Jelf improvement

The Jelf Group was founded in 1989 by Chris Jelf to provide a one-stop shop for corporate clients. It now has six offices, mainly in the South West, and incorporates the Jelf Corporate Consultancy, Jelf Corporate Healthcare and Jelf Insurance Brokers. With an annual turnover of £8m, The Jelf Group has seen rapid growth both organically and through acquisitions.

Its recent acquisitions have been Trowbridge-based Kallender Walwyn, which has formed Jelf Insurance Brokers (Wessex), independent financial adviser Richard Levinge Associates in Cheltenham and private medical broker Pontin & Stein in Cardiff. It also purchased the book of business and assets of commercial broker SLF Insurance Services in Wiltshire.

With a number of new businesses under the Jelf brand, management consultant Phil Barton was brought in to look at ways to improve its processes and profitability. Barton later took on the role of commercial director and head of marketing and is the architect behind the group's restructure.

Barton says: "Last year we conducted in-depth client research to gain an understanding of their perception of our proposition, their buying experience and service experience. We have placed customer relationship management at the core of the business and have put in place a proactive communications programme, which includes a corporate newsletter and regular client-specific updates. We have also invested in creating an improved database, which is an effective marketing tool."

It has also restructured the business from divisional lines to a team-based approach comprising specialists from each division.

The group offers a broad range of solutions to all types of corporate clients with everything from group pensions, risk management, liability and professional risks and claims advice. It also has a specialist unit offering personal lines to its corporate clients.

Barton says: "My challenge was to present our offer in a way to sell and develop the full range of our services to each of our clients. We believe that, by presenting our advisors in a team offering holistic advice, we don't run into the same problems as our larger national competitors where communications barriers get in the way of what is right for the client."

The group's clients range from high-street traders to multinational public limited companies. Its core market, however, is medium-sized enterprises.

Barton says: "We have no sector bias and believe our risk management and insurance consultancy services are relevant irrespective of the sector that clients operate in."

In order to support its rapid expansion, the group places emphasis on recruitment and has a training and competence team in place. Barton says: "The pool of talent in the industry is not inexhaustible and we believe that one of our competitive advantages is our staff. We work hard to attract the right people to the business. We celebrate the expertise and specialist nature of the skills that each of our client advisers brings, whether in insurance, finance or healthcare."

Jelf is owned by its directors and senior managers, which, Barton argues, enables it to empathise with its owner-managed client base.

He says: "We deliver quality of advice that is commensurate with a national broker but with the culture of an owner-managed business, so we understand the issues that our clients face."

Being owner-managed also means it is a hands-on business. Barton says: "We pride ourselves in understanding the risks impacting our clients' businesses. Site visits are essential and, in addition to clients, we have built strong relationships with insurers and present the risks in a way that secures beneficial terms for the client."

The group plans to continue to expand the business through acquisitions and organically. Barton believes a great opportunity exists to be the consolidator in the South West, which will be driven by regulation.

He says: "We welcome regulation and feel we are well suited to cope with it. We can learn from our financial services business and have the processes, scale and capital needed to succeed."

THE JELF GROUP

Group commercial director: Phil Barton

Established: 1989

Number of offices: six

Locations: Trowbridge, Cheltenham, Bath, Manchester, Cardiff and Bristol

Number of employees: 104

Lines of business: Group pensions, risk management, liability and professional risk, claims advice, personal lines

Gross premium income: £90m.