Are you an IT consultant, business consultant, management consultant, marketing consultant, or small business consultant? If so, we have some news for you! We now offer business insurance for consultants.
With consultants insurance, you can protect your business and enjoy peace of mind as you help your clients. Let’s dive deeper into consultant insurance and learn more about what it is, who needs it, why you need it, and how it can protect your business.
Types Of Consultants That Need Insurance
The types of consultants that need insurance include:
1. IT Consultants
If you help advise clients with their IT needs you could be vulnerable to claims that include your client suing you for losing data or business information. This would be your biggest risk as an IT consultant and you would need liability insurance for IT consultants. You also may face risks, such as a breach of contract or a client getting injured as a result of your business practices. Protect the tools of your trade with tools and equipment coverage. This can provide that extra protection your business needs and protect your biggest asset… your business equipment.
Protecting your business not only keeps your money in your wallet, but it gives you that professional edge that your competitors may not have. By adding IT consultants insurance, you show your clients how professional you are. This can increase the number of clients you have.
2. Business Consultants
Are you a business consultant? If so, you may encounter a few claims. A claim may look like a customer coming to your office for a consulting session. While there you offer them business advice that results in them suing your business because you gave them advice that failed and ended up making the business file for bankruptcy. However, if you have insurance for business consultant, your policy could be the source of paying for those expenses instead of your business or your own personal bank account.
In this case, you would need professional liability insurance. This can help protect your business from the costs associated with claims. The costs can include attorney fees and compensation.
3. Management Consultants
If you are a management consultant your risks could include giving the wrong information, bad information, or outdated information. Insurance for management consulting can protect you from the repercussions of those risks, which are expensive claims.
In addition to expensive claims, you could experience a reputation crisis. When you have management consulting insurance it can help boost your credibility and show that you are a professional willing to work with a client to remedy the problem.
4. Marketing Consultants
As a marketing consultant you are tasked with creating social media plans, content calendars, and more for your clients. If your promised results aren’t reached, your client could hold you responsible, suing your business. Protect your business with marketing consultant insurance, specifically general liability insurance which can protect you from the costs of products-complete operations.
Marketing consultants insurance can provide the protection you need when running your business. You can coach and consult, and provide creative feedback without the looming stress of what happens when something goes wrong. Insurance takes care of it for you.
5. Small Business Consultants
If you consult for small businesses you will want to protect your business with small business consulting insurance. This can save you money from the oftentimes expensive price tag that comes with the cost of insurance claims.
Insurance can help cover attorney fees, medical fees, repair fees, and more from accidents that occur in your office, or with your clients. No matter how careful you are, accidents can oftentimes result in thousands of dollars in replacement or legal fees. Get insurance and get away from the stress these claims can bring.
What Is Covered By Business Insurance for Consultants?
When searching for insurance to protect your business it is important to note what is covered by liability insurance for consultants. This type of business insurance protects against claims associated with your industry. These claims can include
- A client who injures themselves in your place of work
- A client suing you for misinformation or wrong counsel
- Third-party property damage
- Tools and equipment damage if you include Inland Marine Coverage
These claims can be costly and lead to a negative image for your business. However, with insurance for consulting you can enjoy the ultimate business protection that saves you money when a claim happens. Instead of the claim costs coming out of your wallet, they come out of ours, allowing you to keep running your business with no downtime and very little money lost.
Also, when you insure your business, it’s important to advertise that you’re a licensed and insured business which communicates professionalism and trust to potential clients. This can lead to more revenue as you book more clients.
How Insurance Protects You
Liability insurance for consultants protects you from the cost when a claim occurs. There can be several different costs when it comes to claims. Costs can include:
- Medical fees
- Attorney fees
- Property damage expenses
Without insurance, you could be faced with paying these expenses all out-of-pocket. This could financially devastate your business.
To get even more specific on how consultants insurance can protect your business, let’s take a closer look at our coverages.
What Is General Liability Insurance?
