089: Transforming Broking Through Technology with Hubb’s Ed Halsey and Mark Costello

People in Insurance: Changing the Conversation

What is the Metaverse, and how might it benefit your customers? Are you interested in how such new technology could transform or revitalise your business? Are you concerned about the hard market and the changes it may necessitate for your business?

In this episode, we’re very pleased to be speaking with Mark Costello and Ed Halsey, co-founders of Hubb, an innovative company which aims to offer Broking 2.0, powered by new technology and driven by customer needs. In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, they discuss how technology could change the landscape of broking in the not-too-distant future, and the importance of conducting business on customers’ terms, rather than relying on traditional models of broker-client interaction. Furthermore, they explore the paramount importance of crystal-clear communication of your company’s central message, and how the next few years of economic uncertainty may transform the insurance industry for good.

Quote of the Episode

“I think insurance has a little bit of arrogance [in that] we expect customers to do what we want. We expect them to meet us. And I think it's about meeting customers where they are physically, mentally, technologically, and going to the places where they want to operate trading the way they want to trade. And the metaverse is just a part of that. So, for us, if you have a need or use or benefit in meeting us in the Metaverse, we will be ready for you, we will be ready to see you there. In the same way as if you need us to come and see you [in person], we'll be able to see you there.”

Hubb’s offering of the Metaverse as an opportunity to engage with clients is not a simple matter of using technology for technology’s sake. They are embracing the opportunities that the changing landscape for such interactions created by our increasingly virtual world. Ultimately, Hubb’s decision-making is underpinned by a desire to meet customers where, and how, they wish, and their use of virtual reality technology is only one means of doing so. The traditional approach of in-person meetings still has its place, and will likely always remain central to the innerworkings of the insurance market. However, with many companies implementing hybrid or fully virtual work solutions, it is more important than ever before to ensure that their needs are prioritised above our own.

Key Takeaways

Hubb’s deliverance of Broking 2.0 is not rooted in its exciting use of technology. Ed and Mark emphasise wholeheartedly that the business is neither tech-first, nor insurance-first, but customer-first. The business is not selling software, and while insurance is central to its offering, the deliverance of that service is guided by the needs and desires of clients.

This principle was borne out of a frustration with the broking market’s perceived homogeneity, and its transition away from sales towards acquisitions for growth. Hence, Hubb is not traditionalist, and combines technological expertise and insurance understanding with a drive to root out inefficiencies in the provision of advice to clients.

As such, the company operates under the notion that ‘attitude is much more important than skillset’, which has guided its onboarding of new staff. The company is driven by a desire to get things done for clients, meeting their needs in an agile way, by building technology to include features that might be beneficial, but not merely for the sake of doing so. This is emphasised by the fact that, due to its digital outlook, the company can employ talent globally. It need not be tied to a certain radius distance from a central office.

Hubb’s unique outlook and proposition has undoubtedly contributed considerably to its huge success in only 18 months of trade. However, Ed suggests that it has also been facilitated by a key focus on communication. The importance of articulating your business’ mission and how you differ from others is a hugely important and often undervalued skill in the insurance sector. With everyone more keenly focused on how exactly their money is being spent during this period of economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever to ensure that your business it able to communicate its message clearly and effectively.

Best Moments/Key Quotes

‘It doesn't mean that everything we do is in the metaverse, and you can't trade with us without it. It's just about taking that new technology, investigating it, seeing how we can draw benefit from it as a business.”

“Brokers had become completely reliant on acquisitions to build their business and had just almost given up on sales and winning new customers, and being able to differentiate from the next broker to the next had gone and become homogenised. And we just thought there was a huge gap to give the customer something different. We don't look and feel like a traditional insurance broker. We just don't. And that's fairly deliberate.”

‘Tech only works if the staff work in an agile way.’

Resources

Hubb - https://hubbinsure.com/

About the Guest

Mark Costello is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Hubb, which offers Broking 2.0 – using technology to radically change the way broking is done.

Mark’s LinkedIn Profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-costello-202137194/

Ed Halsey is Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Hubb. In his role, he aims to bring the business’ unique ideas about bridging the gap between insurance and technology to fruition.

Ed’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardhalsey/

About the Host

Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group. The founder of The Insurance Brokers Podcast, she brings a wealth of marketing experience and a fresh perspective on marketing in the insurance sector. Boston Tullis works with insurance brokers to offer solutions to business development ceilings, particularly in the rapidly developing fields of video marketing and thought leadership.

Website: https://bostontullis.co.uk/

Evaluation Link: https://s.bostontullis.co.uk/s/podcastevaluation