We join the rest of the world in mourning one of the most celebrated monarchs of all time, who will be remembered for her gracious leadership and a remarkable lifetime of service.

God save the King.

The post Her Majesty the Queen, Rest in Peace appeared first on Hood Group.

Who are we?

We are a fast growing, reputable and innovative company with a successful hybrid working style in this digital age. Hood Group is a dynamic, forward thinking customer management business that provides outsourced customer services for well-known UK trusted brands.

We have fast-growth in our Customer Service Department working in partnership with some of the UK’s most well-known and respected brands.

By attending our virtual recruitment open day, you will be fast-track your recruitment process and have the opportunity of being interviewed the same day, this will allow you to have feedback instantly.

Why attend the event?

• Understand why each employee has the ‘best ever job feeling’
• Virtually meet the team
• Find out about our fantastic benefits package
• Find out how we work remotely
• Discover our in-house training and career development
• Be interviewed and leave with a secured job

For more information and to book your place on our virtual open day so you may be sent the link please email: recruitment@hoodgroup.co.uk or call 01702 939479 and ask for Nikki Bhatt, Recruitment Lead.

The post We’re ready for our next Virtual Recruitment Open Day appeared first on Hood Group.

Customer Service Advisors

Friday 6^th October 2021
10.00am – 3.00pm
Hosted by: MS Teams Virtual Recruitment Open Day

We are very excited to host an exclusive virtual recruitment open day that will give you an insight into our company, more information about our exceptional customer service advisors – who are the heart of everything we do – our Brand Ambassadors, careers development, wellness-programme and other fantastic benefits available to you when you join our company.

Who are we?

We are a fast growing, reputable and innovative company with a successful hybrid working style in this digital age. Hood Group is a dynamic, forward thinking customer management business that provides outsourced customer services for well-known UK trusted brands.

We have fast-growth in our Customer Service Department working in partnership with one of the UK’s well-known, trusted and respected brands – John Lewis Partnership – we are looking to recruit 20 exceptional Customer Service Advisors to join our contact centre on a 12 months’ fixed term contract starting 1^st November 2021.

By attending our virtual recruitment open day, you will be fast-track your recruitment process and have the opportunity of being interviewed the same day, this will allow you to have feedback instantly.

Why attend the event?

• Understand why each employee has the ‘best ever job feeling’
• Virtually meet the team
• Find out about our fantastic benefits package
• Find out how we work remotely
• Discover our in-house training and career development
• Be interviewed and leave with a secured job

For more information and to book your place on our virtual open day so you may be sent the link please email: recruitment@hoodgroup.co.uk or call 01702 939479 and ask for Nikki Bhatt, Recruitment Lead.

The post We’re holding our first Virtual Recruitment Open Day! appeared first on Hood Group.

Hood Group provide a range of services to a number of well-known affinity brands including John Lewis & Partners, Sainsbury’s Bank and Ticker.  Services range from product and quote platform design through to sales, service and retention. They are eager to support Insurtech UK’s member base utilising the knowledge and relationships built over their 30 years’ experience in the insurance industry.

Paul Firkins, Business Development Director commented: ‘We are thrilled at the opportunity to connect with the eco-system created by the Insurtech UK team.  The vibrant array of products and services developed by Insurtech UK’s 100  members really embrace the principle of transforming insurance, a principle we share.’  

James York, Co-Chair of Insurtech UK commented: ‘Joining as an associate member, Hood Group bring with them a wealth of experience in the insurance industry including a proven track record of helping start-ups to grow, coupled with their relationships with enviable brands and insurers. We are excited to see them join forces with our other members and look forward to seeing what collaborations can blossom.’

The post Hood Group joins Insurtech UK as an associate member appeared first on Hood Group.

The new proposition is supported by four providers:  underwriters Digital Partners, a Munich Re company, claims handlers Sedgwick, software company ICE InsureTech and Hood Group.

Simon Hood commented “Our business strategy is all about supporting well-known brands and John Lewis is, in our minds, one of the most well-known, respected and trusted brands in the UK.  They are ideally placed to lead the charge in transforming home insurance.  The services offered by Hood Group will evolve as the partnership grows and will be aligned to customers’ changing shopping habits and digital expectations”.

