Human expertise is vital for the success of any electronic placement platform: Ebix Europe

At the beginning of the year, Ebix Europe, the London-based technology specialist, released its electronic placing solution, PlacingHub, which has attracted interest from major re/insurance brokers and carriers across the market.

During an interview with Reinsurance News, James Pring, Sales Director, Ebix Europe, explained what steps the company are planning to take for PlacingHub in the near future, which includes a number of new features being introduced to the platform to enhance its support of the London Market’s data strategy.

“Our enhanced DataFirst capabilities allow users to adopt a data-first approach by creating highly flexible, custom templates and moving away from traditional document-first methods,” Pring said.

“We have also enhanced our platform’s ability to handle renewals and facilitate complex placements efficiently, particularly during peak periods. These steps, combined with our transparent pricing model, seamless API integration, and expert training and support position PlacingHub as the leading platform for brokers and underwriters.”

We then asked Pring what future-proofing such a platform looks like, particularly around which measures need to be taken into consideration to align with Blueprint 2.

“Future-proofing PlacingHub involves designing it to adapt to evolving market needs and technological advancements. This means embracing a data-first approach by providing comprehensive API integration and 100% flexible and configurable contract templates, and continuously responding to feedback from users to enhance functionality.

“PlacingHub is committed to the principles, protocols and standards for integration with Blueprint 2 and our DataFirst suite is able to gather, validate and submit all required CDR data as required. As such, by focusing on flexibility and innovation to support the Market, we ensure that PlacingHub remains relevant and effective in the face of future challenges.”

Moving forward, Pring discussed how important human expert support is for placing platforms, and whether this is an area that the industry collectively needs to focus more on.

“Human expertise is vital for the success of any electronic placement platform. There has been clear evidence that, when accessible, responsive and expert human support is absent from a platform, the functionality/experience of the platform is inferior,” he explained.

“With our long history of supporting tens of thousands of users on the London Market’s electronic placement journey since 2016, we have always placed support and human expertise at the top of our priority list. While the technology plays a critical role, of course, the ability to navigate complex placements and provide expert personalised support is what truly enhances user experience.”

A key question that many across the industry are likely to have in regards to any placing solution that’s available, is how cost-efficient is it in comparison to other platforms that are available across the market.

In regards to PlacingHub, Pring said: “PlacingHub offers transparent, straightforward and low-cost transaction-based pricing without the burden of licensing fees, making it the most cost-effective option in the market. We focus on delivering value by reducing the time and complexity involved in the placement process, which directly translates to cost savings for both our broking and underwriting users.”

He concluded: “Additionally, our commitment to continuous innovation and an incredibly user-friendly interface ensures that PlacingHub remains a dependable and effective utility, minimising operational costs while maximising efficiency. This approach has been very well-received by the market.”

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