Summary

Newman Insurance Brokers, based in Manchester, is a specialist brokerage providing landlord and property owner insurance for residential and commercial clients. Before implementing BrokerCentral, they struggled with disorganised spreadsheets, a lack of a central CRM, and inefficiencies that impacted client service.

After evaluating Acturis and Salesforce, Managing Director Phillip Schwinger chose BrokerCentral for its insurance-specific features, affordability, and strong customer support. Since implementing the platform, Newman Insurance Brokers has significantly improved efficiency, reduced reliance on paper-based processes, and enhanced client service.

Phillip describes BrokerCentral as:

"very user-friendly, excellent service, and a game-changer for brokers looking to streamline their business."


The Challenge

Newman Insurance Brokers relied heavily on spreadsheets and manual processes, lacking a centralised CRM to manage policies and client data efficiently. This led to:

  • Disjointed workflows with information scattered across emails and documents

  • Missed tasks affecting client service and operational efficiency

  • No single source of truth for policy and client data

To address these challenges, the team explored various insurance management solutions, including Acturis and Salesforce.

  • Acturis was insurance-specific but found to be very expensive and overly complicated for their needs.

  • Salesforce was a more generic, off-the-shelf CRM, but it wasn’t designed for insurance brokers and lacked the industry-specific tools required.

Newman Insurance Brokers needed a cost-effective, insurance-specific solution that offered flexibility, automation, and strong customer support.


Why BrokerCentral?

Newman Insurance Brokers selected BrokerCentral because it provided:

  • Specialised functionality designed specifically for insurance brokers

  • Great value for money compared to other platforms

  • A collaborative approach and excellent customer support

"Acturis and Salesforce weren’t the right fit—Acturis was expensive and complicated, and Salesforce was too generic. BrokerCentral stood out because it’s built for brokers, is cost-effective, and offers great service."


Implementation & Onboarding

The onboarding process was smooth and personalised, with a dedicated visit from the BrokerCentral team to guide implementation.

  • Transition Challenges: The team is still in the process of moving away from spreadsheets, but the platform itself was easy to adopt.

  • Team Adoption: Some initial learning curves, but proactive check-ins from the BrokerCentral team helped ease the transition.

  • Support Experience: The team found BrokerCentral’s support responsive, approachable, and easy to reach, though additional training was requested.

"The support has been excellent—very approachable, with proactive check-ins to keep us on track. Annelli has been fantastic, always offering additional training when it suits us, ensuring we get the most out of the platform."


Did you have any concerns before adopting BrokerCentral?

"Yes—since BrokerCentral is a relatively new company, we knew we might be taking a risk. However, their strong insurance background and in-house UK development team reassured us that they understood our needs. Since implementing the software, any initial concerns have been completely put to rest, and we've been thoroughly impressed with the results."


The Impact

Since implementing BrokerCentral, Newman Insurance Brokers has seen significant operational improvements.

Increased Efficiency:

  • Faster quote generation with all data stored in one place

  • Reduced paperwork and email trails

  • Centralised client and policy management

Improved Client Service:

  • Streamlined processes mean fewer delays and faster response times

  • Policy documents are easily accessible for brokers and clients


Favourite Feature

Quote Mixing Deck

"It makes comparing quotes incredibly easy and helps us offer better options to our clients."


Competitive Advantage & Future Growth

By adopting BrokerCentral, Newman Insurance Brokers can now:

  • Provide more competitive, tailored quotes

  • Offer a more efficient and modern brokerage service

  • Free up time to focus on business growth

"We can now provide more competitive quotes and a more tailored service for our clients—it’s been a real game changer."


Final Thoughts

Would you recommend BrokerCentral?

"Yes! It’s specialised for insurance brokers, user-friendly, and always improving."


What’s next for Newman Insurance Brokers?

"Once we’re fully up to speed, we’ll have more time to focus on growing the business and attracting new clients."


One sentence to sum up BrokerCentral?

"Excellent service and a very user-friendly interface."


Conclusion

Newman Insurance Brokers has transformed its operations with BrokerCentral, overcoming inefficiencies and improving client service. The platform continues to provide value through its insurance-specific features, ease of use, and responsive support.

If you're an insurance broker looking to streamline your processes and enhance client service, BrokerCentral is the modern, flexible solution you need.

Want to see how BrokerCentral can help your brokerage? See it in action!