no intention of doing anything different in the future.” It wasn’t just through acquisition that the group drove revenue. By understanding their customer needs they were able to identify additional business opportunities, and over the last six years they have added riskmanagement services, including engineering inspections, and an employee benefits company to provide corporate clients with group pension advice as well as key-person cover, such as critical illness insurance. “Before, when supporting our clients, we’d recommend other firms to help with their engineering inspections, but we found that the service levels from these other companies was lacking. It just made sense for us to bring these services in-house; that way we could ensure that our clients were being properly looked after. “It’s the same with Health & Safety. By adding risk management solutions we’re helping clients remain compliant, reduce risk to their employees and customers and making them more attractive to insurers, often reducing insurance premiums.” Yet, neither acquisition nor new revenue streams has been the key factor underpinning the success of the company. That honour sits with the original mantra, to keep clients happy and add a few new ones each year. “Some people might say our growth has been quite pedestrian. We’re okay with that. We’ve not over-stretched, never taken debt, and always put our customers first. You can see the results of that in our retention rates and our reviews.” Looking at the figures, it would be hard to disagree. They’ve got, arguably, the highest rating on Feefo amongst their competitors (a way for verified customers to review business) for their service standards, and their retention rates are around 90% - 95%. Factoring in natural churn that’s quite exceptional. So, what’s been the secret to maintaining those service standards? “It’s hardly a secret, we hire great people. We don’t pay commission on sales, instead we’re hiring people who want to build relationships. Even if that’s just a few minutes on the phone with a new landlord who doesn’t understand what they need, we’ll take the time to explain the risks and the appropriate covers. “We don’t do the hard-sell. We’ll leave that to others. Wewant toprovide advice and guidance wherever possible. Listen to our clients, understand the risks, advise appropriately, and offer the right solutions.” You only need to talk to Alan to understand that he is as passionate about the business today as he was 40 years ago. The company is founded on the ambition to create a professional, progressive company with a reputation for providing friendly, expert advice across a wide range of financial disciplines. Continual reinvestment in the development of the company has put it in its current position; recognised by clients and the industry as one of the most dynamic and reputable independent insurance brokers and financial advisers in the country. With the business built on a solid foundation, and clients always at the forefront, the future looks good for Alan Boswell Group. Finance Monthly Insurance Awards 2022 United Kingdom 32 www.finance-monthly.com “We want to provide advice and guidance wherever possible.”
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