Interview
Jelle (CEO at SFZ) about working with Alicia
Ever wondered what working with Alicia is like for advisors? Our partner SFZ tells all.
14 May 2025
After about a year and a half, how does our partner SFZ like working with Alicia? CEO Jelle de Boer talks about the challenge SFZ had, how they find customers, how Alicia helps them with that, and gives advice to advisors who are unsure about using digital tools themselves.
Recently, Alicia visited partner SFZ (Sociaal Fonds Zelfstandigen) to talk to Jelle de Boer (CEO) about the collaboration so far. Because we can think of nobody better to tell you what it's like to work with Alicia than our partners themselves.
Jelle de Boer, CEO at Stichting Fonds Zelfstandigen (SFZ), explains.
Can you briefly introduce yourself, and tell us what your company does?
Jelle: ‘Definitely. My name is Jelle de Boer. I graduated as an economist, and I started working in the insurance industry over 20 years ago. In 2000, we started a company aimed at self-employed people who were having problems with 'false self-employment'. That company is called Sociaal Fonds Zelfstandige (SFZ.nl). We advise and sell products to entrepreneurs, DGAs, and the self-employed - people who are often not socially insured.’
Due to what challenge did you end up working with Alicia?
Jelle: ‘Our challenge was that although we could make insurance quotes and customers accepted them, we were dependent on insurers for their underwriting and policy formatting. So everyone had to wait for the insurer to finish that process – both us and our customers. With Alicia, we now control the entire process: from quotation to underwriting, premium collection and policy creation. It's future-proof, efficient and pleasant for both the customer and ourselves.’
What has changed for you since working with Alicia?
Jelle: ‘Everything is now in one process. Customers can take out insurance directly and receive their policy instantly. That's ideal, especially for simple products such as liability and travel insurance. We have less manual work and our processes have become much more flexible.’
How does this affect your team?
Jelle: ‘The work has become less labour-intensive. The team has to deal less with simple inquiries and can focus more on claims handling, upsell and customers who really need advice. As a result, we spend our time more efficiently and can deliver more value to existing customers.’
What expectations did you have of Alicia when you started working with us?
Jelle: ‘We expected to achieve a more efficient conversion process with Alicia, and that has proven to be true. We now use the Alicia funnel to gain and instantly convert new customers. Then we can guide them further through the customer journey if necessary.’
How do you attract customers to your platforms?
Jelle: ‘We use a combination of direct referrals through employees (e.g. in e-mail signatures) and online marketing through Google. We are constantly monitoring our conversion and return on investment, which has been going much better and more smoothly with Alicia than in previous attempts with other partners.’
What makes working with Alicia different from other partners?
Jelle: ‘The communication, workflows and products are, simply put, good. Especially relatively straightforward insurance policies can be taken out quickly. Alicia also works well with intermediaries and makes their work easier, allowing insurance advisors to maintain their position. I think that that's very smart.’
What kind of reactions do you get from customers to this way of working?
Jelle: ‘Most customers like the fact that certain insurances can now be arranged faster and more efficiently. Especially with less complex products, little contact is needed. That works well for both us and our customers. For disability insurance, there is slightly more need for personal contact. And we can offer that, because the possiblity for advice and personal contact is still there. So overall, customers are very satisfied.’
In one sentence, how would you describe what Alicia does, for you as an intermediary?
Jelle: ‘Alicia seamlessly bundles everything together: from customer needs to acceptance to finalisation, everything is completely integrated.’
Do you have any tips for other intermediaries or advisors who are unsure about using a digital solution?
Jelle: ‘Many intermediaries have stopped advising on complex entrepreneurial products, such as disability insurance or pensions. Alicia can be a perfect addition to make sure you can still serve this market. Through the digital process, you can easily realise more conversion, without much extra effort.
Of course, some advisors want to keep personal contact, but for less complex products, digital funnels can work perfectly. And even if you insist on giving personal advice, you can use Alicia as a follow-up, or after calls. So I'd tell other advisors: give it a chance.’
Want to know more?
Do you also want to achieve more efficiency and conversion, without spending a lot of extra time? We can help you with that, with a digital application street like SFZ's!
Let’s get in touch!
