Dawn Dillaway on logging on

Brokers and insurers spend too much time and resources requesting, chasing, providing and pursuing commercial quotes – many of which are price-checking or market-blocking manoeuvres.

We know e-trading streamlines processes and maximises opportunities, but the complex nature of non-package commercial products has stymied progress.

But change is coming. Comparative quotes and fully automated, full-cycle underwriting across the range of commercial insurance products are tantalisingly close.

More and more brokers and insurers are writing business online and, as we harness the technology and adopt the mindset, numbers will grow.

We can’t carry on as we are – direct sellers are building online propositions to attract SME clients. It is up to us: either we influence change or we suffer the consequences.

Dawn Dillaway is Groupama’s head of commercial underwriting.