The post Hood Group announce new partnership with John Lewis appeared first on Hood Group.

Hood Group is delighted to announce it has fully implemented ICE Policy, in partnership with ICE InsureTech, part of the Acturis Group. This back-office policy administration platform integrates with numerous front-end platforms, including websites, apps and customer portals, enabling a seamless customer journey and a variety of sales channels.

Specialising in general insurance, Hood Group works in partnership with start-ups, consumer brands and large insurers offering an end-to-end service that allows insurers to engage with their customers. ICE supports this work, so The Hood Group can help its clients to mass market quickly at low cost. It also supports the ongoing development of subscription-based products.

Working with insurance software producers ICE InsureTech, the online journey was delivered in just over five weeks by the Hood Group development team, using the integration framework within the ICE solution (API). The whole process was completed in just six months.

The ICE platform provides significant benefits, including:

• Improved speed to market: new schemes can go live faster
• Integration with ICE Rating: rating changes are easy
• Flexibility and control: business users have the tools to configure the software
• Training workshops: Hood Group is self-sufficient in product development
• Supporting the development of products that are data driven and require less quote information from customers.

The architecture of this platform means Hood Group will also be able to onboard new partners with less reliance on a third party. There is also more flexibility around the customer journey.

From an internal perspective, rationalising existing residential platforms and migrating existing business to ICE will be more efficient, saving money. The ICE system has also been designed to support future scaling as Hood Group business grows.Hood Group plans to develop its ICE Policy platform to migrate its books of business over an 18-month programme.

James Wallis, Chief Operating Officer, said: “With ICE Policy, we now have a sophisticated and agile system that gives us the tools to make changes, empowering us to be flexible to market trends. This means we are self-sufficient in our product development and we have a platform that supports our business needs and future growth plans.”

Andrew Passfield, CEO at ICE InsureTech, commented: “Working collectively as a team is the key to a successful implementation that delivers results. Working in collaboration with Hood Group clearly identified Hood’s business priorities. This meant decisions were made together to ensure ICE Policy provided Hood with the control and functionality they desired.”

The post Hood Group successfully launches ICE Policy appeared first on Hood Group.

It will be a case of new year, new venture for the Hood Group in January 2019 when the company commences a 3-year contract with new motor telematics insurer, Ticker.

Hood Group has until now focused on providing home and travel insurance services, but always with an eye on innovation. It is now branching out into motoring technological solutions to offer a high-quality sales and servicing provision to Ticker.

Ticker, founded by insurance entrepreneur Richard King in partnership with Munich Re’s Digital Partners, is launching a next-generation insurance proposition with a self-installable telematics device that is autonomous to the vehicle. It delivers high-quality data at a price point that allows Ticker to enter the lower-premium market for cars and vans rather than just being targeted at high-premium younger drivers.

Ticker boasts an impressive executive board which includes Steve Broughton, a highly experienced non-executive director and chairman, along with Adrian Brown (ex-RSA and currently The Ardonagh Group) and Kerry Michael (former commercial director of the RAC). Financial backing and support for the start-up comes from the likes of Barry Smith (former CEO of Ageas UK), Gary Lineker (ex-professional footballer and broadcaster) and business entrepreneur Theo Paphitis (of Dragons’ Den fame).

SIMON HOOD, Hood Group Chief Executive, said:
‘Ticker is our first entry into the motor market and we’re delighted to be working with such a credible, experienced team on this exciting new project.

‘This is a completely new direction for our business, but it’s gratifying to have our reputation for quality services recognised by key players in the insurance industry (and beyond) who only work with like-minded partners.

‘This latest venture is a reflection of a lot of hard work from a committed team and we are positive that it will be a long and successful partnership.’

RICHARD KING, Ticker founder and CEO, said:

‘Hood Group has an excellent reputation, which is borne out by their impressive client portfolio. From the first meeting, when Simon revealed that the business was looking for a motor insurance partner, we got a good feeling about the approach and can-do attitude.

‘Our sales and service team will be front-line ambassadors for the Ticker brand so Hood Group is another vital part of Ticker’s extraordinary line-up of partners.’

The post Hood Group branches into telematics with Ticker appeared first on Hood Group.

