081: Is the Insurance Industry in a PR Crisis? - with Brett Sainty, CEO of BLW Insurance Brokers

<p>Are you concerned about how your business, and the insurance industry as a whole, is perceived by the public?</p> <p>In this mini episode of the Insurance Brokers’ Podcast, we’re thrilled to be speaking with Brett Sainty, CEO of BLW Insurance Brokers. As a highly experienced and regarded industry professional, Brett is well-placed to discuss the broader public perception of insurers, which he suggests is gravely insufficient. In conversation with Boston Tullis’ Sarah Myerscough, he suggests that the industry is currently facing a significant PR crisis due to an array of circumstances both created by and predating the pandemic, and that this can only be absolved by deeper consideration of the essential needs of customers.</p> <p> </p> <p>Quote of the Episode</p> <p>“There's no point in asking chief executives, insurers, or large brokers whether or not there's a PR crisis in the insurance industry. There is. And it's the perception of the customers that we need to be focusing on.”</p> <p>Brett suggests that the PR crisis facing the insurance industry is irrefutable, and that extensive debate as to whether or not it is happening only delays attempts to resolve it. This must necessarily be rooted, he argues, in a reorientation of public perception of insurers and brokers, which can be achieved, first and foremost, by thinking about the customer above all else.</p> <p> </p> <p>Key Takeaways</p> <p>For Brett, the customer service experience offered by the insurance industry is woeful. He suggests that insurance businesses would be well-rewarded, both in the eyes of the public and in the development of the services they offer, by a deeper collective consideration of the customer’s needs.</p> <p>Too many risks are declared uninsurable, despite the fact that they could be insured at a risk that the customer would be happy with. The industry’s unwillingness to accept more challenging risks that may require some new technical expertise or alterations to certain terms and conditions is halting its ability to recover its p