06.11.04 - MCE receive their Grant of Permission notice from the FSA
The FSA have been appointed to regulate general insurance business from 14th January 2005.
01.11.04 - Van Insurance
MCE have entered the van insurance market with the UK's leading insurers, including NIG, HSBC Insurance, Norwich Union, MMA and Provident.
02.10.04 - MCE receive their Minded to Authorise from the FSA
The FSA have been appointed to regulate general insurance business from 14th January 2005.
30.09.04 - Kymco Insurance
MCE was originally appointed to provide Kymco Insurance in 2003. The MCE team have now been appointed for a second term.
01.09.04 - Going Places
MCE has appointed Jill Pilgrim to the newly created position of IT Project Manager. Pilgrim was previously Project Manager for the software house Lynx Financial Systems.
20.08.04 - MCE to provide Malaguti insurance
With predicted sales figures of over 400 scooters for the remainder of 2004 MCE has won the contract to provide Third Party Only and Third Party Fire & Theft insurance.
09.07.04 - MCE launch a new American car scheme
Leading American car insurance provider MCE has been listening to clients, potential clients, the ACCI and American car dealers to really find out what new insurance deals are needed.
25.06.04 - MCE selected to provide Peugeot Insurance
Over past decade Peugeot have arguably been the most important manufacturer of scooters for the UK market.
07.06.04 - MCE appointed as a main sponsor of the AACI
The American Car Club International is now the fastest growing club of its kind. With shows attracting over 7,000 cars and recognised by the DVLA for assisting with registrations, the AACI has a huge appeal to members.
15.05.04 - CMC Open Day
MCE's dedicated motorcycle Dealer Support Team continue to strengthen their partnership with CMC Motorcycles, one of the UK's leading dealers.
03.05.04 - MCE hits the road
With MCE firmly being the UK's leading provider of American car insurance the team are hitting the road again.
28.04.04 - IT Case Study : Broker Technology
With a GWP of £25m and 83 staff, leading provider of car, bike and home insurance, MCE, has always understood the benefits of IT, when it comes to business growth - which is why they invest year on year in their Misys system.
01.04.04 - HHH staff boost service for MCE, by James Salmon
MCE has aggressively recruited ex-Hill House Hammond (HHH) call centre staff to boost its customer service levels.
01.04.04 - Scootering, Twist and Go and MCE Insurance competition.
Scootering and Twist & Go magazines have teamed up with MCE to offer eight lucky readers the opportunity of winning scooter insurance.
29.03.04 - MCE teams up with Peugeot to launch the exciting new Ludix.
MCE's award winning Peugeot Insurance has again teamed up with the market leaders, launching an exclusive insurance scheme for the exciting new Peugeot Ludix.
01.03.04 - MCE signs a new partnership with Zurich.
The whole MCE team are delighted to announce there new partnership with one of the worlds most dynamic and capable insurers, Zurich.
23.02.04 - MCE appoints Karen Cook as Renewals Manager
Wellingborough-based insurance provider MCE has appointed Karen Cook as Renewals Manager. Her role will be to lead MCE's proactive renewals team as the company continues to expand strongly.
31.01.04 - Rachael Gibson takes responsibility for personnel at MCE
Wellingborough-based insurance provider MCE has appointed Rachael Gibson as Personnel Assistant. She will be responsible for MCE's increasingly busy personnel department as the company continues to expand strongly.
15.01.04 - MCE appoints Steven Elliot as team leader
Northants-based insurance provider MCE has appointed Steven Elliot as Team Leader. Elliot has been with the company for four years and previously spent five years as assistant manager with a Northampton-based insurance broker. He will now be responsible at MCE for team leadership, customer relations, new business and mid-term adjustments.
06.11.04
MCE receive their Grant of Permission notice from the FSA
The FSA have been appointed to regulate general insurance business from 14th January 2005. Unless a firm receives authorisation from the FSA they will not be able to sell or administer general insurance.
MCE have become one of the fist general insurance firms to receive their Grant of Permission notice from the FSA, Firm Reference Number 307832.
