The Nineties

In 1993 Sentinel UK Ltd was established. The goal of Sentinel was to help independent financial advisors and their clients get access to a wider choice of general insurance products. It was very hi-tech indeed... we even had a fax! Jumping forward five years - Sentinel UK Ltd embraced the digital age and became Source Software Ltd.

In late 1998 we launched the Version 1.0 of 'The Source' - the UK's first fully electronic GI sourcing system for the intermediary channel.

For the first time, this allowed brokers not only to search and compare Home Insurance, Travel and MPPI quotes, but also to submit them online, with no need for forms and client signatures.

The Last Ten Years

In the 10 years that have passed since then, competitors have come and gone, and some have become very large on the back of some rather dubious business practices - but we have simply continued to focus on providing exceptional customer service... and on innovation.

By the turn of the Millennium we were able to offer brokers confirmation of cover and policy number by email - another first for the market.

Then came our remote assistance facility, which allows our Technical Support team to log into your computer remotely to help you sort out any technical problems.

New Developments

With the advent of FSA regulation we incorporated a compliance support facility which automatically creates an audit trail for each and every quote. This was accompanied by a broker service extranet we called 'Your Place'.

'Your Place' allows users to check the current status of their clients' cases online and to retrieve case and compliance documents from our archive, any time, day or night. It also allows brokers to check the current state of their commission account

Not only can brokers retrieve their client's previous documents from our online archives for easy reference, but they can also review their clients' forthcoming renewal premiums in order to identify cases they might consider rebroking in order to maintain renewal retention rates.

Today

Coming up to date... This year saw the launch of our "side-by-side" quote comparison tool which lets brokers quickly compare quotations in detail to make sure that the client is getting the right policy for them - not just the cheapest.

This facility is particularly useful in helping brokers demonstrate compliance with the FSA's guiding principle of Treating Customers Fairly (TCF).

...to be continued.