AXA Commercial Lines and Personal Intermediary has increased the number of account managed brokers at its Bolton-based National Trading Centre from 100 to 1,000 following a quarter of a million pound investment.
The investment has enhanced electronic, telephone and face-to-face account management systems, which has resulted in a 900% increase in the number of regional brokers that have a dedicated point of contact at AXA.
The majority of the investment was directed to the National Trading Centre in Bolton, which has grown the number of telephone based staff, allowing more account managers to remain on the road visiting brokers face-to-face. Additional dedicated marketing and market intelligence resources have also joined the team at Bolton, as well as funds dedicated to specific training programmes for existing staff.
Additional support has also been given to developing AXA’s Simple e-trading products, designed specifically to help brokers trade smaller products efficiently.
Matthew Reed, Managing Director, Commercial Intermediary said: “This investment was directed specifically to support community brokers, a sector that is largely ignored by insurers who have traditionally focused their efforts on firms at the larger end of the scale. These brokers make up the majority of the intermediary market and with several insurers centralising their operations, they just can’t get access to the support they need. We’ve taken the time to listen to their feedback and what they want is someone that values their business and regular contact with the same individual to develop the business relationship.
“We have seen brokers respond positively to our change in strategy, evidenced by the huge increase in brokers now choosing to do business with us. We will continue our programme of expansion, both through the national Trading Centre in Bolton, as well as through our branch network. We want to reassure local and regional brokers that they can come to us and are able to get the contact, service and products they need.”
