Digital evolution made simple.
We want to help you move the needle on your most important projects, the ones that will shape your company for the next decade. Working with your tech team and implementing ready built solutions, we can help you upgrade your systems and create industry leading solutions.
What is a Strategy?
There are a lot of ways to upgrade your operations and many tasks associated with making any change. A strategy is the way we approach making one of these changes. By breaking a strategy into major and minor tasks, we can work with you and your team to divvy out work, select solutions, and implement the strategies that matter to you.
Strategies
The API Strategy
Strategy thesis
API’s are key to the survival of a carrier because they are required to enable data flow among internal developers, external partners such as agents, distribution channels such as agency management systems, online marketplaces, and automation bots such as artificial intelligence.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that plan to be relevant in small commercial insurance are pursuing this strategy in order to connect to agency management systems, digital marketplaces, and MGA’s to access small commercial flow.
- Carriers anticipating API automation creeping up the market into middle-market business are pursuing this strategy to make as many lines as possible available via API to maintain a competitive advantage in larger accounts.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- The company is equipped with sufficiently mature API's to quickly connect to any internal or external party
- Quoting API’s are available for connecting to distribution channels
- Advanced outcomes
- Servicing API’s are available to enable seamless integration with agents and MGA’s
Strategy thesis
API’s are key to the survival of a carrier because they are required to enable data flow among internal developers, external partners such as agents, distribution channels such as agency management systems, online marketplaces, and automation bots such as artificial intelligence.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that plan to be relevant in small commercial insurance are pursuing this strategy in order to connect to agency management systems, digital marketplaces, and MGA’s to access small commercial flow.
- Carriers anticipating API automation creeping up the market into middle-market business are pursuing this strategy to make as many lines as possible available via API to maintain a competitive advantage in larger accounts.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- The company is equipped with sufficiently mature API's to quickly connect to any internal or external party
- Quoting API’s are available for connecting to distribution channels
- Advanced outcomes
- Servicing API’s are available to enable seamless integration with agents and MGA’s
The Low-Touch Small Commercial Strategy
Strategy thesis
Because agents don’t make much money on small commercial business, they will send their business to whoever makes it as touch-free and inexpensive as possible.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that want to decrease combined ratio by lowering expense ratio are pursuing this strategy to create more margin.
- Carriers that want to grow with large agencies are pursuing this strategy to increase ease of doing business.
- Carriers with the ability to scale existing servicing capabilities can offer attractive expense savings to agents, often in exchange for roughly 2 points of commission savings.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- Automatic ingestion of submissions for key intake channels (emailed forms, lead generation output, etc.)
- Intermediate outcomes
- Data is collected to drive further automation
- At least some business is written automatically
- Advanced outcomes
- Service centers and other policyholder-facing capabilities are available
Strategy thesis
Because agents don’t make much money on small commercial business, they will send their business to whoever makes it as touch-free and inexpensive as possible.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that want to decrease combined ratio by lowering expense ratio are pursuing this strategy to create more margin.
- Carriers that want to grow with large agencies are pursuing this strategy to increase ease of doing business.
- Carriers with the ability to scale existing servicing capabilities can offer attractive expense savings to agents, often in exchange for roughly 2 points of commission savings.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- Automatic ingestion of submissions for key intake channels (emailed forms, lead generation output, etc.)
- Intermediate outcomes
- Data is collected to drive further automation
- At least some business is written automatically
- Advanced outcomes
- Service centers and other policyholder-facing capabilities are available
The Vertical Program Strategy
Strategy thesis
The most profitable business comes from targeted growth, which is obtained through specialization. Specialization in commercial insurance usually centers around a solution for a vertical industry or market segment.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that want to grow in specific industries use this strategy to target its constituents more effectively.
- Carriers that want the most sophisticated underwriting use this strategy to understand a target market and tailor their underwriting questions, loss control and claims processes to it. (Often they will also possess a unique data asset or advantage related to the target market.)
- Carriers using this strategy have often cultivated relationships with distribution channels specializing in the vertical.
