ALIGNMENT Matters | insurance insights & news
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been feeling a sense of cautious optimism in recent weeks!
With hopes for a ‘double-dose’ summer, reopening plans becoming reality and people reuniting with friends and family, we’re all starting to come together…again.
During COVID, we’ve taken pride in helping Canadians navigate constantly changing circumstances and the insurance marketplace. Despite the challenges that have come for everyone with the pandemic, we’ve helped our clients through thousands of renewals, added hundreds of new clients and assisted with numerous other things like securing vacant property insurance, reporting & managing claims and ultimately helping people find better business insurance solutions.
Not only have we learned a lot over the past 16 months, we’ve also grown in many ways. Recognizing that more & more businesses are seeking us out for our insurance expertise and to honour our client and colleague commitment that we cap workloads, we’ve significantly expanded our team. We’ve also improved numerous processes, policies and procedures to ensure that we’re able to respond even more quickly to your evolving needs.
As a result, I’m VERY pleased to welcome Sandra Hughes, Candace MacDonald, Candice Morrish and Erin Varley as the newest members of the ALIGNED Insurance team!
From Vancouver to Calgary to Toronto to Cambridge and everywhere in between, we’ve been hearing great feedback from business owners and leaders who are working with ALIGNED Advocates and Assistant Advocates.
We deeply appreciate when people let us know that our insurance products, service and most importantly, our team is exceeding their expectations!
Here are a few recent Google reviews about ALIGNED team members:
- “I greatly appreciate the time Ms. Chambers took to deal with our situation regarding proper insurance. I was always dealt with respectfully, and Ms. Chambers did her best to find us the solution that was tailored to our needs. We were not just another number in the system. I would deal with Ms. Chambers and ALIGNED, again, in a heartbeat. I can rest easier knowing we have the correct policy for our unique circumstances.” Val, Vancouver
- “I wanted a quote for vacant home insurance, a product with which I am not familiar. Pam Lecavalier, an advocate, explained what vacant home insurance typically covers, found a provider for me and negotiated a fair premium. I appreciated Pam’s quick response times, her knowledge and professionalism, her endless patience in answering all of my questions both by email and phone, and lastly, her abundant cheerfulness!” Andrea, Calgary
- “Very pleased with Tyler’s service. He was able to offer excellent policy rates. Highly recommended.” Anthony, Cambridge
If you want to contact an ALIGNED Advocate, you can easily reach any of us using our dedicated toll-free numbers.
We’ve always believed that clients should be able to directly reach their Advocate. That’s why direct access to each one of us is just one of many things that differentiates us from the typical brokerage.
In addition…we also actually answer the phone when someone calls and never forget that’s it’s a privilege to serve our clients and prospects! If you are ever not sure who you need to talk to, just email assistants@alignedinsurance.com or call us toll-free at 1-866-287-0448 and we will get you the support you need.
As always, here are a few new insights that I hope you will find both useful and interesting.
A. Welcoming Advocate Sandra Hughes!
B. Selling on Shopify? How to get ALIGNED with the best cyber insurance now.
C. Meet new Advocate Candace MacDonald!
D. Summer is construction season. What renovation contractors need to know about professional liability.
E. Learn more about new Advocate Candace Morrish!
F. Wondering what is a coinsurance clause? Find out here.
G. Giving Frequently and our recent donation to CASP the Canadian Society for Suicide Prevention
H. We welcome Assistant Advocate Erin Varley!
As Canadians come together again, know that we are always here to help. Call me, your Advocate directly or TEAM ALIGNED toll-free at 1-866-287-0448 if you have any insurance questions, concerns or want to learn more about the many benefits of having ALIGNED as your insurance broker.
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Andrew Clark, MBA, CAIB, RF, FCIP, RPLU
President & CEO, ALIGNED Insurance
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p.s. We are always connected. You can leave us a Live Chat message on our homepage, send me an email or contact any of us. Please also visit us at alignedinsurance.com on Twitter and Linkedin.
[e-news] ALIGNMENT Matters | issue 53 | in depth
About Us | Why Sandra Hughes is proud to be an ALIGNED Advocate
We’re different. That is to say, our exclusive focus on business insurance sets us apart. Certainly, being different is just one of the many reasons why Canadian insurance professionals decide to join the ALIGNED team.
Sandra Hughes recently joined our growing team. Sandra is an Advocate and reports to SVP & Team Leader Darcy Franko-Felice. She works closely with ALIGNED colleagues across Canada. In her own words, here’s what Sandra has to say about ALIGNED.
“My background is small business clientele and I really enjoy working with small and mid-size business professionals. ALIGNED’s business philosophy of always putting clients first fits well with the values I believe in! Keep reading…
I just have a small Shopify store – do I really need Shopify cyber insurance?
Click here to get a quote aligned.
YES! From the latest in fashion to novelty mugs to furniture, one thing that your Shopify store has in common with every other seller using the Shopify merchant platform is that you’re an e-commerce business that operates mainly in cyberspace. This means that no matter what products are available in your store, you’re processing transactions online, keeping customer records that contain sensitive, personally identifiable information on your computer(s) and you rely on your site being operational 24/7.
So in other words, because all Shopify retailers face some of the same risks, everyone with a Shopify business platform can benefit from the protection and peace of mind you get with Shopify cyber insurance.
We’re constantly hearing about cyber breaches of the world’s securest systems including those of Microsoft, Alibaba, and even Shopify itself. What doesn’t make the news is the small and medium-sized businesses that suffer cyberattacks and that the costs of those attacks to Canadian businesses total billions of dollars every year.
Even if your Shopify business is only a side hustle, cybercriminals may not know or care if that’s the case. All e-commerce business sites are targets for: Keep reading…
Wondering how can Shopify cyber insurance protect me? Find out here!
