Brokers told to bring value-added services to the internet

The internet is here to stay and brokers must learn to take advantage of all the technological gains it has to offer, according to Kevin Child, Software Solution Partners' head of e-business.

Child told audiences at the roadshows that the onus is on brokers to extend services to keep them ahead of direct insurers and aggregators.

He commented: "The insurance buying process (on the web) tends to end at the point of sale," adding that, to continue to offer value-added packages, brokers must go one step further than their rivals and offer services reaching beyond the customer buying a premium.

In addition, aggregators should not be spurned automatically, as aggregator support software could generate a significant amount of leads as well as provide the opportunity to choose flexible, tailored premium offerings.

Time should also be invested in constructing websites, Child continued, including search engine optimisation terms, competing in bidding wars for Google placements and searching for related websites where click-through spaces can be bought.

He suggested that client retention can be improved using the internet, citing software that allows customers to renew annually and make mid-term adjustments "with one click".

Child concluded that while consumers were certainly becoming "hooked" on self-service, brokers would always be seen as a necessary independent adviser and that it was now up to the broker to take advantage of available software to make themselves visible online.