Hourly.io, a fast-growing startup that is committed to fixing workers' comp for businesses with hourly and mobile workers, has teamed up with insurance and financial services provider Nationwide to expand its workers' comp and payroll service.
In this alliance, Hourly will serve as a Managing General Underwriter (MGU) underwriting skilled trade businesses with mobile and hourly workers using technology and millions of real-time data points from the Hourly platform. While most insurers underwrite workers' comp based on data that is 12-18 months old, Hourly's revolutionary use of big data gives business owners an alternative high-quality insurance partner, fairer and more accurate pricing, with personalized customer service. Businesses that will most benefit from using Hourly include construction, contracted services, transportation and trucking, foodservice, and retail stores among others.
Established in 2018, Hourly offers workers' comp insurance and an integrated platform that connects workers' comp, time tracking, and payroll in real-time—an innovation that ensures premiums are calculated with unprecedented precision. Hourly is first of its kind in the industry to bridge this gap seamlessly with a mobile-first platform.
Through Nationwide, Hourly's platform and advanced underwriting model will help Hourly's network of more than 3,000 appointed independent insurance producers expand their client base, retain more of those clients, generate more revenue, and stand out from competitors.
"We're thrilled to announce our partnership with Nationwide as the next step in Hourly's growth strategy," said Hourly Co-founder and CEO Tom Sagi. "With Nationwide on our side, our growing network of independent insurance agents will finally be able to offer small and medium-sized businesses a service-oriented alternative, ensuring they don't overpay for their coverage. And these same small businesses will better understand their labor costs—including workers' comp premiums—information they can use to bid more accurately on projects and manage their expenses to the penny."
"It's no secret that commercial insurance has been slow to catch up to personal lines in terms of tech," said Jerico Foutch-Vinsonhaler, Chief Underwriting Officer at Hourly. "Insurance companies typically don't have enough data to quote accurate premiums for hourly workers which means that these small businesses are hit with a big audit bill or are overpaying for their coverage. By harnessing more data points than our peers, Hourly is offering a long overdue solution for small business owners."
"We're excited to join forces with Hourly and help hardworking businesses across the country protect their employees," said Nationwide's Vice President Dale Hoppe who leads the company's Excess & Surplus and Specialty WC programs division. "Workers' comp has been hard to appraise in the past because the technology to price risk simply wasn't there. Our collaboration with Hourly's payroll platform sets new industry standards by prioritizing fair pricing, better overall service, and a commitment to continuous innovation. Nationwide and Hourly's much-needed upgrades to the workers' comp space will become the new benchmark for the industry for the mobile workforce, filling a gap that has plagued workers' comp for far too long."
Hourly is appointing select insurance agents across the nation. Please visit hourly.io to learn more and see if your agency qualifies.
About Hourly.io
Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Hourly.io is a data driven insurance startup offering workers' comp insurance and full-service payroll for small and medium businesses with hourly workers. Powered by real-time data, Hourly's platform ensures running payroll is as quick as pressing a button and that you get accurate workers' comp premiums down to the penny. For more information, visit www.hourly.io.
About Nationwide
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities, mutual funds and ETFs; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.