For further information please contact MCE Compliance on 0870 420 75 75 or visit www.fsa.gov.uk/mgi
MCE have entered the van insurance market with the UK's leading insurers, including NIG, HSBC Insurance, Norwich Union, MMA and Provident. With exclusive schemes and a first class service contact the MCE team on 0870 90 90 996.
02.10.04
MCE receive their Minded to Authorise from the FSA
The FSA have been appointed to regulate general insurance business from 14th January 2005. Unless a firm receives authorisation from the FSA they will not be able to sell or administer general insurance.
The first stage of authorisation is to receive a Minded to Authorise letter from the FSA. MCE have received their letter, application reference A4006353
MCE was originally appointed to provide Kymco Insurance in 2003. The MCE team have now been appointed for a second term. For more information phone the MCE team on 0870 01 01 125 or visit www.kymco.co.uk
MCE has appointed Jill Pilgrim to the newly created position of IT Project Manager. Pilgrim was previously Project Manager for the software house Lynx Financial Systems.
Michael Edwards, Director commented 'MCE has very ambitious plans. We are going to succeed, but only by driving our technology forward. Jill has an excellent pedigree and will be a fantastic asset to our team.'
20.08.04
MCE to provide Malaguti insurance
With predicted sales figures of over 400 scooters for the remainder of 2004 MCE has won the contract to provide Third Party Only and Third Party Fire & Theft insurance.
For further details call MCE on 0870 01 01 125 or visit www.barrus.co.uk.
09.07.04
MCE launch a new American car scheme
Leading American car insurance provider MCE has been listening to clients, potential clients, the ACCI and American car dealers to really find out what new insurance deals are needed.
In addition to MCE's current deals the team are very excited about launching new American car insurance schemes:
- Red hot deals for drivers aged 21+ and 23+.
- Limited mileage policies up to 15,000 miles per annum.
- Vehicle value discounts up to £45,000.
- Only a 10% policy load for Class 1 Business use.
- Enhanced schemes for all modified American cars.
To take advantage of MCE's red hot deals simply phone the team on 0870 90 90 911.
26.06.04
MCE selected to provide Peugeot Insurance
Over past decade Peugeot have arguably been the most important manufacturer of scooters for the UK market.
MCE are delighted to announce they have once again been selected as the providers of Peugeot Insurance. MCE are responsible for negotiating scheme terms, servicing Peugeot's 298 dealers and their customers.
07.06.04
MCE appointed as a main sponsor of the AACI
The American Car Club International is now the fastest growing club of its kind. With shows attracting over 7,000 cars and recognised by the DVLA for assisting with registrations, the AACI has a huge appeal to members.
Harry Tune, AACI President and founder personally selected MCE as the sole insurance sponsor by siting MCE's commitment to offering members not only the very best rates but also a first class service.
For more information call MCE on 0870 90 90 911 or visit www.aacint.com
MCE's dedicated motorcycle Dealer Support Team continue to strengthen their partnership with CMC Motocycles, one of the UK's leading dealers.
The team will be working with CMC at their open days in all four branches.
For further details contact MCE on 0870 01 01 125 or visit www.cmcbikes.com
With MCE firmly being the UK's leading provider of American car insurance the team are hitting the road again.
Julian Edwards, responsible for Business Development at MCE commented 'The show season is essential and yes of course a main aim is to attract new clients. But the season is much more than that, we need to really understand our clients and listen first hand to their needs. Only then can we truly offer a dedicated American car insurance package.'
You can meet the MCE team at one of these shows:
18.06.04 - 20.06.04 AACI Summer Nationals
25.06.04 - 27.06.04 AAC Summer Nationals
09.07.04 - 11.07.04 Americana International
13.08.04 - 15.08.04 AACI All Clubs Rally
03.09.04 - 05.09.04 Motorhome & Motorcycle Rally
11.09.04 - 12.09.04 Amer Car Show
28.04.04
IT Case Study : Broker Technology
With a GWP of £25m and 83 staff, leading provider of car, bike and home insurance, MCE, has always understood the benefits of IT, when it comes to business growth - which is why they invest year on year in their Misys system.
