A day in the life of a HSB E-Trade Underwriter Jen Newman

"My typical morning involves attending a daily team meeting first thing, where we discuss each other’s work queues on our e-trade solutions - HSB Fast Track and Acturis - and share knowledge on cases, market information, technical support and resources. I then triage our tasks, allocate work out, and ensure the team is up to speed and prepared to handle any referred, complex cases efficiently.

The main part of my day involves supporting our brokers; picking up the phone to them and discussing any risks that have been referred by either e-trade platform. That could be due to anything from a particularly high volume or a particularly complex type of risk.

The types of risks and trades I see coming in via our e-trade platforms are extremely varied. We've had theatres, shopping centres, even a circus who were looking to cover generators. One of the first projects I wrote when I joined the team was a contract works case; the electronics for the refurbishment of some old offices which were being renovated into flats. I found it really interesting seeing all of the plans and GANTT charts for that project.

I'm also regularly involved in testing upgrades and our own enhancements to HSB Fast Track and Acturis before they go live, ensuring they provide a seamless first-class customer experience for our brokers. 

One of the biggest challenges for our E-Trade Team is changing perceptions of what can be traded on our e-trade platforms. Brokers often think that e-trade platforms are not set up for more complex risks where, for example, site plans and GAANT charts are involved but this simply isn't true. So we ensure we commit time to educate our brokers, via presentations and demos, on how easy it is to submit any supporting documentation to us via our platforms.

At HSB, we have a dedicated team of Underwriters behind our
e-trade products and services.

The things that I enjoy about my role is that the underwriting is so much more interesting that anything I've ever previously experienced. The low volume, low premium risks simply go through our e-trade platforms without referral. This means I get to dedicate my time talking to brokers and writing bigger and more complex cases referred by our e-trade systems. I also enjoy being part of our team - we're a very communicative (some might say "talkative") group! 

I spend a lot of time coaching and mentoring my own team as well, which plays a big part in how I strive to keep our customers happy. Making sure that everyone on my team feels empowered to know what questions to ask about particular risks, and have those same conversations with brokers that I do is key to ensuring that we can service our customers quickly and efficiently.

Authored by HSB