That was the message from a recent one-day workshop hosted by the University of Essex at Runway East. Industry leaders gathered round to examine the current challenges and positives from within.

It was in collaboration with Hood Group, who are hoping to input on the Fintech debate and essentially create a whole new industry. It formed a large part of a new 2-year collaboration between the two to develop a data strategy, thanks to support from the government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. This is key for Hood Group as with individuals creating more data than ever before, there is the potential that these snapshots can provide a more personalised quote as long as the information is safe and reliable.

With this in mind the day held in-depth discussions on cyber security, how we analyse our data and even artificial intelligence. Specialists from Microsoft, Filament, Profusion and Signal Media discussing artificial intelligence, UX, gamification and cyber security ran sessions that underlined how Fintech has come a long way recently. The thought leaders showed their excitement as they discussed the implications on everything from marketing to the future of the insurance industry.

Considering Growth

What was immediately apparent was that the changing landscape of Fintech over the last few years and the introduction of GDPR are pushing both consumers and professionals alike to understand more about the importance of their data and how companies are using it. This is leading to a radically developing industry, with the change often led by the customer themselves who might want to ‘vote with their feet’ over what information they feel comfortable sharing.

In this sense, it’s the lack of understanding which is driving a new model. Dr Spyros Samothrakis, Assistant Director of Institute for Analytics and Data Science at the University of Essex said, “GDPR has forced people to unlock the black box of their AI – but for many they don’t have the knowledge to interpret the model and explicitly understand how it is profiling or behaving. Ethics and transparency are now becoming considerations for companies.”

User experience

There were some great stats shared about the growth of Fintech and intriguingly the rise of chat-bots. Indeed, Henrik Nordmark, Head of Data Science at Profusion, predicted that by 2020 over 85% of interactions from financial institutions will be via chat. Interestingly, he compared artificial intelligence to be at its most child-like stage.

Despite the capabilities to automate a lot of the customer interactions with financial companies due to the number of predicted outcomes (e.g. finding a quote, accessing details, reporting an error), he believed that we need to let our AI systems figure this out for themselves and not be so prescriptive. He said, “With AI it’s easy to give it a recipe book and it will learn all the systems from the top-down, but with machine learning we need a bottom up approach. Don’t give it a lot of examples, instead let it learn. Exactly like a child.”

As Hood Group is a specialist in the use of technology and data in order to create a truly personalised quote, the team were keen to look towards their own digital strategy. Especially the likelihood of fraud, something that is dominating industry talks as big data – and big data leaks – continue to grow.

Hood Group Business Development Director, Paul Firkins, commented on the ability Fintech gives to retain customers, not just attract them. “It also helps us find solutions”, he said.

“Since working with the university, we’re also finding that these data developments have a positive impact on our company culture – AI and data developments help improve efficiency, such as automating pricing processes and reducing admin tasks. Our teams are trusting data and innovation experiments to make decisions and recommendations where they might have previously relied on the knowledge of a specific individual or process”.

The role of security

Phil Winstanley, Development Manager at Microsoft, spent his session on the day explaining that IT isn’t just a desktop problem now. He said, “It’s an environment with interconnected and moving parts that all need protection.” He spoke of a large increase in the number cyber threats (costing on average a whopping $8m per successful attack in the UK) and explained that Microsoft has turned to big data to predict patterns and protect users.

Although Winstanley qualified this by suggesting that hardware is only part of the solution, he added: “More than half of all threats are internal by people using valid credentials, and that certainly makes it harder to solve. We still have to work with people and processes.”

Of course, there was also a generational consideration, the attitudes that younger people have towards their data, which Winstanley deemed ‘blasé’, means that businesses are having to change their own approaches to take into account the human consideration.

Exciting times ahead

Despite the hurdles facing companies from security threats and the complicated relationships users have with their own data, the overwhelming take home on the day was one of positivity around Fintech and its vast capabilities for change. Even growing with the users themselves.

CEO of Hood Group, Simon Hood, offers a sneak peak as to just how that information might be used. He said, “I’d like to extend a huge heartfelt thanks to the people involved in putting today together. It is something that both Hood Group and the University of Essex would love to replicate as we believe that times certainly need to change

“In our industry, the insurance industry, my company is known as a disrupter simply for using the data supplied by a customer themselves. We don’t believe this is disruption, we believe this is progress. And as long as we have the right methods in place to protect both ourselves and our customers, then the insurance industry can finally dig itself from out of the dark ages and start putting their users at the heart of it.

