The verdict in three sentences
For a broker handling 4,000 claims a year, an online first notification of loss portal cuts handling time by two thirds and removes most 'where is my claim?' calls. The project usually sits in the complex tier of the Kolonell grid, 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) because of the links to several insurers, and ships in 3 to 5 months. Return on investment is measured in freed claims handler hours, and it arrives within a year.
Where the hours go today
The firm has 25 staff, including 7 claims handlers. Its clients are commercial van fleets and construction contractors around Greater London or the GTA: windscreen damage, minor collisions, escape of water on site, plant theft. A phone notification takes 45 minutes between the call, data entry, chasing missing documents and passing the file to the insurer.
| Claim step | Today (phone, email) | With the portal |
|---|---|---|
| First notification | 20 min of call and data entry | 0 min, guided form on the client side |
| Photos and incident report | 10 min, 2 to 3 chasers | Direct upload, mandatory field checks |
| Submission to insurer | 10 min, re-keying | 3 min, prefilled record or export |
| 'Where is my claim?' replies | 6 calls per file on average | Status online, notification at each step |
| Chasing missing documents | Manual, often forgotten | Automatic on day 3 and day 7 |
| Total handler time per file | 45 min plus follow-up calls | About 15 min |
Across 4,000 files, going from 45 to 15 minutes means 2,000 hours a year, more than one full-time handler.
Functional scope and cost
The hard part is connecting to 8 insurers. Some expose an API or accept Acord or EDI messages, others only offer an extranet. The sound approach is to connect directly to the 2 or 3 insurers carrying 70 % of volume, and send the others a standardised PDF file by email.
| Component | Content | Share of budget |
|---|---|---|
| Secure client area | Accounts per business, roles, two-factor authentication | 15 % |
| Guided notification form | By claim type, photos, incident report, geolocation | 20 % |
| Handler back office | Work queue, statuses, assignment, internal notes | 20 % |
| Chasers and notifications | Email and SMS, rules per status | 10 % |
| Insurer connectors | 2 to 3 APIs or EDI, PDF for the rest | 25 % |
| Dashboard | Average cycle time, loss ratio per client, alerts | 10 % |
2026 market benchmarks: an off the shelf broking platform with a claims module costs 120 to 350 GBP per user per month in the UK, or 36,000 to 105,000 GBP a year for 25 users, with little control over the client journey. In Toronto, comparable licences run 180 to 500 CAD per user per month. A London or Toronto software house quotes such a portal at 50,000 to 130,000 GBP or 90,000 to 220,000 CAD. The Kolonell build sits in the complex tier above; a version without insurer connectors can stay in the mid tier, 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR).
Compliance and security: what the regulator and clients will check
Claims hold personal data, sometimes health data for injury claims. The portal needs UK or Canadian hosting as required, encrypted attachments, logging of every access and configurable retention periods, in line with UK GDPR and FCA expectations in London, or PIPEDA and provincial rules in Ontario. Hosting is set in the quote. Kolonell maintenance runs 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA per month (53, 114 or 183 EUR).
Mini case study
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Rachel, managing director of a commercial broker in Croydon, costs her 7 handlers at 32 GBP per loaded hour. The portal frees 2,000 hours a year, or 64,000 GBP of capacity redirected to new business and complex claims.
She picks an 18,000 EUR build with three insurer connectors, plus 183 EUR per month of premium maintenance, about 20,200 EUR in year one. Even counting only half the gain, 32,000 GBP of capacity, the project pays back in well under a year, around 7 to 8 months. The firm then absorbs 20 % more claims without hiring.
FAQ
Will clients really report online?
Fleet managers and site managers do, provided the form takes under 5 minutes on a phone. Expect 50 to 70 % adoption after 6 months if the phone team redirects callers to the portal.
Should we connect all 8 insurers at launch?
No. Connect the 2 or 3 that carry most of the volume and use a standardised PDF for the rest. Each extra connector takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Does the portal replace our broking system?
No, it complements it. It runs the client journey and builds the claim file, then syncs key data with your existing system through an API or a daily export.
How long until go-live?
3 months for a portal with one connector, 5 months with three connectors and the dashboard. A 4-week pilot with 2 fleet clients secures the launch.
Let's scope your project. Share your claim volumes and partner insurers, and we will scope a portal deliverable in 3 to 5 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
