Fidelity Life has revealed more than 40 product upgrades at its Auckland Roadshow, for its entire product range across its Life, Trauma, Total and Permanent Disability and Income Protection covers.
Following feedback from advisers, particularly regarding cancer and heart attack definitions, the insurer’s enhancements aimed to improve on clarity, consistency and outcomes to customers and their advisers.
The 40+ upgrades included:
- 4 new full payment definitions
- 6 new partial payment definitions
- 15 upgraded full payment definitions
- 3 upgraded partial payment definitions
Upgrades to their cancer and heart attack definitions were the most significant changes made.
Four other key upgrades included:
- Upgraded pre-disability income treatment wording
- Upgraded Trauma Multi wording
- Upgraded Special Events Benefit
- New Terminal Illness Partial Benefit
Fidelity Life Chief Distribution Officer, Adrian Riminton, says he is confident that their raft of new upgrades will put the insurer “back at the top of the market”.
“Advisers haven’t been backwards in coming forward to tell us our products needed to better meet the evolving needs of customers…”
“Advisers haven’t been backwards in coming forward to tell us our products needed to better meet the evolving needs of customers, and we’re grateful for the feedback,” he said.
Fidelity Life Head of Offer, Philip Muldoon, says when looking at the proportions of claims in trauma, cancer was the number one claimed and heart attacks came second.
For their heart attack definition, Fidelity has upgraded their wording to align with the language customers will hear from their cardiologist and the wording for their cancer definition has been upgraded to make it clearer which cancers are covered.
“So it’s really important that those two definitions are as good as they can be,” said Muldoon, adding their 28 changes in trauma was a significant upgrade.
“With the focus at the moment on customer outcomes, having that clarity and the policy wordings and consistency across those definitions is also really important,” added Riminton, “…because that makes it clearer for the adviser and clearer for the customer and less chance of there being any misunderstanding about what they cover for.
“That is part of the commitment that we have to try to drive better customer outcomes,” he said. “If it’s clearer, if the definitions are consistent across the benefit types…then it makes it much easier for everybody to understand.”
Riminton said the definition upgrades are effective 28 May while their pricing upgrades are effective 1 July.
The roadshow launched Fidelity Life’s ‘Life Upgraded’ campaign, covering 12 locations nationwide and has drawn registrations from 870 advisers in total.
“The attendance…has been phenomenal, there’s a very good vibe,” said Muldoon.
The ‘Life Upgraded’ Roadshow follows Fidelity Life’s ‘3-2-1 Go!’ campaign in March which launched enhancements to the company’s Income Protection product.
Click here for details of Fidelity Life’s 40+ changes.