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Q&A with JT: How Coalition’s Customer Success team gets brokers what they need — and fast

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We are a technology (and data) company at heart but an insurance company by trade. Because our business is unique, we search high and low for experienced individuals who are experts in their field to help us on our mission to solve cyber risk. In this series, we speak with the people who make Coalition special and successful — a face to the email, so to speak.

Meet Jonathan ‘JT’ Thomas, a former broker turned Customer Success leader. When he isn’t enjoying the great outdoors or coaching his kid’s sports teams, he finds new ways to communicate quickly with our brokers and policyholders, making sure they get what they need and get it within minutes. Watch the video to get to know JT yourself, or scroll down to find out what sets Coalition’s Customer Success team apart from other carriers.

Linked Entry ID: 5PBYpKIWzbS2V9Y9jFEfW

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m Jonathan Thomas. People call me JT! I’m a Bay Area native who relocated to Utah to build out the Coalition Customer Success team. I graduated from the University of Utah, so I’m familiar with the state. It was easy for me to get behind creating our customer success team here in Utah. I have four kids at home, and a Labradoodle named Ginger. In my free time, I enjoy coaching my kids in their sports. We also love taking advantage of the various outdoor activities Utah has to offer; hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding.

You spent your career as a broker. Why did you join Coalition to lead the Customer Success team?

I stumbled into the commercial broker space back in 2005, and I immediately loved it. I loved getting to know and working with insureds, helping solve their complex risk issues. As a broker, I had the opportunity to work with a lot of unique risks; emerging technology companies and collaborative economy companies. It was obvious that the way companies were going about business had been and would be changing. Disruption was everywhere. The insurance space was ripe for change. I learned about Coalition early in their existence and got excited. I realized they were going about things differently. I jumped at the opportunity to become a part of it.

What is a day-in-the-life at Coalition like for you?

It’s busy! It’s wild how fast we are growing. When I joined in 2018, I knew there was a huge market opportunity. But it’s truly exceeded my expectations. We’re a very high volume team here in Customer Success. We are constantly adding new team members to ensure we can continuously provide the white glove service and fast turnaround times our broker partners and policyholders have gotten used to since the early days of Coalition.

Our average live chat response time is just 3-minutes, and we do that hundreds of times a day!

Our team is on the front lines when it comes to servicing our broker and policyholders. We interact with them in three ways: via email, live chat on our website, and on the telephone. We spend all day interacting with brokers regarding various service requests. We answer their questions and make sure they get what they need.

What are some of the guiding principles you live by when providing service to brokers?

Simplicity and speed are what sets our team apart from other carriers. Never in my decade on the broker side did I ever work with a carrier that could service their brokers the way we do at Coalition. We know brokers have options. Our model is different — the way we underwrite, the value-added services and apps — they are true differentiators. Once a broker understands, it’s easy for them to buy-in.

The product we provide, combined with the detailed service we pride ourselves on, leads to a lot of success for Coalition.

What is the value of online chat to broker service?

Our brokers love our online chat, and we do too! It gives brokers the opportunity to get immediate assistance. Whether it’s issuing additional quote options, reviving expired quotes, answering coverage questions, or issuing endorsements. In most instances, we can handle their requests in real-time. On a daily basis, we have brokers jumping on the chat, ‘I need an endorsement, so I can issue a certificate to my client’s new customer!’ A few clicks from our Customer Success team, and the endorsement is issued. Brokers love the fact that they can get immediate responses and service. They also love that they can give us real-time feedback.

JT Chart

We have team members from other groups at Coalition that like to jump on and chat and chip in. That could be John Roberts, our Head of Product, Shawn Ram, our Head of Insurance, or Joshua Motta, our fearless floor-sweeping CEO. You never know who you’re going to get.

When you think about your work at Coalition, what are you most proud of?

I love the Customer Success team that we built. We’ve done a really good job of bringing on the right team members to help us grow — people who want to be a part of something exciting and new in this space. I recognize that the role Customer Success plays at Coalition is essential to our success. As we continue to fine-tune and develop our team, along with the services we provide, we will help Coalition reach new heights. It’s been a fun ride. We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

If you could talk to the person reading this, what would you like them to know?

We are growing, evolving, and improving. At the same time, we are listening. We implement change. We get such great feedback from brokers and insureds. What you see from Coalition today will get even better, from the products and services we offer to the way we service accounts. It will continue to expand and get faster. That’s what I want to see! I want my team to respond quickly and get brokers what they need. Now.

Get in touch with Coalition

If you’re interested in getting appointed or have any questions about Coalition, feel free to contact us. And, if you’d like to join JT and help brokers find the answers they need, check out our career page to view open opportunities.

If you enjoyed getting to know JT, why don’t you meet Emily Agramonte, a key member of our Business Development team! Find out why she loves working with brokers at Coalition.