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How we’ve supported you and your clients through the pandemic and beyond
Dec. 14, 2020
How we adapted to the pandemic and put you first
2020 has not been an easy year for anyone but this has only made us more determined to support you and your clients through this pandemic and beyond. Here are some of the key measures we’ve taken to adapt to the ‘new normal’ that 2020 has brought about, while continuing to put our members at the heart of everything we do.
How we’ve supported you
Had the whole team on the phones!
Relaxed our underwriting rules
To prevent any disruption to our underwriting process during the pandemic and help intermediaries like you put your clients on risk more quickly, we introduced three key initiatives to improve our Underwriting process: the withdrawal of non-medical limits, the introduction of tele-underwriting and virtual medical screenings through Square Health. Learn more here.
Improved our Claims Process
To ensure we could speak to our members quickly when they are at their most vulnerable, we also introduced a Claims Triage process to support members looking to make a claim with us. This involves giving members a call within 48 hours to understand their claim enquiry and guide them through the next steps.
In response to member demand we created a specialised claims form and produced a member FAQ answering your questions about claiming due to the virus. Click here to read our latest member FAQ.
Boosted our Premium Flexibility
With a wave of members being furloughed or sadly being made redundant due to the pandemic we relaxed our premium holiday rules, meaning members now only need to pay 3-month premiums before choosing to take a Premium Holiday, rather than 12 months previously.
For members who wish to temporarily reduce their premiums due to reduced income we added a benefit reduction option. Your clients can also arrange to defer their premiums for a maximum of 3 months, allowing them to keep their cover during this time.
After this period, they would need to pay back the premiums owed in instalments alongside their regular premium in a payment plan. Your clients would then have up to 12 months following the deferral to repay the outstanding premiums. Members are able to claim during their deferral period, though premiums that were owed must be re-paid by card payment.
Amended our product to protect your existing clients
Safeguarding our existing members meant that we had to take some difficult decisions. In response to a widespread industry shift we took the difficult decision to introduce a COVID-19 exclusion for all new applicants after the 14th March 2020. Learn more here.
Shortly after on 30th March 2020 we also stopped offering Day 1 and Week 1 deferred periods for new applicants in line with measures taken across the Income Protection market. Learn more here.
These decisions were taken in the face of great uncertainty and were focused on ensuring we could protect our existing members now and in the future.There when you need us
We hope these measures we’ve taken reassure you that we’re willing to do whatever it takes to support you and your clients during this pandemic and beyond.
As 2020 comes to a close it’s a good time to reflect on this year and the peace of mind Income Protection has brought to thousands of people. We would encourage you to take every opportunity you can in 2021 to continue your great work of talking to your clients about protection. We would also like to take this opportunity to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the measures highlighted above feel free to drop us an email on sales@britishfriendly.com or give us a call on 01234 358344 (option 1).