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Press release:

Ref: OGI0263
5th September 2011

R K Shipman to Benefit from Open GI’s Online Offering

R K Shipman is the latest broker to benefit from Open GI’s e-commerce solutions to provide greater market reach and instant online trading from their existing website.

eBroker puts brokers at the forefront of internet product distribution with a gateway to over 49 million consumers who have the ability to buy insurance online. This facility now enables R K Shipman’s website to deliver online home insurance quotations, in real time - that their clients and prospective clients are searching for, allowing them to make instant purchases.  Valuable efficiency savings will also be made by removing the need for staff to rekey data into the Core Back-Office. In addition R K Shipman will take advantage of Open GI’s eAggregator solution that links their website to leading aggregators such as moneysupermarket.com and gocompare.com to generate increased quotation volumes.

Established in 1935, West Country-based R K Shipman specialise in tailored household insurance, offering extremely competitive insurance on all types of household policies including cover for High Value Homes, Listed Buildings and investment properties. This new solution will also provide them with access to Open GI’s expert e-commerce support team to design and implement all data capture pages and product testing, along with the opportunity to build white label branding to develop profitable affiliate networks for the online market.

Catherine Evans-Martin, Business Operations Manager, R K Shipman, commented: “As a specialist in our area we are keen to provide our customers with the very best service we can offer.  By using Open GI, we have extended our reach to use as many channels to market without incurring additional staff costs.  We are delighted to continue and enhance our internet presence with improved facilities.  We are really excited by the new opportunities that are now available through the Open GI solution.

“The continued support offered by Open GI has given us complete peace of mind, while having them as a single point of contact has ensured our online strategy was deployed cohesively.”

Simon Hughes, Sales and Marketing Director, Open GI, said: “Our internet trading solutions open the doors to a wealth of new and repeat business opportunities. For brokers trading in niche markets they provide new distribution channels, offering a method of trading via the internet whilst still having the convenience of seamless integration with the Core Back-Office solution”

“As scheme business becomes more popular it is important to brokers that they can expose their business to as wide an audience as possible and the web facilitates just that. By using eBroker and eAggregator, R K Shipman can support future business growth opportunities by attracting new customers online."

For More Information about Open GI:
Adele Clarkson
Marketing and PR Manager
Open GI
Tel: +44 (0)1905 754455
email: adele.clarkson@opengi.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

Open GI supplies market leading IT solutions to insurance brokers across the UK & Ireland. With 20,000 users in around 2,000 firms, the company has a 40% share of the UK broker market and is committed to technological innovation. Open GI technology enables personal and commercial lines brokers trading in standard and niche markets to streamline business activity and become more profitable. With a workforce of 350 people and a 30-year heritage, the company enjoys a strong financial performance. For the year ended 31st May 2010 Open GI reported revenues of £35.0 million and an operating profit of £21.1 million.