INSURANCE
Trusted – Attis Insurance claims director Graham Barr ( left ) and new business development executive Sam Forbes .
WORDS : DAVE ROBSON PICTURE : TOM BANKS
GOOD TRADITION
Graham and new recruit Sam hail the Attis Insurance Brokers ’ approach
One has been with Attis Insurance Brokers since the start , the other ’ s a brand new recruit . But talk to claims director Graham Barr and to new business development executive Sam Forbes and the same themes run through the conversation – the importance of traditional values and personal service in an increasingly fragmented and outsourced insurance world .
Graham has been in insurance for 25 years and joined Attis , based in the old AV Dawson HQ on the Port of Middlesbrough site , when the business started in 2021 .
He has qualifications from the relevant bodies , including the Chartered Insurance Institute , Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters and Institute of Occupational Safety and Health .
Most importantly , he and Attis have a loyal and growing list of clients who trust their advice and decision making from initial contact to claim resolution and beyond .
Graham explains that among the keys to Attis ’ claims service success are good communication channels and closeness to clients .
He said : “ It is commonplace for brokers to help a client purely at the point a claim happens , so it ’ s very reactive . Our claims journey starts from the moment we are appointed .
“ We sit down and understand a client – where claims might come from , and how clients want them to be handled . We put together a claims proposition tailored to a client ’ s individual need .
“ Following a claim , there is an opportunity for Attis and our clients to learn important lessons such as how do we stop this incident happening again , or how do clients take the knowledge learnt and share this elsewhere in their business ?
“ Whether it be motor , liability or property , three key areas of insurance , that three-part journey , the ‘ before , during and after ’, occurs in all of them .”
“ Availability and experience – company founders Emma Simkins and Jonathan Willett have more than 55 years ’ experience between them – are crucial ,” Graham adds .
“ We are in the office , we ’ re local and we ’ re always available . Any of the communication channels the client wants are available to them – none of it is outsourced .
“ It ’ s not reinventing anything . What works is a client having a trusted person they can contact , who ’ s available to them and with whom they can build a relationship .”
And not reinventing the insurance wheel is exactly what appealed to new recruit Sam Forbes .
On a Saturday , you ’ ll find Scarboroughborn sports fan Sam , 31 , playing outside centre for York RUFC – an appropriate link given Attis ’ s support of Middlesbrough RUFC .
When it comes to insurance , he ’ s a big fan of the Attis approach .
He said : “ It ’ s a traditional broking model that puts clients first .
“ Frequently in a national or global broker , the focus moves away from clients and colleagues towards the shareholder . This sees a lot of traditional values , principles and quality of service being eroded .
“ Attis is a traditional broking model which works , and that is hugely appealing for customers and staff .”
Sam added : “ The market place is in a bit of turmoil at the moment . There are a lot of clients unhappy with big broking houses because they aren ’ t really getting the service they expect . With that in mind , my role is about outlining why we ’ re so good and introducing Attis to local businesses .”
All of which fits in nicely with the Attis mantra – customers and staff come first . Along with expertise and top class customer service , of course .
Emma Simkins said : “ We ’ ve kept the traditional broker model because that ’ s the service we want to give our clients . It ’ s about holding their hand throughout the process . Our client retention is higher than most because of the ‘ across the board ’ service we are giving .”
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