Insurance broker McCarron Coates has been named Commercial Lines Broker of the Year at the UK Broker Awards, largely thanks to its backing of clients in the coach industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McCarron Coates’ Wish you could Hear campaign – where it helped operators to encourage MPs to pressure the government to offer the industry sector-specific support – was key to that support. In addition, work done by the broker in the courier insurance market was recognised by judges.
The recognition represents the second award for McCarron Coates in 2021. It won a National Insurance Award in July, having been adjudged Commercial Lines Specialist Broker of the Year. The Leeds-based business was also a finalist in the British Insurance Awards earlier this year, while in 2019 it claimed two national Insurance Times awards.
McCarron Coates notes that despite itself suffering from the impact of the pandemic, it has continued to deliver “hugely impressive general growth.” Investment has been made in customer service excellence through the creation of an internal claims team that aims to process clients’ claims as quickly as possible while also highlighting trends that can assist their risk management.
Says Director Paul Coates (pictured, centre): “We have enjoyed phenomenal awards success this year, and it is particularly rewarding to see that judges have recognised the lengths that we have gone to for our coach sector clients, for no financial reward for ourselves at all.
“We are truly proud of what we have achieved, and delighted that we are building a fast-growing brokerage on the basis of word-of-mouth recommendation and our standing and reputation in the industry.”
While it was staging the Wish you could Hear campaign, McCarron Coates was earning no commission or payments from the coach sector as vehicles were removed from service and insurance refunds were being processed. Such an approach was well received by the sector at the time.