- Ideal for carriers with, or aspiring to have, dominant niches and differentiated products, unique distribution strategies, and customized services.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A tailored, streamlined product that isbe tailored for the target market segment
- A world-class customer experience for policyholders and agents that is adapted to the target market
- Underwriting expertise is deployed into the rating and underwriting process
- Intermediate outcomes
- The ability to ingest custom data sets from partners and third parties
- Advanced outcomes
- Scaled risk improvement is deployed alongside distribution
Strategy thesis
The most profitable business comes from targeted growth, which is obtained through specialization. Specialization in commercial insurance usually centers around a solution for a vertical industry or market segment.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that want to grow in specific industries use this strategy to target its constituents more effectively.
- Carriers that want the most sophisticated underwriting use this strategy to understand a target market and tailor their underwriting questions, loss control and claims processes to it. (Often they will also possess a unique data asset or advantage related to the target market.)
- Carriers using this strategy have often cultivated relationships with distribution channels specializing in the vertical.
- Ideal for carriers with, or aspiring to have, dominant niches and differentiated products, unique distribution strategies, and customized services.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A tailored, streamlined product that isbe tailored for the target market segment
- A world-class customer experience for policyholders and agents that is adapted to the target market
- Underwriting expertise is deployed into the rating and underwriting process
- Intermediate outcomes
- The ability to ingest custom data sets from partners and third parties
- Advanced outcomes
- Scaled risk improvement is deployed alongside distribution
The Ecosystem Platform Strategy
Strategy thesis
Typically involving a limited number of products and a green field approach to technology, which prioritizes speed and experience first. Usually has little to no integration with core systems, but provides the data and user interfaces necessary to integrate the product sales into the existing organization for servicing.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers who have lines where digital customer experience has to meet the high demand of policyholders and agencies.
- Carriers who are constrained by their legacy systems, or lack of systems completely, and want to maximize speed to market.
- Carriers whose products are typically bundled with products from other carriers, but are constrained by the systems and infrastructure of those core systems.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A world-class, standalone customer experience for agents and policyholders for the line(s) being fulfilled.
- Process-level integration with an existing claims organization or a TPA
- Advanced outcomes
- Product bundles integrating other, non-greenfield lines to accelerate sales
Strategy thesis
Typically involving a limited number of products and a green field approach to technology, which prioritizes speed and experience first. Usually has little to no integration with core systems, but provides the data and user interfaces necessary to integrate the product sales into the existing organization for servicing.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers who have lines where digital customer experience has to meet the high demand of policyholders and agencies.
- Carriers who are constrained by their legacy systems, or lack of systems completely, and want to maximize speed to market.
- Carriers whose products are typically bundled with products from other carriers, but are constrained by the systems and infrastructure of those core systems.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A world-class, standalone customer experience for agents and policyholders for the line(s) being fulfilled.
- Process-level integration with an existing claims organization or a TPA
- Advanced outcomes
- Product bundles integrating other, non-greenfield lines to accelerate sales
The Consolidation and Aggregation Strategy
Strategy thesis
Through aggregation and consolidation, agency relationships can yield profitable growth without a new business penalty, typically via book rolls and automated remarketing. Often deployed with large agencies (or agency networks) and large blocks of premium.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that want more share of existing agency business use this strategy.
- Carriers that want to go after a book of another carrier’s business choose this strategy.
- Carriers that have unique products that can be successful products if distributed as standalone products.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A streamlined way of bringing in agency books and automatically quoting them
- Agents are submitting new business within the carrier portal
- Intermediate outcomes
- An automated process for quoting incumbent business without manual intervention
- Advanced outcomes
- Enable sending “overflow business” from agents to other carriers, in order to serve as the central point of consolidation
Strategy thesis
Through aggregation and consolidation, agency relationships can yield profitable growth without a new business penalty, typically via book rolls and automated remarketing. Often deployed with large agencies (or agency networks) and large blocks of premium.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that want more share of existing agency business use this strategy.
- Carriers that want to go after a book of another carrier’s business choose this strategy.
