Broker Closeness: Retail Protection Deep-Dive

 

How to understand broker needs across product, price and the end-to-end service journey. 


Our client wanted to deepen its understanding of what brokers really want in the retail insurance market, in order to strengthen relationships and sharpen its commercial proposition. The focus was on understanding broker expectations across product, pricing and the full service journey from initial engagement through to claims.


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The challenge

In a highly competitive market, the client needed clear insight into where its proposition was working well and where friction was undermining broker experience and advocacy. Key questions included:

 

• How brokers evaluate products and pricing across providers
• The role and effectiveness of BDM relationships
• How communication, responsiveness and support influence broker loyalty
• Where issues arise across application, underwriting and claims
• Which improvements would deliver the greatest commercial impact

The challenge was to move beyond generic feedback and uncover specific, actionable issues across different broker segments.

The approach

We conducted primary qualitative research using in-depth interviews, designed to explore broker experience across the entire journey.

30 hour-long depth interviews across multiple broker segments
 

Structured discussions covering:
 • Product and pricing expectations
• BDM relationships and support
• Communication and ongoing engagement
• Application, underwriting and claims processes  

To maximise impact, the research followed an iterative approach, with the discussion guide and stimulus refined throughout the project as new themes emerged. 

A grey hexagon outline containing two people and a cog
A grey hexagon outline containing a star and a tick

The result

The research delivered clear, commercially focused outcomes, including:

• Precise identification of friction points across the broker journey
• Evidence-based direction on how to better align propositions with real broker needs
• Stronger broker relationships through visible engagement and responsiveness

The findings provided the client with a clear roadmap to enhance broker experience and drive competitive advantage in the retail insurance market.