The continued consolidation of the insurance industry has led more astute brokers to seek ways to secure and develop their market position. Those that survive post-regulation will have the opportunity to gain additional business. Why? Because customers will still require the service that only brokers can provide - and MCE has the right IT infrastructure in place to accommodate this.
MCE's objectives
Michael Edwards, Director, believes that MCE couldn't have got to where it is today without a solid IT platform. He explains: "We have been in business since 1975 and throughout this time it has always been clear to us that we couldn't move forward without the right technology - which is why we took the decision to install the Misys system 20 years ago.
"At this time there were a number of systems on the market all claiming to streamline a broker's business - but Misys was the only provider that could meet our specific objectives and is one of the few that is still around today.
"At MCE, we are constantly assessing the market and setting new business goals, which means our system needs to be flexible enough to accommodate change. As the market becomes increasingly competitive it is also vital to have a system that improves efficiency and saves on administration costs. At the same time, it is important to have the ability to quickly capture new business data for cross-selling opportunities."
"All of this enables us to continue to provide a quality service for our clients - hence the MCE philosophy, 'insurance made easy'."
The Misys solution
The Misys solution that MCE has in place is a combination of OASys (Windows) front-office quotation products, the BROOMS back-office system and Advanced Prospect Management.
According to James Gamble, Misys General Insurance Sales Director, this is a common solution amongst the 1,800 broking firms that use Misys and who want the benefits of integration.
He said: "Many of our customers choose to remain with their reliable and robust traditional operating system whilst incorporating front-office PC applications. This gives brokers a mix of traditional reliability in their back-office and modern day Windows applications in their front-office."
These are views echoed by Michael Edwards. He says: "The ease, speed, flexibility and integration of OASys can be combined with the proven capabilities of BROOMS. And Advanced Prospect Management (APM) helps us sell more products and to measure our business.
"APM is particularly useful when running a telesales operation or for bespoke schemes - as it can be tailored to suit our individual needs and allows us to validate prospect data and store it within the Misys system."
Misys today
Misys has been providing insurance brokers with IT solutions for 25 years this year, making it the software house with the longest history, and with 25,000 users, one of the largest.
The company puts its success down to the partnerships it has with its customers. James Gamble says: "We listen to our customer needs and provide solutions that suit their individual requirements and we deliver on our promises - something that does not always happen in the technology industry. This has enabled MCE to deliver tangible results."
Tangible results
- MCE can print up to 750 policies a day using the Misys system
- MCE has doubled its policy count in three years
- The Misys system has reduced MCE's average cost of processing documents from £26 to £16, leaving money in the budget to spend on advertising and marketing.
- The Misys system has reduced MCE's average time taken to process a transaction to just 6.5 minutes, enabling them to handle a higher volume of business.
- MCE handles over 2,000 calls per day and arranges over 1,900 policies per week.
More benefits
There are many other benefits of using the Misys system, one of which, according to Michael Edwards, is reliability. He said: "With only one day of 'down time' in the last three and a half years, Misys is an incredibly robust system with excellent functionality. In fact, our business would cease to function without it. The Misys system is also ideal for new staff as it's easy to use."
MCE and the future: online routes to market
MCE is seeking to grow the business in a number of ways. Following market research, the company found that clients and prospects increasingly want to use the internet to gain information and more importantly a quote. And because of this, MCE is soon to implement OASys e-Quotes - a new product from Misys that allows brokers to provide quotes over the web.
Michael said: "We have traditionally always generated client business through advertising, direct mail, affinity schemes and customer recommendation. The great thing about OASys e-Quotes is that it gives us an additional route to market, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through integration between the Internet and the Misys back office system.
"In addition, we are looking to use Misys' new premium finance software, which will allow us to automatically process premium finance requests and payments within the Misys system. And In terms of preparing for regulation, we will be making system enhancements that will automate many of the compliance process, via the new Misys FSA Regulation Module."
