Press
» Coversure Lead the Way for Caravan and Motor Caravan Insurance
» Coversure appears in The Guardian
» Astronaut Addresses Coversure Conference
» Two Awards for Nottingham Insurance Broker
» The Internet No Substitute for Knowledge says Community Insurance Broker
» National Award for North Ormesby Insurance Broker
» Local recruitment initiative pays dividends
Coversure Lead the Way for Caravan and Motor Caravan Insurance
National insurance broker Coversure has out performed major brokers and direct insurers in two separate independent surveys.
“Motor Caravan Magazine found us to be the cheapest out of 20 motorcaravan quotes. Caravan Magazine reported our price to be second best out of 26. This demonstrates how a local community broker can combine advice and price.” says Coversure’s Franchise Director, Bob Darling.
“Motor Caravan trips increased by 13% in 2009 and the camping and caravanning club have recently reported a 21% increase in bookings” says Darling, “Caravans and motorhomes are important markets for us and I am delighted that we have been so roundly recognised by this. It speaks volumes about the extent to which local businesses still compete in a highly competitive market.
“Both magazines gave all of the key specialist Caravan and Motor Caravan insurers and brokers the same case study and requested a quotation. The magazines are highly respected in their arena, and have readers all over the country”.
Victoria Bentley, Senior Editor, Caravan and Motor Caravan magazines said 'Caravan insurance is vital for all caravan owners, but deciding on the best policy is often difficult. The Caravan and Motor Caravan insurance surveys aim to present clear information from all key caravan insurers, so readers can decide for themselves what policy will suit them best.
‘These surveys, published in the April issues of both magazines, are written up by an experienced insurance journalist using a Caravan magazine reader as a case study. They always generate a huge response from readers and advertisers.’
View the survey results here:
Coversure appears in The Guardian
The article can be found on page 5. Click here to view the PDF (2.5mb).
Astronaut Addresses Coversure Conference
Alan Bean, the 4th man ever to walk on the moon, addressed over 320 franchisees and business partners at the annual Coversure AGM and conference. Speaking from his home in Houston, Texas exactly 40 years after his mission, Apollo 12, was launched, Alan Bean, urged Coversure´s Franchise Holders to make the most of the opportunities available to them in life and use the tools at their disposal to make a success of their business. "I´ve never met a man in my life whose ego was big enough to know how much they could achieve in a few short years if they were willing to give their best efforts. If you want to make your mark whilst you´re here on Earth you have got to start doing it now" said Alan.
The conference famously selects a theme each year. "2009 being the 40th anniversary of the famous Apollo missions and the year we launched a number of new products made space an obvious one this year" said Nick Hollands, Franchise Development Director and organiser of the event. "We like to think that we are a little different to similar firms in the market and our conference is the event where we get the chance to demonstrate that. Getting a real life Apollo astronaut to talk to us was tremendous".
Speaking at the firm´s Annual General Meeting Chairman Mark Coverdale was extremely optimistic about Coversure´s future prospects, seeing the branch model as one that was supported by both insurers and the general public alike.
"Being neither a consolidator nor a user of aggregators we have been in an enviable position with insurers very keen to do business with us, extend facilities, and widen their range of products".
"This time last year we had key account status with two insurers and this year the number has increased to six. Whilst insurers are keen to apply pressure to those brokers who might have poor performing accounts, the opportunity to develop new products if you are able to demonstrate a track record of profit for them is fantastic".
Two Awards for Nottingham Insurance Broker
Nottingham´s local community Insurance Broker, Coversure Insurance Services have been honoured with two awards, one for customer care and the second for compliance, at a national ceremony that took place recently at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester.
Coversure´s Customer Care award, sponsored by insurance company Markerstudy and merchant bank Close Premium Finance, recognised a recent situation where the firm had been able to assist a customer, Mrs Walker of Nottingham, with a situation that might have resulted in the couples retirement fund being jeopardised.
"I was very Grateful to Coversure for being able to assist me" said Mrs Walker, "We didn´t know which way to turn when we found that the land we had earmarked to develop adjacent to our house was blighted by the roots of a tree growing on an adjacent property. Until Coversure intervened it looked like our retirement fund was worthless but with a few telephone calls Sharon got things moving and we are now able to press ahead with our plans. I´m not at all surprised to hear that that Coversure have won the award, as far as I am concerned they deserve it".
Speaking after the presentation Sharon Hartle, who collected the awards alongside her business partner and husband Paul, said "It is very satisfying to be presented with awards like these, particularly for customer care, as that is the very reason we set up the business in the first place; to provide the people of Nottingham with access to a range of competitively priced insurance products at the same time as being available to discuss their requirements with them."
Sharon went on to say, "A lot of people are being seduced by television adverts promising cheap insurance premiums and big savings but in our experience most people would see far greater benefit and get better value for money, if they contacted their local broker".
Coversure´s second award, sponsored by Micromac Printers, was presented after the firm ranked highest in a national survey of compliance standards amongst The Group´s 87 offices.
