This article was produced with Aviva UK.
For mid-market businesses, navigating insurance requires more than a standard policy—it demands a partner that listens, understands, and collaborates to find tailored solutions. Aviva’s regionally aligned Client Relationship Management (CRM) team has emerged as a key player in this space, going beyond transactional insurance to address broader challenges like risk management, ESG, and staff wellbeing.
This 360-degree approach is a key selling point for Aviva in the UK commercial insurance market. Insurance Business sat down with Aviva to discuss how its CRM team is redefining mid-market insurance and enhancing broker-client relationships across the UK.
At the heart of Aviva’s CRM team’s approach is the “tripartite relationship” that connects client, broker, and carrier. With dedicated teams across the UK, Aviva combines its vast wealth of resources with regional expertise to great effect.
“At Aviva, we’re proud to have a wealth of insight and experience at our fingertips, through our own resources and those of our expert partners. We bring that together to support clients with their goals and integrate into the culture of their businesses where it is right to do so,” Kate Bailey (pictured below), UK CRM lead – Mid-Market at Aviva tells Insurance Business.
“We want all our clients to feel like they’ve partnered with an insurer that takes the time to listen, understand and support, finding tailored solutions that meet their specific needs. It’s not a one size fits all approach. Really getting to know the insured and the ethos of their business means that we can help ensure that understanding and collaboration is felt at every touch point they have with us as an insurer partner.”
Lucy Casswell (pictured below), Client Relationship Manager at Aviva, says the CRM offering can be summed up as “an art of the possible.” Once Aviva has fully understood the client’s needs and goals, that’s when the truly bespoke nature of the CRM team shines.
“Our support could involve linking the broker up with someone in the business – say an expert in ESG, a dedicated risk engineer, or a claims relationship lead, for example,” Casswell explains.
“It could mean looking at partnership opportunities with our events team. We also work with a large network of partner organisations, and we can employ services such as cyber security, fire protections, training, etc. We collaborate with our clients to help find solutions that meet their business needs and ambitions.”
At the heart of Aviva’s approach to client relationship management is the strength and maintenance of the tripartite relationship between client, broker and insurer. Recognising this James Preston (pictured below), regional client relationship manager, says that buy-in from brokers is always central to the CRM team’s success.
He notes that by engaging with a broker’s in-depth knowledge of customer concerns and challenges, Aviva gains the opportunity to improve its service offering and customise better solutions – ultimately leading to a win for all three sides.
Meanwhile, Casswell says that spending time with clients is a “privilege” for the CRM team and has opened up pathways that brokers may not have known were possible.
“We welcome the opportunity to have face to face collaboration with our insureds. I’ve worked with clients who didn’t even realise that they could speak directly to their insurance partner,” Casswell says.
“Giving them the opportunity to explain a complex production process, or talk about their goals is really valuable, and the path it leads you down is completely removed from insurance as a risk transfer mechanism. It’s about the things that keep clients up at night. The possibilities really can become endless.”
Ultimately, the best showcase of the CRM team’s success lies in its results. Preston shares an example of how Aviva’s broad network of partners can make a critical difference to broker businesses, and ultimately acts as a retention tool for its relationships with mid-market clients.
“I worked with a client where it became apparent that there was a concern around their business continuity planning,” he recalls.
“Through our partnership network, we knew we could support them to alleviate this vulnerability. We utilised one of our partners who specialise in business continuity, to do a ‘soft introduction’ to the client around their capabilities, and what they could deliver.”
Preston notes that this wasn’t just “words on a page” – Aviva are invested in supporting customers where they can provide that added value, and its partner came in to do a full assessment of the client’s business continuity requirements in this instance.
“We’ve seen the impact of that since, and that’s a hugely rewarding aspect of the role,” he says.
Kate Bailey highlights how Aviva’s services, such as pre-quote surveys, can reveal underlying issues that clients can benefit from support to manage, such as accident frequencies and premium costs. By bringing together insights from underwriting, claims, and risk management, the CRM team delivers practical solutions – whether through reduced excesses, bespoke claims handling guides, or training programs.
The team also supports clients with upskilling initiatives that reflect their unique business goals and culture. Casswell highlights an instance where Aviva put on a morning of CPD for a property agent client.
“They spent the morning going through relevant legislation, best practice and emerging risks, followed by a Q&A session,” she recalls. “This is a great example of how we support clients through complex insurance market challenges, but also by bringing it to life in a way that resonates with the client.”
Aviva’s CRM team truly highlights the power of combining local expertise with a national presence. By living and working in the same regions as their clients, the team brings a nuanced understanding of local markets, challenges, and opportunities to every interaction.
“From a broker perspective, it’s really important that we’re visible in the local market,” says Bailey. “We read the same press, we know what’s happening in the local area. We can see the things that our clients and prospects have been commenting on over the last twelve months, and so being able to offer that local insight is vital.”
For brokers and clients alike, this means access to a trusted partner who listens, understands, and delivers tailored support every step of the way.
“We want to redefine the insurance buying experience for the client, move it away from a purely financial transaction to being a beneficial business partnership.” Preston concluded. “Taking time to work with the broker, to understand how best we can work to achieve their ambitions together.”
