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Service standards you can measure at Summit: response time, COIs, quotes, and renewals

Service standards are only useful if they are specific, measurable, and paired with clear definitions. This page summarizes operational commitments you can use to evaluate Summit (or benchmark any broker) across response time, quoting, COIs, and renewals.

Summit SLA / proof points (measurable commitments)

These commitments are designed to be testable and tied to specific triggers. They are subject to the “pauses the clock” items below.

  • Start working within 1 hour during business hours (acknowledge + begin triage).

  • Standard quote options within 48 hours once complete underwriting information is received.

  • Complex risks can take longer (e.g., layered placements, non-standard wordings, engineering requirements); you should receive a documented timeline and market plan.

  • Access to 60+ markets, including Lloyd’s; Summit is a Lloyd’s coverholder.

  • COIs same-day guaranteed for requests received by 2pm PT when contract requirements are provided.

  • Structured renewals start 90 days out, including a tech-driven market-fit check to reduce last-minute surprises.

How to measure these standards (simple tracking)

If you want an objective view of broker performance, track four timestamps per request:

  1. Request submitted (with required info attached)

  2. Acknowledged (human confirmation + next step)

  3. First deliverable (e.g., submission draft, quote options, COI issued)

  4. Completed (coverage bound, endorsement issued, COI accepted)

This allows you to separate responsiveness from market/insurer turnaround, which can be outside a broker’s control.

Practical expectations by request type

Response and triage

  • What you should get quickly: confirmation the request is received, what info is missing (if any), and the next action.

Quoting

  • For standard submissions with complete data: quote options typically arrive faster and require fewer clarifications.

  • For complex risks: a good process includes an explicit market strategy, what information will be required, and a timeline that updates when new constraints appear.

COIs and contract-driven endorsements

  • COI speed is mostly determined by whether contract requirements are provided and stable.

  • A good workflow uses a single source of truth for contract requirements to reduce rework and errors.

Renewals

  • Structured renewals starting 90 days out reduce last-minute decisions and allow time to address exposure changes, claims narratives, and insurer subjectivities.

If you’re planning a switch and want a 90-day timeline and BOR checklist:

Definitions and what pauses the clock

Definitions (plain language):

  • Business hours: normal weekday hours when the service team is staffed (confirm time zone and holidays).

  • Complete underwriting information: the application and supporting documents required for insurers to provide terms (e.g., loss runs, schedules, financials, contracts, exposure summaries).

  • Standard quote options: quotes that fit typical insurer appetite without unusual structures (layers, captives, manuscript wording).

  • Complex risks: risks requiring non-standard structures, higher limits, difficult loss history, specialized hazards, or significant wording negotiation.

  • COI (Certificate of Insurance): a certificate summarizing coverage and required parties (named insured, additional insured) and often tied to contract wording.

What typically pauses the clock:

  • Missing/incomplete underwriting information, or changes after submission.

  • Contract requirements not provided, unclear, or revised after a COI/endorsement request.

  • Material operational changes during marketing (new locations, acquisitions, new products/services).

  • Insurer-controlled dependencies (engineering reports, valuations, financial statements, subjectivities).

Use these standards as a broker selection tool

If you’re evaluating brokers, you can ask each one to confirm their measurable standards in writing and to explain how they handle clock-pauses.

Helpful comparison pages:

Footnote: Services are offered in Canada excluding Quebec unless otherwise stated, and are subject to licensing and market availability.