"It´s great to win one award, let alone two" said Paul Hartle "and to win one for compliance standards alongside one for customer care, shows that we must be doing something right. After the recent problems in the banking industry the public are becoming more aware of the work that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) do, but many will not realise that they are the watchdog for the general insurance business too. We have to work within very strict guidelines laid down by the FSA in order to provide the service that we do for our clients and it would be great to get that message across to those who believe that finding the lowest rate is all that matters. Making a small saving might look attractive in the short term but, when you are left with a small claims payout or indeed none at all and no-one to turn to for help, it doesn´t seem such good value. My advice would be to always deal with a local broker".
The Internet No Substitute for Knowledge says Community Insurance Broker
Kennington´s local community Insurance Broker, Coversure Insurance Services have been honoured with an award for their work in the local community at a national ceremony that took place recently at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester.
Speaking after receiving the Claims Assistance Award, sponsored by Markerstudy Insurance and Close Premium Finance companies, Rajan Amin, proprietor of the brokerage said "It´s great to receive an award such as this and be recognised for the work that we do but we weren´t actually doing anything more than we normally would. In this particular case our client suffered property damaged caused by water escaping from a pipe that had worn through general use. Our client made a claim but was told by the Insurer that the claim wasn´t payable due to an exclusion for wear and tear."
Rajan went on to add "Unfortunately, some insurance companies are trying to cut costs and one way of doing this is by taking on inexperienced members of the public who do not know the ins and outs of their policy in an attempt to reject a claim. Luckily for our clients we always know the ins and outs!"
"Armed with our years of experience we were able to spot a technicality in the insurance cover provided and pointed this out to the Insurer. Whilst damage to the pipe itself wasn´t covered, in this particular instance the damage caused by the water leaking out of it was."
"I dread to think what might have happened had the client not contacted us, people don´t realise that very often when they buy insurance direct or over the internet when it comes to making a claim they are on their own. In this case we not only got the claim paid but managed to get the amount increased too!"
National Award for North Ormesby Insurance Broker
North Ormesby´s local community Insurance Broker, Coversure Insurance Services has been honoured with an award, for its work in the local community at a national ceremony that took place recently at the Marriott Hotel in Leicester. The Award sponsored by insurance company Markerstudy and merchant bank Close Premium Finance, was in recognition of a business that had "become a lot more than simply a local broker"
Speaking after the presentation Liz Smith, who collected the award as owner of the firm said "As a local business it is very important to us to be able to bring something to the community, in addition to the direct services we provide, so I decided to take an active interest by becoming involved with the North Ormesby Neighbourhood Development Trust about 5 years ago". North Ormesby Neighbourhood Development Trust was set up in 2001 (then called North Ormesby 2001) by a group of residents and other community members to form a regeneration partnership. The Trust exists to cultivate community spirit, encourage the community to self-help, support initiatives to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour and promote health and public safety.
"Since I´ve been involved we have opened a charity shop, sponsored some young people who took part in the tall ships race and provided funds for boxing and school equipment. We have even helped start a number of small businesses with the hope that they will employ local people. We are a "local" Coversure office and it´s great to be able to provide insurance services locally. Many of the people who have benefited from the Development Trust are customers of ours but it´s also important to me that we are able to put something back into the community. I didn´t ever expect to be rewarded for the work, it´s just something I felt I could and should do".
Liz has been running the North Ormesby branch of Coversure Insurance Services which was one of the first franchised branches of the group for 11 years. The community service award was one of 12 national awards presented by The Group´s Chairman, Mark Coverdale who was delighted to present Liz with the award.
"Liz has been doing some sterling work in providing insurance services and advice to the people of North Ormesby for many years and I am not surprised that she has become so closely involved with the local community through her work with the development trust” he said. "Our branches may be seen in some circles as old fashioned but the only old fashioned thing about us is our commitment to local services. We have seen from our work in Middlesbrough and elsewhere that a good number of people still like to be able to access advice face to face. It´s all very well buying insurance on the internet but it´s when you come to make a claim that you need someone who knows the market and how things work with local people and large insurance companies."
Local recruitment initiative pays dividends
The Macclesfield branch of Coversure Insurance Services has seen off 86 other contenders to be awarded the much coveted "branch of the year" award at the annual Coversure Conference in Leicester.
Coversure (Macclesfield) has adopted an introducer recruitment policy, which means that existing staff are actively encouraged to bring friends and contacts into the business when additional team members are needed. "The policy has worked very well" says Paul Dunn who owns and runs the branch. "The trust and camaraderie amongst the team is extremely strong and we have been able to accommodate our growth without upsetting the balance in the team".
The business has experienced consistent growth this year, and despite the longest recession in living memory, the Macclesfield business has been a real success story. "At times of economic downturn, clients are looking for the right price, from a brand – and a team – that they can trust. We are one of the few businesses that can combine a strong brand with a local business".
Coversure is proud to be a truly local broker, serving the local community. "We make sure we have the best possible local people, and provide a service that local people expect. As part of the community, we do not just sit behind desks dealing with calls…we get out into the thick of it and deal with people face to face", continues Dunn.
The business has long been central to life in Macclesfield. The "snail van" is a familiar site in and around town. Karl Doolan is the man behind the wheel, "my job is to make life easier for our clients. I help with claims forms, deliver documents and provide a doorstep service rather than desktop service".
Coversure Macclesfield were also sponsors of the Cheshire Bikeathon.