What Is Heffernan Insurance Brokers?
Heffernan’s technology practice targets mid- and late-stage, venture-funded and pre-IPO companies; early-stage firms seeking a direct online quote should compare digital providers. It also offers claims consulting and workers’ compensation support. 1,2,3
Read the Heffernan Insurance Brokers profile
Read the Heffernan Insurance Brokers Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance page
Simply Business: Online Small-Business Insurance Marketplace
Simply Business describes a digital marketplace and licensed-producer service for small businesses. The policy and selected insurer determine coverage, fees, servicing and claims responsibilities. 5,6
What Is Professional Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance?
Professional liability can help pay defense costs and covered losses when a client says your advice or service caused financial harm. If customers rely on your work, list every service you provide and check the claims-made reporting and prior-work terms. 8,9,10,11
Key Differences in Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance
Heffernan builds placements; Simply Business starts with online quotes
Heffernan’s small-business division shops E&O with insurers and asks buyers to contact its team for a quote and custom package. Simply Business describes an online flow to enter business details, compare offers and select a policy, though its terms say a quote is not guaranteed and a panel member must approve binding. If you want a broker to shape a broader package, start with Heffernan; if you want to compare available offers online, check what Simply Business returns for your work. 4 6
Buyer examples shape the first eligibility check
Heffernan names industries from construction and health care to technology and says it can custom-design packages for unlisted industries. Simply Business gives E&O examples including consultants, IT professionals, real-estate agents and bookkeepers, while warning that examples do not guarantee eligibility. Describe your exact services and client contracts to both before relying on a broad industry match. 4 7
Compare the stated protection with the policy wording
Heffernan frames E&O around a client’s financial loss after a problem with your product or service. Simply Business names attorney fees, court costs, settlements and judgments as costs that may be covered, subject to policy wording. Ask which of those costs appear in the specific insurer’s form and how a service error must cause loss to trigger coverage. 4 7
What to Confirm in Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Quotes
- Ask Heffernan which insurers and policy forms it proposes, and ask Simply Business which panel member must approve the online quote before binding. 4 6
- For either quote, request the covered professional services, defense-cost treatment, exclusions, limits and deductible in the actual form; neither reviewed overview establishes those terms. 4 7
Review Scores
These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.
Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Review Score
1 rated source
Heffernan’s available review sample is small and local, with a low Google rating for one office. Check the team that would actually serve your business.[6][7][8]
Read Heffernan Insurance Brokers reviewsSimply Business
Review Score
4 rated sources
Customers disagree about Simply Business. Trustpilot shows 4.3 out of 5 from 1,901 reviews, but BBB customers give it 1.95 from 20 reviews and ConsumerAffairs shows 1.0.[6][10][7]
Read Simply Business reviewsOffering Details
Heffernan Insurance Brokers vs Simply Business: Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Heffernan Professional Errors and Omissions Brokerage | Professional liability (E&O) insurance through Simply Business |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Heffernan lists errors and omissions among the coverages its small-business division places for clients, shopping the line with insurers rather than underwriting it. 4Company-reported. Small Business Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23; no dedicated professional-E&O product page was found. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Who It’s For | Heffernan's small-business division says it serves sole proprietors through fast-growing companies across industries including construction, food, health care, hospitality, nonprofits, real estate, technology, transportation, and vintners and growers, and will custom-design a package for industries not listed. 4Company-reported. Small Business Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23; not exclusively E&O-specific, but describes the buyer base for the page listing this coverage. | Simply Business lists consultants, IT professionals, real-estate agents and bookkeepers among the business examples for which it can help find E&O coverage. The examples do not guarantee eligibility. 7Company-reported. Company-published professional-errors-omissions information for U.S. small businesses; availability and actual policy terms depend on the insurer, state and buyer. |
| Coverage Features | Heffernan describes errors and omissions coverage as protecting against claims for problems with a company's product or service that result in a financial loss to a client. 4Company-reported. Small Business Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23; the page does not list specific exclusions, claims-made versus occurrence form, or endorsements. | The page describes protection for claims tied to professional work and lists attorney fees, court costs, settlements and judgments as costs that may be covered; policy wording controls. 7Company-reported. Company-published professional-errors-omissions information for U.S. small businesses; availability and actual policy terms depend on the insurer, state and buyer. |
| Limits and Retentions | The reviewed page does not publish limits, retentions, or premium ranges for errors and omissions coverage. 4Not publicly disclosed. Small Business Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23. | Confirm in your quote. |
| How to Apply | Heffernan directs small-business buyers to contact the firm's small-business division to request a quote and says it will research and build a custom package for industries not already listed. 4Company-reported. Small Business Insurance page as read on 2026-09-23. | The company describes an online flow to answer business questions, compare quotes and select a policy. Its Terms say an online quote is not guaranteed and binding requires panel-member approval. 7,6Company-reported. Company-published professional-errors-omissions information for U.S. small businesses; availability and actual policy terms depend on the insurer, state and buyer. |
Full Comparison
More Heffernan Insurance Brokers vs Simply Business Comparisons
Other Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Heffernan Insurance Brokers
- Our Story. Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Headquartered in Walnut Creek; nationwide presence; founded 1988; employee owned; niche practices including technology. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology Company Insurance. Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Pre-IPO and venture-funded heading; mid to late stage specialization; global expansion copy; self-insurance strategies; Key Markets list; Why Heffernan broker history; Joseph Talmadge practice leader; FAQ. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Heffernan Business Insurance Brokerage. Heffernan Insurance Brokers; Forward-Thinking Business Insurance: basic coverages (general liability, commercial property and auto, workers’ compensation); corporate and executive protection (EPL, D&O, fiduciary responsibility, cyber, kidnap and ransom); alternative risk capabilities; claims, loss control and risk-management services; industry practice links including Technology and Claims Advocacy. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Small Business Insurance. Heffernan Insurance Brokers; The types of coverage we can provide include... Errors and omissions protects against claims for problems with your product or service that result in a financial loss; industries served list; Specialty Programs; contact for custom-designed packages. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Simply Business
- Our Small Business Insurance Story. Simply Business; Opening description and audience; digital marketplace, business types and U.S. service. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Terms of Service. Simply Business; Dated June 30, 2026; §1 lines 22–28; §8 lines 87–113; §10 lines 143–149; §19 line 211. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Professional Liability Insurance Coverage. Simply Business; Coverage lines 45–100; buyer examples lines 101–158; online quote steps lines 237–260. Accessed 2026-09-29.
Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Guide
- FAQ: Professional liability insurance. Texas Department of Insurance; What’s professional liability coverage?; What types of damages…; What’s general liability insurance?; Do I need professional liability… if I have general liability…?; Is professional liability insurance required?; Can a client require…?; What’s the difference between occurrence policies and claims-made policies. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Professional liability insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening paragraphs (professional services/advice and E&O name); Claims not covered by general liability; What types of businesses need professional liability insurance?; What’s covered… and what’s not (claims-made versus occurrence, defense and judgments, non-financial/intentional limits, BOP/in-home exclusion). Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Get business insurance. U.S. Small Business Administration; Six common types of business insurance table. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Professional Liability – US Direct Errors and Omissions Insurance. Hiscox Inc. specimen; About this Policy / Coverage for Claims Made Against You; I.A Insuring Agreement; I.B Defense; I.C Settlement; II.A Notice of Claims; II.C Optional Extended Reporting Period; III.A, III.K, III.M, III.R, III.S Exclusions; IV.A–B Limits and Deductible; VI.O Professional Services; VI.U Wrongful Act. Accessed 2026-09-16.
