #1 (Renewals/Re-marketing) may have been misunderstood:

Initial focus was on client-facing aspects of renewals process. JL's feedback reveals the bigger friction point is INSURER-FACING work:

Manual data entry into multiple insurer portals
Chasing slow insurer responses
Managing asynchronous communication with insurers
Quote aggregation and comparison

The client relationship part is less painful - it's the insurer interaction that bogs down the team.

Implications for Priority Areas¶

Renewals & Re-marketing (Priority #1)¶

Focus needed on insurer portal automation
Quote chasing automation
Communication tracking with insurers

Submission Presentation (Priority #3)¶

More complex than initially understood
Manual editing creates data sync risk with Acturis
Opportunity: AI-powered comparison of generated vs. edited presentations
Opportunity: Quality control automation (gap identified)

Initial Risk Capture (Priority #2)¶

SMS/WhatsApp integration now confirmed as friction point
Not just phone call transcription - need multi-channel capture
3CX research should include WhatsApp integration possibilities

Insurer Panel Expansion (New Insight)¶

Current manual processes limit capacity
Automation could enable working with more insurers
More insurer options = better service to clients

Technology Opportunities Identified¶

Immediate Impact¶

Insurer portal automation - Biggest pain point for JL
SMS/WhatsApp to Acturis integration - Clear friction, manual workaround exists
Quote aggregation automation - Reduce chasing burden

Medium-Term¶

Presentation quality control AI - Compare generated vs. edited, flag discrepancies
Proactive renewal file review - Competitive differentiator
Communication tracking across channels - Unified view

Strategic¶

Insurer panel expansion enablement - Automation allows more insurer relationships
Quality assurance automation - Replace manual spot checks

Follow-up Questions¶

How many unique insurer portals does EF interact with in total?
What is the typical time to enter a single property into one insurer portal?
What is the average response time from insurers? (and how variable?)
What percentage of JL's time is spent on portal data entry vs. insurer chasing?
Are there any insurers that offer API integration or automated submission?
What triggers JL to edit the Acturis-generated presentation?
How often do edited presentations need to be updated in Acturis afterward?
What volume of SMS/WhatsApp messages per week?

Action Items¶

Investigate insurer portal automation options (RPA, API availability)
Research SMS/WhatsApp to Acturis integration possibilities (3CX may help here)
Map complete insurer interaction workflow with JL (detailed observation session)
Quantify time spent on insurer portal data entry vs. other tasks
Document presentation editing triggers and patterns
Interview Steve (who shares portal data entry workload)

Key Quotes¶

"constantly bogged down with the grind of chasing insurers"

[On where he'd focus time if freed from admin work]

"The bar is low for customer service in the insurance industry, it's easy for EF to do better"

[On competitive positioning]

"High Net Worth client work is hard to automate, personal connection is important"

[On relationship-driven nature of HNW business]

Initial discovery meeting with TH: Summary
Acturis technical discovery: Summary
3CX Telephony & AI research: Analysis

Consultant Analysis¶

This interview significantly reframes understanding of Priority #1 (Renewals):

Previous understanding: Client-facing renewals process complexity Revised understanding: Insurer-facing administrative burden is the primary pain point

The friction isn't in the client relationship - it's in: 1. Manual data entry across multiple insurer systems 2. Chasing slow, increasingly admin-focused insurer contacts 3. Managing async communication at scale

This suggests insurer portal automation and quote aggregation should be prioritized over purely client-facing automation.

Additionally, JL's insights about SMS/WhatsApp friction and presentation editing risks provide clear, actionable opportunities that weren't apparent from the initial discovery meeting.

Strategic insight: Automating insurer interactions could unlock capacity to expand the insurer panel, which JL identified as beneficial for client service quality.