LifeSearch is one of the UK’s largest protection insurance brokers, supporting families nationwide through a network of more than 280 commission-based advisers. Known for its award-winning, customer-first approach, LifeSearch partners with brands including CompareTheMarket, Lloyds Banking Group, and MoneySavingExpert.
The challenge
As LifeSearch grew, its commission processes became increasingly dependent on spreadsheets and SQL, driving manual effort and elevating the risk of errors. As plan complexity increased, even minor changes required rework across multiple files, slowing commission cycles and compounding risk. As a result, advisers often waited three to four days at month-end to understand their final payouts, including clawbacks and write-offs.
The finance team lacked the bandwidth to rebuild the process internally, and existing systems could not support the introduction of on-risk pay—an initiative LifeSearch wanted to roll out to better motivate advisers and align incentives with performance.
“Spreadsheets are always prone to error. Performio gives us far greater confidence that we are paying correctly,” said John Mock, CFO.
The solution
LifeSearch selected Performio after reviewing several vendors, recognizing the need for a specialist incentive compensation platform—rather than a generic finance or payroll system—to automate complex insurance commission rules and safely support on-risk pay. Performio’s modern platform, structured implementation approach, and UK presence clearly set it apart.
Implementation moved quickly, with configuration and testing running in parallel. By working closely with Performio during the build, LifeSearch gained deep system knowledge and long-term independence. Today, the finance team can rerun calculations, update plans, and create reports directly in Performio—without relying on spreadsheets or SQL.
“We simply couldn’t have moved to paying advisers on-risk without Performio,” said Jonathan Shovell, Head of Payroll & Franchise Remuneration.
The results
With Performio, LifeSearch now runs a more controlled, transparent, and reliable commission process. Advisers have real-time visibility into earnings, clawbacks, and write-offs, while finance operates with greater accuracy and confidence.
Performio also enabled LifeSearch to safely introduce on-risk pay—improving adviser motivation and alignment with business goals.
Key outcomes include:
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Adviser payout cycles reduced from 6–8 weeks to around 4 weeks
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Real-time commission visibility replacing 3–4 day delays
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50–75% faster commission plan and threshold updates
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Reduced manual effort and lower risk of error
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A modern adviser experience that improves trust and engagement
“Everything we wanted to achieve, we’ve been able to achieve,” said Jonathan Shovell. “It has streamlined the process and made things a lot simpler.”
Download LifeSearch Case Study