This coverage protects against the most common insurance claims. With a $2M aggregate and $1M limit per occurrence, you can rest easy knowing consultants insurance could cover you when a claim happens.
An example of when you would need general liability insurance includes a customer coming to your place of work with their small child. While in a session, the child trips and splits their head on the edge of your desk. They sue and you’re stuck with the medical fees and any expenses accrued while your client was out of work. General liability insurance can help protect you from those expensive costs.
Professional Liability Insurance
Also known as Errors & Omissions or “E&O insurance”, professional liability insurance protects against claims where you are at fault for misinformation or misguidance. This insurance is essential to protecting your business reputation and is included with your general liability policy. Our professional liability insurance has a $250,000 limit per occurrence and aggregate.
An example of a common professional liability claim could include if you promise a client a result but that result is not achieved. Your client could sue you for misguidance. This type of claim carries a hefty price tag –think attorney fees. Professional liability insurance can help out with the fees associated with these types of claims.
Cyber Liability Coverage
If you store client information such as payment information, personal information, business information, or sensitive records online, we highly recommend adding this coverage to your policy. This coverage provides protection against claims that arise from cyber security breaches. Claims could include replacing or repairing compromised equipment, lost data, and notifying or compensating customers for lost data.
These types of claims can be costly not only for your wallet but for your business as well. Cyber security claims could look like your database of sensitive client information –credit card information– getting hacked and stolen. Cyber liability coverage can help protect your business from the costs associated with these claims.
Additional Insureds
If you practice at an office where you lease the space or attend a conference where you rent booth space, you may be required to list the landlord or event organizer as an “additional insured.” Listing them as an additional insured essentially extends your insurance policy’s protection to them. If they’re named in a suit or claim as a result of something you did, your policy coverages can also help them pay for court costs, medical claims, and other significant costs.
You will want an additional insured so your insurance can be extended to them, protecting you from full responsibility for the price of the claim.
Insurance Canopy offers all of these insurance coverages so you can rest easy knowing your business is protected even when accidents happen.
Do Consultants Need Insurance?
Yes. Here are a few questions and answers to think over. If you answer “YES” to any of these questions we strongly recommend purchasing insurance for consultants.
Do you charge a fee for your professional services?
If you answered yes and charge your clients a fee for your coaching, consulting, or marketing, you need business insurance for consultants. Why you may ask? Well, when you charge for a service you open your business to claims that occur when your professional opinion doesn’t result in the promised results. These claims can stem from misinformation, misguidance, third-person bodily injury, etc. When you charge for a service, your clients expect a good return.
Do you provide tech consulting services?
If your answer is “yes” to this question then you need IT consultant insurance. This can protect you from professional liability claims where you are at fault. Misinformation claims can get expensive really fast, IT consultant insurance can help mitigate or even eliminate expenses related to that claim.
Do any of your clients or places you practice require you to be insured?
Do you rent your office space from a landlord? Or do you attend conventions or events where you rent a booth? If you answered yes to any of these three questions, then you most certainly need insurance for consulting. With consulting insurance you can add unlimited additional insureds for free. When you add an additional insured, you’re extending your insurance protection to them which can further protect you from claims that stem from your business operations.
Do you provide administrative services for a fee?
Management consultants insurance can protect you in case your client sues you for misinformation or negligence. If your answer is a “yes”, “that’s me”, or “I provide that”, then you need insurance. Why you may ask? Although you have an extensive background in consulting, mistakes can still happen and oftentimes mistakes lead to claims that can be expensive and hurt your business reputation. When you have insurance, you can protect yourself from that cost and keep your business reputation in top shape.
The More You Know
So now you know a little about business insurance for consultants. If you’d like to protect your business today, check out our consultants insurance policy and start your quote process. This can be done 100% online in as little as 10 minutes, giving you your quote and purchase options.
If you would like more information about consultant insurance, here is a blog that can answer more of your questions. We are also available to answer your questions via email or phone.
