Another email asking for the public liability certificate
Your contractor clients, such as electricians, roofers, groundworkers and cleaners, are asked for proof of insurance all the time. A main contractor's supply chain team wants the public and employer's liability certificates before they go on site. A council wants them for an approved list. A facilities company wants them every year, plus a letter confirming the indemnity limit and that the policy covers work at height.
Each request becomes an email to the handler. The handler finds the current schedule and certificate, checks they are the right year, and sends them. Some requests want a specific letter on headed paper. Some come directly from the third party, and the handler has to check the client is happy for details to be shared.
Why a simple task eats the day
The documents already exist. The work is finding the right ones, checking they are current, and handling the request politely. It is repeated dozens of times a month for the same clients, often for the same documents, and it arrives at the worst times: renewal day, when the old certificate expires and every main contractor asks for the new one at once.
- Requests arrive by email, phone and text, from clients and from third parties.
- Documents live in the broking system, but clients cannot reach them themselves.
- Renewal triggers a rush of requests for the new certificates.
- Letters confirming particular cover points are written one at a time.
What the requests cost
Handler time is the main cost, and it is time taken from renewals and new business. Clients waiting for certificates cannot start a job, so a slow reply costs them work. And sending documents to a third party without checking can share information the client did not want shared.
Self-service for the documents that are standard
- Each commercial client gets a secure document page showing their current schedules and certificates, pulled from your broking system and updated at renewal.
- Clients can download documents themselves, or send them to a third party by entering the recipient's email.
- Third parties requesting documents directly are sent a request that the client approves with one click, so nothing is shared without consent.
- Common confirmation letters, such as a summary of the indemnity limit and the policy period, are generated from a template your compliance team approves, with the policy data filled in.
- Anything outside the templates, such as a request to confirm a particular activity is covered, goes to the handler as a task with the request attached.
- At renewal, clients who have shared documents with third parties before are offered a one-click resend of the new certificates to the same recipients.
- Every download and share is logged against the client.
Questions about whether a policy covers a specific activity are for the handler and the insurer to answer. Self-service only supplies documents that already exist and letters whose wording you have approved.
Where each request goes
| Request | Route | Handler involved? |
|---|---|---|
| Copy of current certificate | Client downloads | No |
| Send certificate to main contractor | Client shares from the page | No |
| Third party asks directly | Client approves the share | No |
| Standard confirmation letter | Generated from approved template | No |
| Is this activity covered? | Task to handler | Yes |
Renewal day without the flood
The new certificates reach the client's page as soon as they are issued, and the resend to last year's recipients takes a click. Handlers deal with the handful of non-standard requests that need them. Clients get what they need in minutes and can start work.
Does this fill your inbox?
- Contractor clients ask for certificates many times a year.
- Third parties contact you directly for proof of cover.
- Renewal day brings a rush of certificate requests.
- Confirmation letters are typed one by one.