Award winning
MCE's success is reflected in the number of awards it has won. At the 2003 Insurance Age awards, MCE received the accolade of UK Personal Lines Intermediary of the Year - in recognition of their development into one of the UK's fastest growing and most dynamic insurance brokers.
The future
Michael concludes: "We are aiming for 25% growth this year and we are confident of reaching our goal. We have the right infrastructure in place and believes that Misys is a partner who will help us drive forward".
The driving force behind MCE - Michael Edwards (centre), Director, with Alison Mills, Sales and Marketing Director,Close Premium Finance, and Jonathan Davies, former Welsh international rugby star.
HHH staff boost service for MCE
By James Salmon
MCE has aggressively recruited ex-Hill House Hammond (HHH) call centre staff to boost its customer service levels.
The Northampton-based broker snapped up 24 of the 150 HHH staff culled when the defunct broker closed its call centre last year.
The recruitment drive, which has boosted MCE's headcount to just under 100, includes senior appointments, including that of Simon Roberts to the newly created position of centre manager and two new team leaders.
According to Julian Edwards, head of business development, MCE earmarked HHH staff as soon as the Northampton call centre closed last November to help fulfil a new customer services strategy, devised the previous month. The broker needed experienced staff to help provide a more comprehensive service to customers by assigning all its call centre staff with greater responsibility.
In addition to processing policies and dealing with basic enquiries, staff are now required to deal with detailed enquiries, mid term adjustments and overflow calls for new business and renewals.
Mr Edwards, who revealed that MCE hoisted a 10-foot recruitment banner outside the HHH call centre when the closure was announced, explained: "Attracting experienced insurance staff in this area is virtually impossible. The closure of the Northampton branch was great news for us because it provided a ready resourse of excellent quality staff which we were in a unique position to take advantage of.
"Without this resource at hand it would have taken us much longer and been much more difficult to get our new customer service strategy up and running."
Mr Edwards said the broker hoped to continue to grow its business by taking on additional HHH staff. However, he expressed dismay that many of the highly skilled, experienced HHH staff would be lost to the industry due to shortages of personal lines business in the Northampton area. "One or two of these people will be picked up but many of them will be lost to banking, with Barclaycard being a major employer in the area." He added: "Once these people are lost to the industry its very difficult to entice them back in. That's why we were keen to take this opportunity."
INSURANCE AGE, APRIL 2004
29.03.04
Scootering, Twist & Go and MCE insurance competiton
Scootering and Twist & Go magazines have teamed up with MCE to offer eight lucky readers the opportunity of winning scooter insurance.
The magazines identified MCE as the UK's leading scooter insurance specialist, dedicated to providing insurance with leading insurers.
For further details about the competition visit http://www.scootering.com/ or http://www.twistngo.com/ , for a scooter insurance quote speak to one of MCE's friendly, expertly trained team on 0870 90 90 996.
29.03.04
MCE teams up with Peugeot to launch the exciting new Ludix.
MCE's award winning Peugeot Insurance has again teamed up with the market leaders, launching an exclusive insurance scheme for the exciting new Peugeot Ludix.
In 1995 Peugeot were responsible for reviving the UK's scooter culture, visible in every town and city. Now they look sure to shake up the market once again.
Michael Edwards, MCE Director commented 'We are delighted to be working with Peugeot to launch the most creative and innovative scooter since the Speedfight. Once again Peugeot have demonstrated why they are the most respected and aspirational scooter brand.'
For details on the Peugeot Ludix visit http://www.peugeotmoto.co.uk/ .
01.03.04
MCE signs new partnership with Zurich.
The whole MCE team are delighted to announce their new partnership with one the worlds most dynamic and capable insurers, Zurich.
Julian Edwards, responsible for Business Development at MCE commented 'Zurich is definitely a flagship brand in the UK, their team have obviously been working exceptionally hard. Zurich's policy benefits and claims service are certainly amongst the very best.'
'Our clients security is MCE's most important objective, it is clear to us they will benefit from the partnership.'
