YOUR WEBSITE
Does YOUR Website Impact
YOUR Insurability?
I
n today’s business world, your website
is your calling card. Your customers
depend on it to inform themselves
about your business and make the
critical decision of whether or not to
pursue your services. But it is important to
keep in mind that your customers are not
the only ones evaluating your website on a
regular basis. Your underwriter is too, and
what your website is saying to customers is
very different from what it is saying to your
insurance company.
So what does this mean in terms of
maintaining a website that will not only
encourage customers to buy your goods
or services but also appeal to underwriters
who provide the critical support you need to
insure your business?
In short, a challenge. You want to ensure
your website is appealing to viewers while
also highlighting your business as a low-
hazard, safety-conscious operation because
the first place an underwriter goes when
evaluating a business is its company website.
Much like a customer, an underwriter is
looking at websites to learn about a business.
Underwriters will look through company
photos, see how long the company has been
in business, look at what operations it is
involved in, and investigate the geographic
areas where it operates, to name a few.
Your insurance company will be looking to
make an educated judgment as to whether
it’s worth the risk to insure you, and, of
course, for how much. Underwriters have
their own point-of-view when reviewing
your website, and it is important to
understand what they are looking for.
DO YOU CLEARLY DESCRIBE THE
GEOGRAPHIC AREAS WHERE YOU DO
BUSINESS?
This is important because some insurance
carriers have restrictions on where they
can write business. New York, for example,
is an undesirable underwriting area for
many insurance companies. To avoid
having coverage declined, it is smart to
list only the areas where your company is
currently doing business.
ARE THE PHOTOS ON YOUR WEBSITE
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE TRUE NATURE
OF YOUR OPERATIONS?
Many times, companies will have
photos on their websites of discontinued
operations. If an underwriter sees photos
of certain operations on your website,
they will want to underwrite (i.e., charge
money) for these operations. You may also
get declined because underwriters do not
like the operations they see. It is smart
to keep your company website current
and have the website reflect what your
company is doing today.
DO YOUR PHOTOS SHOWCASE
SAFE JOBSITES, CLEAN WORK
ENVIRONMENTS, WELL-MAINTAINED
FACILITIES AND PRODUCTS THAT DON’T
“SCARE” AN UNDERWRITER AWAY?
DOES YOUR COMPANY PROJECT
AN AIR OF PROFESSIONALISM AND
COMPETENCE?
From a risk man agement standpoint, does
the website speak to your company culture
in terms of employee and jobsite safety,
pre-employee screening and employee
retention?
Your underwriter needs to fully understand
your business to provide your company with
the appropriate coverage. It’s important to
remove discontinued operations from your
website to avoid being charged additional
premiums or declined coverage based on
exposures you no longer have. If your website
promotes high-risk operations or projects
outside of your primary operations, be aware
that your insurance company will need
specific details about these involvements,
which can negatively impact your ability to
get coverage. Reviewing and updating your
website a few months prior to your insurance
renewal date can save you from having to
answer a lot of irrelevant questions, deal with
price increases, and contend with potential
declinations of coverage.
If you have questions about your website,
your JGS Insurance professional is
always ready and able to help you review
your website, discuss how it may affect
your insurance coverage, and answer
any questions. Contact Meaghan for a
complimentary consultation. +
BY: MEAGHAN TYNDALE-WILLIAMS
VICE PRESIDENT, JGS INSURANCE
Meaghan Tyndale-Williams began her
insurance career with Liberty Mutual
in Commercial Lines as a Direct Sales
Property & Casualty Producer. She won
numerous sales contests and awards
while at Liberty Mutual including 2008
Producer of the year, Millionaires Club
and Liberty Top Producer Club. In 2014,
after having her first of two children
she transitioned to JGS Insurance to be
closer to home and began her current
position as Vice President.
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