Benham Publishing Businesss Magazines December 2013 | Page 43

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East Herts broker committed to
supporting SMEs to secure the
best for their business
Multi award-winning Ashbourne Insurance of East Hertfordshire has appointed Matthew Hunt
to the position of Commercial Sales Director. Matthew, who has worked at Ashbourne since
1994, is responsible for the independent broker’s two commercial teams which have been
consolidated into one, based out of the Hoddesdon branch.
Ashbourne Insurance was founded 32 years
ago, currently employing 26 people and has
over 3,500 business and private clients.

value of having an individual to help with
arranging policies and, more importantly,
dealing with claims.”

Though operating in an increasingly
challenging environment, particularly with
competition from the internet, Ashbourne has
always stuck to its founding principles of
providing outstanding personal customer
service to the local community.

He continued, "Ashbourne are committed to
helping Hertfordshire based businesses get the
best insurance cover by offering risk
assessments, personal visits and regular reviews.
We have two in-house claim handlers one at
each office and a 24-hour, 7-day a week
emergency contact procedure."

Matthew Hunt said, "We have had to really
adapt to compete with the increasing number
of insurance providers but we have found that
businesses appreciate more than ever the

Ashbourne’s business clients benefit from on-site
risk assessments and policies tailored to their
specific requirements. “When getting a quote

over the internet it’s easy to overlook points or
not realise the relevance of the small print,”
explained Matthew. “Sometimes these
discrepancies only come to light when you try
and make a claim and you find the policy is
invalid. At Ashbourne we go through each point
thoroughly and check if businesses need any
additional cover. What surprises many people is
that we can often beat supposed ‘cheap’
online quotes.”
Within the industry this approach has also paid
off with Ashbourne able to negotiate
advantageous rates for clients from insurance
providers keen to cover companies which
they know to be well-informed and thoroughly
risk-assessed.
Ashbourne's top tips when renewing your
business insurance policy:
• Review your schedule of cover to ensure that
it remains representative of your ever
changing requirements
• Choose a broker or two at the most and
work with them to ensure they become
your advocate
• If you are going to engage multiple
companies ensure that they don’t all target
the same insurer, many insurance companies
will not quote for a risk that is submitted by
multiple brokers, one or two brokers should
be in a position to cover the market and
ensure that insurance companies compete
amongst themselves for your business
• A cheap quote will mean a cheap service
or poor coverage. Of course you want
quotes to be competitive, but remember
the true value of an insurance policy can
only be seen when you come to use it by
making a claim.
• Start the process early, at least 6-weeks
before renewal, your broker should welcome
the opportunity and this will help secure
better terms & premiums.

Matthew Hunt (centre) with 2012/2013 business awards, is supported by a team
of professional Commercial Insurance Specialists including (from left to right)
Marianne Sapsford, Pina Johnson, Dawn Spencer & Joe Ferraro

For please contact the commercial team at
Ashbourne Insurance on 01992 471001 to
book a no obligation Business Review.

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