For more information about Zurich or for a quote on your home, car or bike speak to one of MCE's friendly, expertly trained team on 0870 90 90 996.
23.02.04
MCE appoints Karen Cook as Renewals Manager
Wellingborough-based insurance provider MCE has appointed Karen Cook as Renewals Manager. Her role will be to lead MCE's proactive renewals team as the company continues to expand strongly.
Karen, who has over 15 years' insurance industry experience, initially joined MCE on a project to spearhead the company's extended opening hours initiative. The project was highly successful. MCE advisers are now on call until 8pm each evening and on Sundays - and the company has seen increasing levels of business as a result.
Based on this success, MCE has now offered Karen the role of Renewals Manager, in which capacity she will be responsible for leading MCE's energetic and successful renewals team - handling an anticipated 76,000 policy renewals during 2004.
Karen has previously managed busy teams in a variety of organisations including SDS-Barclays, Premium Search and Swinton Insurance, and has extensive managerial and team leadership experience and an in-depth understanding of the insurance business.
MCE Director Michael Edwards comments 'Karen has a proven track record as a dynamic and successful team leader. I am confident that her input as Renewals Manager will contribute significantly to our success over the coming year and beyond.'
Established 28 years ago, MCE specialises in providing motorcycle and car insurance, as well as household and travel insurance policies. MCE combines state of the art technology with a highly trained and motivated workforce to deliver first-class service and 'insurance made easy.'
Over the last two years the company has won a clutch of industry awards including Small Broker of the Year, Personal Lines Intermediary of the Year and Marketing Campaign of the Year (twice). MCE was also short-listed as service provider of the year in the national MCN motorcycle awards.
Karen Cook - Renewals Manager, MCE
31.01.04
Rachael Gibson takes responsibility for personnel at MCE
Wellingborough-based insurance provider MCE has appointed Rachael Gibson as Personnel Assistant. She will be responsible for MCE's increasingly busy personnel department as the company continues to expand strongly.
Staff numbers at the Northants company have increased by 21 per cent in the last year - boosted, in particular, by a number of former employees of Hill House Hammond who laid off over 150 staff in the Northampton area last year.
Gibson was previously Human Resources Adviser with Electrocomponents plc where she provided guidance, support and advice to managers and employees and ensured compliance with corporate guidelines and current legislation.
MCE Director Michael Edwards comments 'Rachael has an excellent knowledge of personnel and human resources issues and I am confident she will play an important role as we continue to expand and recruit in the months and years ahead.'
Established 28 years ago, MCE specialises in providing motorcycle and car insurance, as well as household and travel insurance policies. MCE combines state of the art technology with a highly trained and motivated workforce to deliver first-class service and 'insurance made easy.'
Over the last two years the company has won a clutch of industry awards including Small Broker of the Year, Personal Lines Intermediary of the Year and Marketing Campaign of the Year (twice). MCE was also short-listed as service provider of the year in the national MCN motorcycle awards.
Rachael Gibson - Personall Assistant, MCE
15.01.04
MCE appoints Steve Elliot as team leader.
Northants-based insurance provider MCE has appointed Steven Elliot as Team Leader. Elliot has been with the company for four years and previously spent five years as assistant manager with a Northampton-based insurance broker. He will now be responsible at MCE for team leadership, customer relations, new business and mid-term adjustments.
MCE Director Michael Edwards comments 'Steven's appointment builds on the achievements of a busy and profitable year in 2003, during which we increased staff numbers by 21 per cent, and secured two wins and one short-listing in the major insurance industry award schemes. I have every confidence that Steven will play a key role in ensuring that we continue to build on that success.'
Established 28 years ago, MCE specialises in providing motorcycle and car insurance, as well as household and travel insurance policies.
MCE combines state of the art technology with a highly trained and motivated workforce to deliver first-class service and 'insurance made easy.'
Over the last two years the company has won a clutch of industry awards including Small Broker of the Year, Personal Lines Intermediary of the Year and Marketing Campaign of the Year (twice).
Steve Elliot - Team leader, MCE