With MLA for 13 years, Mike is colloquially known as ‘Mr MLA’ - a credit to his ongoing loyalty and profile within the burgeoning business. Here’s what he had to say about his personal journey here and that of the wider business in becoming a Tier 1 agency.

1. Tell us about your career journey at MLA.

I began my career at MLA in 2006 as a Case Handler and within a year I was promoted to running my own team. Following two years in this position I became responsible for all operational teams. Since 2017, I have headed up our entire supply network heading up the Operations Department.

As you can imagine, over the years I’ve gained a wealth of experience in the Personal Injury arena - encompassing not only Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) but also Industrial Disease and Clinical Negligence. I’ve worked with some phenomenal people here and together we’ve worked incredibly hard to create an effective strategy to not only gain Tier 1 status, but also continue to lead with service - the MLA way.

2. How has MLA transformed over the years?

As the longest established registered MRO on MedCo, MLA has been through many changes in its 30 year history. We began as an in-house agency for Silverbeck Rymer in 1990, but became a fully independent agency in 2001. By 2009, we implemented a bespoke service for Industrial Disease claims and quickly became a leading specialist in this sector.

In 2014, we won the largest NIHL contract in the UK, producing over 5,000 instructions per month - and after MedCo was introduced in 2015, we proudly stood as a Tier 2 MRO until last month when we became the first Tier 2 MRO to be re-classified as a Tier 1 MedCo agency.

3. What challenges did you have to overcome to meet Tier 1 criteria?

We made the decision early on to not only meet the standards required by MedCo, but to exceed them. I think this approach really drove our commitment to deliver an unparalleled service, as in many aspects we out-perform the minimum requirements.

To achieve MedCo Tier 1 status, we undertook a rigorous review of our internal processes and monitored our Operations Department internally. The entire team was bought into achieving this goal and that helped to drive the customer service and attention to detail that we’ve become renowned for with our customers. Striving for this goal also drove our investment in systems, such as Proclaim, and IT solutions, such as SMS and online portals, enhancing efficiencies across the entire business and allowing us to offer more market-leading services and ultimately achieve Tier 1 status.

4. How will being a Tier 1 agency change how MLA operates?

Achieving Tier 1 is an evolution rather than a sudden, big change. Alongside developing our core services of Industrial Disease and Military Claims, becoming a Tier 1 accredited MRO has been part of the Company’s wider strategy of growth since MedCo was introduced in April 2015.

To continue evolving, we plan to invest further in operational processes and IT systems, helping to further improve the customer experience.

5. What was MLA doing as a Tier 2 that was so different from other Tier 2 agencies?

Although I don’t know precisely what other Tier 2 agencies were doing, I think MLA’s focus on Industrial Disease helped when it came to Road Traffic Accidents (RTA), as it gave our team a wealth of experience in more complex work. I think this really helped MLA in adapting to the volume of RTA instructions.

6. What do you think the future holds for MLA?

We have lots of exciting plans for the rest of the year and 2020. We’ve just been the sole sponsor at the APIL Military Claims Conference this October, and have a pending ISO 27001 audit in November. As there are significant changes due in the market next year with The Civil Liability Act, as well as changes to the small claims limit planned, MLA is working to ensure it continues to offer the best service to the PI market.

To learn what MLA can now do for you as a Tier 1 Agency, please click here.