About Us | Why Candace MacDonald is proud to be an ALIGNED Advocate
Candace MacDonald is one of our newest Advocates. Learn more about Candace here.
We’re always proud to welcome new members to our team and share their story. Most importantly, our About Us features are just one example of our commitment to connecting with our community.
Candace MacDonald recently joined our growing team. Candace is an Advocate and reports to SVP & Team Leader Darcy Franko-Felice. She works with ALIGNED colleagues across Canada and shares…
“Here at ALIGNED, everyone is team player. We share a lot of collective knowledge and the consistent drive for continuing education enables each one of us to stay ahead of emerging insurance trends. The importance of knowledge and education here at ALIGNED help us all deliver a better overall customer experience.” Keep reading…
Wonder why renovation contractor liability insurance is so important?
quote started now!
As a renovation contractor, you know that the renovation process can be lengthy, complex, and costly. While the finished product is always rewarding, damages and losses can occur at any time to your employees, third-party property, or your own property and equipment. Whether you are an independent contractor or have employees, our renovation contractor liability insurance can protect your business from possible liability and litigation actions.
With remodelling and construction of home installations such as demolitions, painting, flooring, structures, wiring, plumbing, and more, losses and legal liability can occur very quickly. A few examples of renovation risks include:
- Roofing, walls, or other home structures that collapse.
- Unknown site conditions such as asbestos or broken pipes.
- Damage or theft to equipment and tools.
- Workplace injuries caused by working from heights, operating dangerous equipment, or carrying heavy materials.
- Property damages caused by equipment or natural disasters. Keep reading…
Want to build a sturdy renovation contractor liability package? We can help!
About Us | Why Candice Morrish is proud to be an ALIGNED Advocate
Each and every day, our team members proudly provide a different kind of business insurance experience to each and every ALIGNED client. Being different is just one of the many reasons why insurance professionals join the ALIGNED team across Canada.
Candice Morrish recently joined our growing team. Candice is an Advocate and Assistant VP who reports to SVP & Team Leader Darcy Franko-Felice. Working closely with ALIGNED colleagues across Canada, Candice shares…
“We are involved with our clients’ businesses at many stages. This can include when a client is just starting up, expanding, merging, buying equipment, property or vehicles or experiencing a claim situation.
I believe it is most important for brokers to help ensure that their clients feel comfortable with their policy and coverage. Offering risk management advice is another important service that brokers deliver.”
Insights 101 | How a coinsurance clause works…
Just click to get yours started now!
An insurance policy is a complex contract that often contains provisions that assign certain responsibilities to the policyholder, such as a coinsurance clause. Because such provisions are often misunderstood, here the basics on how a coinsurance clause works to help minimize any potential confusion.
In simple terms, the coinsurance clause forms part of a commercial property insurance policy. The clause is imposed by insurers to encourage the policy holder to carry a limit of insurance that is equal to the value of property being insured or at least equal to a specified percentage of the value of the property.
If the value the insured reports to the insurance company does not meet the specific threshold they will not receive full payment should they incur a loss.
Want to keep current on Canadian business insurance insights?
Bookmark our Insurance Blog now!
About Us | Why Erin Varley is proud to be an ALIGNED Assistant Advocate
We’re always excited welcome new team members and share their stories. Most importantly, our About Us features are just one example of our commitment to connecting with our community. In the same vein, many of us are sharing useful business insurance content on social media every day.
Erin Varley recently joined our growing team. Erin is an Assistant Advocate and reports to SVP & Team Leader Darcy Franko-Felice. She works closely with ALIGNED colleagues across Canada.
Erin notes that…
“Having come from a large international brokerage, something that sets ALIGNED apart is the fact that the whole team really cares about both your personal and professional growth. You aren’t an employee number who’s clocking in and out. The team wants to know how you are doing, how your day went and people are always willing to hear your ideas as well as lend a hand when needed.”
Giving Frequently – our donation to CASP, the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
Since day one, giving has been one of the 18 ways in which we are, quite simply, different. Helping people will always be at the heart of what we do. And it’s why giving generously, frequently and consistently is an essential part of the ALIGNED employee experience.
This month, Advocate Tyler Mitchell selected CASP – the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention – for an ALIGNED Insurance Giving Frequently donation.
Tyler shares, “Due to the current circumstances with COVID-19, mental health challenges have significantly increased. There is increased demand for therapy and accessing support is taking much longer. I selected CASP – the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention – because of this charity’s commitment to advocacy, education and communicating with the public in the hopes of reducing suicide rates and so much more. They really strive to promote life and this is important for those who are suffering and needing encouragement right now.“ Keep reading…
Learn about the dozens of charities we’ve supported as part of our Social Responsibility program.
Calgary Herald – Open ‘for good’ is the kind of news Albertans spread fast
Thrive Global – What’s fuelling the resilience of Canadian workers?
Above all, we’re here to help you manage your insurance.
- Insurance claim? Report it 24/7/365. Call 1-844-890-3213.
- Have a question? Call your ALIGNED Advocate or us toll-free at 1-866-287-0448.
- Need insurance? Get your quote started now using our simple online form.
- Get many fully online commercial insurance products on alignedinsurance.com.
- Need to pay an ALIGNED Insurance invoice? You can pay online here.
In conclusion, we’d like to thank you for reading ALIGNMENT Matters Issue 53! Find out more about our story and connect with one of our Canadian business insurance brokers today at 1-866-287-0448! To sum up, our experienced commercial insurance brokers are here to help you to determine the types of coverage you need most.
© 2021 ALIGNED Insurance. All rights reserved. ALIGNMENT Matters issue 53 is a publication of ALIGNED Insurance Brokers.
