Simply Business and First Connect: A Partnership That Delivers
At First Connect, we work with carrier and distribution partners who share our commitment to simplifying insurance distribution for independent agents. Together, we eliminate friction from the agent experience, making access fast, quoting intuitive, and binding seamless.
In October 2024, we partnered with Simply Business, a digital insurance marketplace with a focus on small commercial and a proven track record of tech-forward solutions. With shared goals of streamlining the agent journey and scaling small business distribution, the partnership was a natural fit, uniting Simply Business’s digital-first appetite with First Connect’s speed-to-market expertise and proven ability to drive agency new business.
We Make It Easy for Carriers to Grow
Quickly & Profitably on First Connect
Custom Solutions
Agency Management
Quality Business
Partnership Objectives
- Quickly and efficiently expand Simply Business’s agent distribution channel
- Execute a launch strategy focused on speed-to-market and scale
- Consistently grow written premium
Over the last 3 years, we’ve developed a powerful carrier launch playbook that prioritizes speed-to-market to help carriers and partners maximize distribution and drive immediate results. We leverage strategic go-to-market plans that ensure agents are set up for success and can start writing business quickly.
Removing Friction with Tech Integrations
Simply Business is no stranger to technology-driven solutions for independent agents. To remove friction and accelerate speed to market, the company partnered closely with First Connect to implement two critical integrations.
Together, we implemented an innovative carrier access technology that automates what is typically a slow, manual process. This enables agents to gain instant access to some of Simply Business carrier offerings, which included access to 8 carriers at launch, without the usual wait times (day or weeks) for approval. Further streamlining the agent experience, the SSO (Single Sign-On) integration allows for seamless access to carrier portals—no passwords, no extra logins, just one click to quote and bind.
This collaborative approach to technology integration helped ensure a smooth launch, reduced barriers for agents, and ultimately supported faster adoption and stronger, more immediate results.
From Outreach to Activation: A GTM Playbook That Delivered
In the lead-up to launch day, First Connect agents received a series of emails introducing them to Simply Business and inviting them to a dedicated launch webinar. Designed to generate interest and build anticipation, the campaign delivered strong results driving hundreds of webinar registrations.
Agent webinars are a cornerstone of carrier and partner launches at First Connect, ensuring agents are equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to start quoting confidently. The Simply Business session featured in-depth product training, a walkthrough of the agent platform, and clear instructions on how to quote and bind policies. It also included a live Q&A session where agents got realtime answers from the insurance product team on the call.
To further motivate agents, Simply Business also highlighted an incentive program during the webinar giving agents both the knowledge and the nudge they needed to get started.
The Results: Proving the Power of a Unified Strategy
The powerful combination of smart intuitive technology and a focused go-to-market strategy led to an overwhelmingly successful launch and ongoing premium growth. The results speak for themselves:
- First policy bound in just 6 minutes: Just moments after the webinar concluded, the first policy was bound, demonstrating the power of real-time access, effective agent training, and Simply Business’s seamless fully digital quote-and-bind experience
- Rapid adoption and early traction: A significant number of First Connect agents gained access to Simply Business in the first month, resulting in a high volume of early policy binds and new business premium.
- Sustained Momentum: That early traction wasn’t a spike; it was the start of sustained momentum. In the first 9 months of the partnership, First Connect agents wrote nearly $2.5 million in new business premium with Simply Business.
Interested in exploring a partnership with First Connect? Reach out and we’ll put you in touch with our Partnership Experience Team.