“They say that information is key, but without someone to light the torch and follow, we’d simply not know where to begin. So, I have to thank the people here today for shining a light, and hopefully this will allow us to continue on our path to putting the customer first.”

Both Hood Group and the University of Essex expect to complete further sessions as funding allows.

The post Thought-Leading Fintech Session Predicts Big Changes on User Experience appeared first on Hood Group.

Escape of water is one of the biggest concerns for insurers but a new report based on joint research undertaken by insurers RSA, insurance intermediary Hood Group and home automation technology company Lightwave RF, has revealed “a promising start” in ways to tackle the issue. The joint report reviewed the latest technology available to detect household water leaks. 

According to the Association of British Insurers, escape of water claims (EOWs) cost £483 million during the first nine months of 2017, and the rising costs are the most expensive claim for domestic property insurersii. The cost has escalated because modern kitchens and bathrooms often have boxed-in pipework, limiting access in a crisis. 

The Escape of Water research project

The joint EOW research project aimed to ascertain the effectiveness of water sensing devices at detecting leaks in the home. It was conducted over a period of six months in three domestic properties, using a range of devices that are currently on the market. 

“We tested 24 devices in normal home settings and researched areas such as ease of installation, ease of use, speed of leak detection and how quick the devices were to alert householders within a timeframe that could contain further damage,” said Bruce Reid, Commercial Director Hood Group.  

The results were promising – all devices performed well in detecting leaks – but more work is needed to develop the technology connected with notifying homeowners that there is a problem as some send repeated alarms whilst others automatically swtich off the water supply.

“Devices either advised of a leak by phone or in home. However, once notification had been given, there was no chase element ensuring the homeowner had received the leak/flood warning. Next generation devices need to address this issue to be truly effective.” 

Next steps 

“We are delighted that these home devices proved so effective in detecting moisture,” said Paul Middle, Global Partnering Director at RSA. “But we know from customer feedback that being alerted to a leak is only part of the challenge; homeowners often want to know where the leak is (trace and access) because EOW is a costly issue for insurers and a pain to deal with for homeowners. We are working on testing solutions that will give us insight into the optimum effectiveness and value for everyone involved.” 

Water leak detection is important for all households but is of particular concern for high net worth individuals, landlords, second-home owners and past leak claimants, who are all keen to protect their property from water damage. 

Work also needs to be done to educate homeowners about the benefits of installing leak detection technology. “Customers are interested in escape of water problems if they’ve made a claim before. We are hoping that by developing technology that not only detects, alerts and re-notifies but also goes that one step further and actually shuts off water to limit damage, homeowners will recognise the value in installing water leak detection devices in their homes,” says Bruce Reid. 

The post Pulling the plug on household leaks appeared first on Hood Group.

Owned by and run for the benefits of its members, the West Brom is a leading provider of financial services and the seventh largest building society in the UK.

Hood Group is providing administration services supporting the West Brom’s home insurance proposition which is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance (RSA), a key strategic insurance partner for Hood Group. This includes sales support and administrative customer services including customer helpline, policy fulfilment, mid-term adjustments and renewals.

In addition Hood Group has built a new platform for West Brom to facilitate the sale of new business. Existing business will migrate on to this new platform at a later date.

David Taylor, the West Brom’s Head of Products, said: “The best interests of our members are at the heart of all our decision-making. Our home insurance is all about putting our members in control of their cover and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to buy a policy and make it work for them. Hood Group has a proven track record of putting the customer first and delivering outstanding service. We’re delighted to be working with them.”

Paul Firkins, Business Development Director at Hood Group commented: “Our technology led solutions combined with our team’s commitment to deliver quality customer service is gaining real traction amongst brands looking for an insurance expert to administer their insurance proposition. We’re proud to be able to support the West Brom deliver first class home insurance to its members and to further build upon the successful relationship we already enjoy with RSA.”

The post Hood Group enters TPA relationship with West Brom appeared first on Hood Group.