"By working with advisers to make relevant changes, we’ve created a proposition that supports customers' life choices."
- Louise Colley, Director of Retail Protection at Zurich Insurance
Less than 18 months ago, Zurich UK launched its enhanced Critical Illness (CI) proposition, branded the "first major change in policy design for some years" by CIExpert. This offering allowed advisers to craft individual solutions for every customer, with packages of cover that can be added or removed.
READ MORE: Zurich set to have a "significant impact on the market" with new Critical Illness proposition
Today, Zurich has announced various enhancements to its Income Protection (IP) proposition, adding "what’s truly needed" to the original product. "We wanted to deliver a product that truly meets the needs of our customers and adapts to people’s changing work patterns and incomes," explained Louise Colley, Director of Retail Protection at Zurich Insurance.
She said: "By working with advisers to make relevant changes, we’ve created a proposition that supports customers' life choices. Any cover needs to be reactive to changing scenarios and provide certainty."
Zurich’s enhanced IP offering includes gross income replacement ratio covering 65% of the first £60k of income and 45% of anything above; maximum and minimum benefit guarantees; rehabilitation support; sick pay matching for a wide range of medical professionals; features (Sabbatical Cover, Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Benefit, Own Occupation Guarantee & House Person Benefit) to help protect customers who fall ill when they aren’t working; fixed payments under the optional IP Enhanced module.
"The sales support materials we’ve created are also designed to be clear and help advisers to understand our features and benefits and who they’re designed for, helping them focus on the benefits of most value to each customer," Louise added.
Commenting on the launch, Jo Miller, Managing Director of the Income Protection Taskforce (IPTF), said, "It's always great to see providers in the market looking to make improvements to propositions in line with adviser feedback and customer need Amongst the updates announced by Zurich UK, we're particularly pleased to see additions beyond payments, including rehabilitation support."
