Lots of announcments last week and a big week ahead!
The first full working week of 2024 and you’d expect it to be relatively quiet… however it was quite the opposite! Last week saw news of new product launches, product updates, the value of how much quality contracts matter and Protection Guru’s first Forum of 2024. In this article we will take a closer look at what happened last week.
The first announcement of a new product launch of 2024, is the Life Essentials Product from Guardian, more details of which will be available soon. Ultimately this will be a more traditional contract without many of the extra features that differentiate the full Guardian products. Guardian are to give advisers the option of using both their highly innovative ‘Life Protection’ products, which do cost a little extra, and a cheaper, new alternative. As you would expect we will be giving you the full lowdown of what the product does and what it means for your clients…. Look out for our article on this in the near future.
We also saw Zurich improve their free cover offering along with Scottish Widows updating their critical illness definitions to bring them in line with the ABI minimum standards.
Our esteemed leader Ian Mckenna’s thought provoking article was published by Money Marketing last week entitled Price then quality, or quality then price? How much it matters. Ian shares his thoughts and observations on how Consumer Duty has altered the obligations of Financial Advisers in providing life insurances advice, making value for money the primary requirement. The article explores the impact that this will have on who will get more business in the Protection market. Click on the following link to read some detailed analysis of the difference it makes when advisers prioritise quality over price: https://www.moneymarketing.co.uk/opinion/ian-mckenna-price-then-quality-or-quality-then-price-heres-how-it-matters/
The first Protection Forum of 2024 proved as ever to be a lively and engaging session. We covered the topic of vulnerable clients. We heard what advisers have done to ensure that they are supporting vulnerable customers (including their definition of a vulnerable customer) and what support they would like to see from insurers – Matt Chapman, Zoe Priselec and Alan Knowles kindly took the teams stage and provided some excellent scenarios, outcomes and improvement that could be made. A huge thank you as always.
And we had some fantastic commentary from Insurers too on how they are striving to implement support and processes, and they are clearly going in the right direction. A big thank you to Chris Smart – Scottish Widows, Jack Southcott – The Exeter and Peter Hamilton – Zurich.
It is very clear that this is a subject we must continue to bring to the forum on a regular basis, to continue to discuss and move the dial for vulnerable clients.
We’re thrilled to announce that the highly anticipated Empowering Advice Through Technology (EATT) conference is just a few days away, marking its 5th year. This annual event is dedicated to exploring the Adviser Experience (AX), Business Experience (BX), and Client Experience (CX) through the lens of technology.
The conference will showcase a range of new services designed to enhance each aspect mentioned above, featuring presentations from innovative firms developing cutting-edge solutions and insights from fellow advisers.
Structured to guide firms in navigating the tech landscape, the conference aims to help them:
- Validate if their existing technology aligns with their business goals.
- Understand how emerging technology can elevate customer experiences.
- Develop a plan to source and implement technology tailored to their needs.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to stay at the forefront of industry trends! You can still purchase your ticket at https://www.advisersoftware.com/eatt-tickets/
