Troy Key, a surety bond agent with Mullis Newby Hurst, LP, understands the importance of seeingopportunities and reacting to them in a timely manner to seal the deal.
Key was watching March Madness on television three years ago when he received a call from a prospect who had run into a bond challenge that day. Another agent was being unresponsive to Key’s prospective client. As Key describes it, with ASI’s support, he was able to quickly respond and “get the deal done that day – all while watching basketball.” That $1M transaction has grown into a $30M client today.
To Key, customer service means more than responsiveness, though responsiveness is crucial. He appreciates ASI’s ability to understand a particular surety risk.
“A contractor may have other activity going on,” Key explains. “When it comes to the job for which they need a bond, ASI is willing to use common sense to consider the risk.”
Where other underwriters look at a contractor overall and are sometimes intimidated by the bigger picture, Key says ASI works to understand the relationship. Where others may prefer to wait to see how a contractor’s other jobs finish before underwriting the risk of a new one, ASI is more willing to proceed based on an agent’s knowledge of the client.
“They take the time to understand the account,” says Key.
Key appreciates being able to easily access and work directly with decision makers. “I can pick up the phone and throw ideas back and forth, which I can take to the client immediately,” he says. “We often have just 24 hours to respond.”
For additional information on ASI’s surety capabilities, contact our underwriting team at 1-800-388-3647 or visit www.amsafety.com/surety.