- Carriers that have unique products that can be successful products if distributed as standalone products.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A streamlined way of bringing in agency books and automatically quoting them
- Agents are submitting new business within the carrier portal
- Intermediate outcomes
- An automated process for quoting incumbent business without manual intervention
- Advanced outcomes
- Enable sending “overflow business” from agents to other carriers, in order to serve as the central point of consolidation
The Carrier Portal Strategy
Strategy thesis
Having the best carrier portal as a destination for agents or policyholders will lead to growth, and makes the business sticky as it ties the agent and policyholder to the carrier.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that create a better customer experience for their agents than anyone else pursue this strategy to capitalize on this expertise.
- Carriers that have an almost captive-like relationship with their agents tend to use this strategy to capitalize on the close relationships.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A world-class agency experience for submitting new business
- Agents are submitting new business within the carrier portal
- Advanced outcomes
- Enable sending “overflow business” from agents to other carriers, in order to serve as the central point of new business
Strategy thesis
Having the best carrier portal as a destination for agents or policyholders will lead to growth, and makes the business sticky as it ties the agent and policyholder to the carrier.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that create a better customer experience for their agents than anyone else pursue this strategy to capitalize on this expertise.
- Carriers that have an almost captive-like relationship with their agents tend to use this strategy to capitalize on the close relationships.
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A world-class agency experience for submitting new business
- Agents are submitting new business within the carrier portal
- Advanced outcomes
- Enable sending “overflow business” from agents to other carriers, in order to serve as the central point of new business
The Multi-Channel Sales Strategy
Strategy thesis
Sales simplicity and automation enable product sales through multiple distribution channels including eCommerce, Progressive-style product placement, and niche-based partnerships.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that have products that pair well with eCommerce applications, (usually with relatively simple underwriting requirements, or applications that can be prefilled from online data sources).
- Carriers who want to compete with Progressive for real estate on agency web sites.
- Carriers whose products lend themselves to bundling with sales of other non-insurance products (warranties sold with equipment, for example).
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A prefilled online experience that can be distributed via a link (embedded in the point of sale or a followup campaign)
- Intermediate outcomes
- Tailored customer experiences by channel
- Advanced outcomes
- Differentiated products by channel
Strategy thesis
Sales simplicity and automation enable product sales through multiple distribution channels including eCommerce, Progressive-style product placement, and niche-based partnerships.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers that have products that pair well with eCommerce applications, (usually with relatively simple underwriting requirements, or applications that can be prefilled from online data sources).
- Carriers who want to compete with Progressive for real estate on agency web sites.
- Carriers whose products lend themselves to bundling with sales of other non-insurance products (warranties sold with equipment, for example).
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A prefilled online experience that can be distributed via a link (embedded in the point of sale or a followup campaign)
- Intermediate outcomes
- Tailored customer experiences by channel
- Advanced outcomes
- Differentiated products by channel
The Independent MGA Strategy
Strategy thesis
Legacy systems are a constraint that can be overcome through an independent company which offers superior customer experience and product differentiation in a much faster timeframe. Typically interfaces with the carrier as a reinsurer or by fronting risk.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers who are encumbered by legacy systems or ongoing core system upgrades.
- Carriers who want to be able to bundle products from other carriers with their own.
- Carriers who want to participate in online distribution channels without creating conflicts with their agencies.
- Carriers whose products could experience growth if offered as a standalone product
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A quote-to-bind experience that operates independently of carrier core systems
- Intermediate outcomes
- Agreements with other carriers to take risk that the carrier doesn’t want
- Bundles with products from other carriers to complete product offerings
Strategy thesis
Legacy systems are a constraint that can be overcome through an independent company which offers superior customer experience and product differentiation in a much faster timeframe. Typically interfaces with the carrier as a reinsurer or by fronting risk.
Carriers utilizing this strategy
- Carriers who are encumbered by legacy systems or ongoing core system upgrades.
- Carriers who want to be able to bundle products from other carriers with their own.
- Carriers who want to participate in online distribution channels without creating conflicts with their agencies.
- Carriers whose products could experience growth if offered as a standalone product
Key outcomes
- Baseline outcomes
- A quote-to-bind experience that operates independently of carrier core systems
- Intermediate outcomes
- Agreements with other carriers to take risk that the carrier doesn’t want
- Bundles with products from other carriers to complete product offerings