Premium Choice are a specialist insurance broker based in Birmingham who offer competitive quotes on insurance for high-risk vehicles and drivers.
When I joined the Optimas Group in 2008, one of my first tasks was to take full control of the Premium Choice website which had always been out-sourced to third parties. With Premium Choice being a public-facing company with very little coverage in a diluted market, I had quite a large challenge ahead of me to ensure the company message was portrayed well but also adopted some of the accepted standards in the industry.
Over the first few months, the existing website saw numerous minor changes, such as additional content, landing pages for our new partnerships with popular price comparison websites, even a revised homepage to quickly channel potential customers to their intended products – all of which was contributing towards a full-on overhaul of what was seen as a stagnant old website.
When resources permitted internally, it was time to start with a blank canvas and prototype a new website with scope for additional content in the future. Throughout the entire process – from project plans to prototypes, wireframes to design, analysis of open source application frameworks to integration and development of the system – I was communicating with the Board Execs and outside consultancies to ensure we were developing a top-quality product to compete with our rivals.
In March 2009, we launched the first phase of the website with the goal of constantly developing additional sections over the coming year. With a professional design and improved user experience, we intend to convert more business from new visitors as well offer extensive services to our existing customers.