Despite Pandemic, Online Insurance Broker Doubles Sales Staff & Opens New Offices
While the COVID-19 crisis has disrupted many businesses and left millions across the country unemployed, it is arguably more crucial than ever for companies to still be assessing opportunities to grow. Ensurem's Dave Rich sees ongoing demand and structural flexibility as critical factors in his company's current expansion.
CLEARWATER, Fla., June 15, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Ensurem LLC, a growing online multi-carrier insurance brokerage, has announced commencement of construction on a new corporate headquarters building in Largo, Florida and a satellite sales office in nearby New Port Richey. When completed later this year, the two facilities will house a staff of nearly 250—including 80 new agents. The agents are currently being on-boarded and trained in groups of no more than 20, so as to enable the social distancing required to maintain employee safety during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
"We'll have just about all our new agents in place by the end of July," says Dave Rich, the CEO of Ensurem. "While the pandemic continues, virtually the entire staff—including agents—will be working remotely. Post-social distancing, we'll have a 125-seat Contact Center at headquarters in Largo, and 90 licensed agents in the New Port Richey office."
The novel coronavirus crisis has had a disastrous effect on employment in many industries, notes Rich. During the last week of May, an additional 1.8 million Americans filed for unemployment insurance—bringing total U.S. unemployment claims since mid-March to a staggering 42.5 million.(1) The insurance industry, however, has still found ways to flourish; in April, major carriers, among them Chubb(2) and Aon(3), announced that they would not reduce their workforces during the pandemic.
Continuing competition for qualified insurance brokers, says Rich, coupled with rapidly growing consumer interest in customer-friendly online insurance shopping led his company to press on with its expansion plans during the coronavirus crisis. Another factor Rich notes in the decision was market growth. Ensurem specializes in providing seniors with Medicare-related products, and the rate at which the baby boomer generation is aging means that 10,000 people in the U.S. turn 65 every day.(4) Rich claims that helping these new retirees make informed decisions about their healthcare coverage is Ensurem's primary mission.
"The choices facing new Medicare enrollees are somewhat complex, and errors can be costly.(5) In addition, the expanding roster of various Medicare Advantage plans(6) adds another layer of complexity to the market," Rich says. "Our goal is to simplify and clarify the selection process as much as possible—which begins with a stable of trained, knowledgeable agents who can explain the available choices."
About Ensurem:
Ensurem, headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, is a leading technology and product distribution company serving carriers and consumers within the massive U.S. senior market. The company provides end-to-end solutions for carriers, including product development, digital marketing, and consumer-centric front ends and back end. For more information, visit http://www.ensurem.com.
1. Davidson, Paul. "Unemployment: Nearly 2M More Americans Likely Filed Jobless Claims but COVID-19 Layoffs Are Easing." USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 8 June 2020, usatoday.com/story/money/2020/06/03/coronavirus-nearly-2-million-more-jobless-claims-expected-but-layoffs-easing/3128001001/
2. "Chubb Vows No Layoffs During Coronavirus Crisis; Pledges $10 Million to Relief Efforts." Insurance Journal, 22 Apr. 2020, insurancejournal.com/news/national/2020/04/06/563452.htm.
3. "Aon Says No Job Cuts Due to Pandemic." Business Insurance, businessinsurance.com/article/20200423/NEWS06/912334199/Aon-says-no-job-cuts-due-to-pandemic-coronavirus-COVID-19#.
4. United States, arc.aarpinternational.org/countries/united-states.
5. Squires, Sally. "How to Figure out Medicare and Choose the Right Plan." The Washington Post, WP Company, 20 Oct. 2018, washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/how-to-figure-out-medicare-and-choose-the-right-plan/2018/10/19/419854da-c70e-11e8-9b1c-a90f1daae309_story.html.
6. Jacobson, Gretchen, et al. "A Dozen Facts About Medicare Advantage." KFF, 27 Feb. 2019, kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/a-dozen-facts-about-medicare-advantage/.
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SOURCE Ensurem
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