Calling for back-up.

As brokers look to get the edge in an increasingly competitive market, they need to concentrate on what they do best. David Fanning says astute firms are outsourcing functions like claims handing and are focusing more on new business.

Max Carruthers, chief executive of Eastgate Assistance, says the
broker outsourcing market is very buoyant, with brokers facing widespread
changes in their relationships and processes and turning to outsourcing as
a way of maintaining value in their services to clients. "Outsourcing is
still relatively limited among general brokers," he says, "and many of
them are not of sufficient size to gain the benefits of scale from the
full range of service provision. However, there is considerable interest
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