Modern Insurance Magazine Issue 66

EDITORIAL BOARD
The Building Blocks to
Stronger Client Relationships
At EDAM, we believe that building strong and
enduring client relationships is not just about
delivering services; it’s about forging partnerships
grounded in trust, collaboration, and value.
Our approach centres on understanding our clients’ unique needs
and aspirations from the very beginning. During the implementation
process, we invest time and effort in order to grasp precisely what our
clients require while also offering insights into our own capabilities.
This collaborative dialogue ensures that together, we find the bestfit
solutions that align with their goals and objectives. But our
commitment to our clients certainly doesn’t end with implementation.
We recognise the importance of ongoing communication and
feedback. That’s why we hold regular review meetings at all levels
to keep track of our progress, addressing any challenges promptly
and realigning our strategies when needed. This continuous dialogue
allows us to stay responsive to our clients’ evolving needs and ensures
that we’re always on the same page, working together towards
success.
In addition to proactive communication, we also provide direct access
to our claims team, offering multiple channels for escalation. We
understand that timely support is crucial for our clients, so whether
they prefer email, telephone, or any other means of communication,
we’re there to assist them swiftly.
Moreover, we go beyond simple service delivery in order to provide
actionable insights that empower our clients to make informed
decisions. Our bespoke management information reports are
tailored to each client’s requirements, offering valuable analytics and
performance metrics. These reports serve as strategic tools, enabling
our clients to monitor progress, identify trends, and drive informed
decision-making. By aligning these insights with agreed-upon key
metrics, we demonstrate our dedication to helping our clients achieve
their business objectives.
Ultimately, we aim to be more than just service providers, striving to be
trusted advisors and partners to our clients. As experts in our field, we
not only solve day-to-day challenges but also provide strategic advice
and insights that add value to their business decisions.
By consistently delivering on this promise, we solidify our reputation
as trusted partners who are invested in our clients’ success. At EDAM,
building stronger and better client relationships isn’t just a goal—it’s
our commitment, and we’re dedicated to making it a reality.
Darren Entwistle,
Head of Commercial and Supply Chain, EDAM Group
An Open Door, Open
Book Approach
At The Vella Group, we strive to develop and nurture
deep relationships with our clients by engaging
across multiple levels and departments of their
organisation. In the case of an insurer relationship,
this would include getting our teams to build ongoing
relationships with colleagues in claims, network,
engineering and supply chain, as well as within
sustainability, customer insight, fraud, and even
underwriting teams.
We operate with an open door, open book approach, inviting clients
(and prospective clients) into our business and site locations in order
to encourage an understanding of the current and future challenges
in areas such as technology, people, and margins – all from the
repairer’s perspective. We are always keen to help the industry gain a
wider perspective of the overall customer journey, particularly those
without any experience of the repair process.
In addition, we’ll regularly share data relating to inflationary pressures
and other emerging trends, so that we can be recognised as a
thought leader and trusted business adviser in as many areas as
possible. We also like to put ourselves forward for any opportunities
to work on new initiatives with clients, allowing us both to test and
learn new ways of working. Most recently, we have been involved in
shaping and implementing a new environmental repair standard that
has now been rolled out across an insurer’s network.
We also feel it is critical to understand our clients’ own challenges and
strategic plans, with vehicle technology and ESG being particularly
current hot topics. Clients are very keen to understand the dynamics
brought about by the emergence of new powertrains (mainly EVs) and
new vehicle manufacturers, as well as wanting to see what we’re up to
in our transition to a more sustainable and diverse business.
We recognise that it’s important for clients to have clearly
documented and accurate evidence of what we’re currently seeing,
predicting, and implementing, offering reliable information that they
can share back with their internal stakeholders. For this reason, we
have also strengthened our marketing and communications team to
help us improve the way we communicate our business developments
and successes directly with the wider market.
At both operational and strategic levels, we encourage a regular
meeting rhythm which allows the two-way sharing of information and
the prompt resolution of any issues. We will always close the feedback
loop with an honest appraisal of the root cause of an issue, which has
helped to create a solid reputation based on trust and transparency.
With so many exciting market dynamics emerging, it’s vitally
important to develop wide-ranging cross-functional relationships with
clients, to be at the forefront of any growth opportunities and to allow
long-term partnerships to fully prosper.
Tom Hadfield,
Commercial Director, The Vella Group
MODERN INSURANCE | 25