Motor insurer reaches one million policyholders and looks to continue rapid growth trajectory
1ST CENTRAL, the motor insurance provider, has reached one million customers, passing the milestone on 2nd September 2021 - doubling the number of policyholders following the launch of a revised strategy in 2019 by the new leadership team. The insurer celebrated the achievement by providing its millionth customer with a free policy.
The company’s growth comes as the result of providing simple, straightforward insurance policies, which include 5 Star-rated Defaqto offerings, and a first-class customer experience built around the principles of “EVP” (Easy, Valued, Peace of Mind). The success of this approach has led to ICS ServiceMark accreditation, a recognition of the insurer’s consistent service excellence and the customer satisfaction, loyalty and trust it inspires, further amplified by their ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot score.
Reaching the milestone has also come down to significant investments in its proprietary technology which enabled a number of innovations across product, proposition and service.
Over the last year, 1ST CENTRAL has added 365 new colleagues in order to support this growth, onboarding all of them safely and offering a wide variety of digital learning courses. This has included several additions to the leadership team.
The business has also stepped up its commitment to give back to local communities, particularly around its offices in Haywards Heath, Sussex, and Salford Quays, Manchester. Last year, it donated a total of £150,000 to the NHS, helping to provide lifesaving equipment, as well as a wellbeing facility for NHS colleagues at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.
It has also strengthened its relationships with Foundation 92, a charity set up by Salford City FC, helping vulnerable people in the local community, and the Sussex Cricket Foundation, which aims to change the lives of young people in the local community through cricket. This included participating in an auction to help fund the delivery of 1,200 meals to families identified as being in food poverty in the Brighton and Hove area.
“We’re delighted to hit the one million customer mark,” said Michael Lee, Group CEO, First Central. “It’s a recognition of how colleagues have gone above and beyond to deliver our customers with outstanding service, despite the challenges of the last eighteen months. I can’t wait to work alongside our team as we enter the next stage of our growth trajectory.”