A specialist in lawyer malpractice insurance stands out in the category.

Raising the bar on service.

After a successful career working for major underwriters, Skip Smith embraced his inner entrepreneur and opened the doors of his own agency four years ago. From the outset, PWS & Company has focused on a specific niche—malpractice insurance for lawyers. Today, the company continues to specialize and expand its book of business.

“I sensed a real opportunity,” Smith recounted. “The marketplace was underserved and the level of client service was low. I knew we’d be rewarded if we improved the process and offered real value.”

Improving the policy renewal process demonstrates value.

One of the items on his service upgrade list was eliminating the almost completely blank forms that were emailed to clients at renewal time. Not only were they time-consuming and inefficient, he didn’t like the message they conveyed about his own brand.

“For me, the biggest issue was that they just seemed so unprofessional,” Smith explained. “I mean, this is a service business, and I was asking someone to do virtually all the work themselves. It didn’t feel like I was providing a great customer experience.”

Smith began to search for an automated solution that would allow him to send forms with current information already filled in. The first one he tried was quickly abandoned—the software was clunky and not particularly flexible. After reading an article about Broker Buddha, he reached out. The support team took him through a demo, and he knew the platform could help his business.

A platform that helps keep clients. And add new ones.

Since the agency introduced Broker Buddha, feedback from clients has been overwhelmingly positive. Many have expressed surprise when renewal time arrives and the process is so much easier than it has been in the past.

“One of my clients is a practice manager who was concerned that her vacation dates were landing when the firm needed to renew their coverage,” Smith said. “In the past, without a contact in the office, it would be a real challenge. But with Broker Buddha, we had the forms almost fully completed when she returned, so the renewal was done just a couple of days after she returned.”

Looking ahead, Smith believes the benefits will compound, as additional information is added and users become even more comfortable with the platform. He’s convinced that having client information securely stored in one place will make them “stickier”—less likely to move their business elsewhere—and he’s discovered that Broker Buddha can be a valuable new business tool.

“I was meeting with a prospect and shared the application with them,” Smith said. “It’s not easy to impress a conference room full of attorneys but they definitely liked it. Business is so competitive right now—anything that increases efficiency can be the difference when it comes to winning new clients.”

Using Broker Buddha has also made it easier for Smith and his team to shift clients to other carriers. Gaining this kind of additional flexibility is a key part of the agency’s commitment to delivering the very best customer experience.

“Like any independent agent, I’m always looking to secure the best coverage and rates for my clients,” he added. “Previously, it was an arduous, slow-moving journey to change carriers. Now, with so much of the information already in place, it’s easy to make a switch when it makes sense.”

Backed by an expert customer support team.

Even though he has embraced new technology throughout his career, Smith admits that working with it doesn’t always come naturally for him. And like many agents, he’s a people person who still values human connections, so he appreciates the responsive customer support team at Broker Buddha.

“Whenever I call with an issue, they are ready to walk me through it and get things sorted out. They’re always patient and super helpful.”

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