Expert insight, analysis and commentary across the entire protection industry.
by ProtectionReview 17/12/14
Most companies of any size boast the existence of a Customer Care department. Counter intuitive though this may seem, I think this is a flawed policy; it is either so in cultural terms or in the naming of the department. Putting the customer, in most organisations the only source of income, at the centre of the business is fundamentally a cultural issue. How do the CEO and fellow directors view the customer? If customers are not at the heart of the business they will, inevitably, be detached from the thinking of the body of the organisation. They will be something…
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by Alex Hearn 14/11/14 Quizzes
Iain Clark, Distribution & Marketing Director, British Friendly What was the first record you can remember buying? I actually bought 2 on my first trip to HMV. My first record was Blondie, Hanging on the telephone. A brilliant song that I think stands the test of time. The second was Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats. God I feel old now! What is your biggest pet hate about the world of financial services? Complexity. What is your favourite film, and why? It’s a…
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by ProtectionReview 22/10/14 Comment
It must be political party conference season again… or maybe there is an election looming? How can we tell? Well, there is the array of unfortunate photos of party leaders on the front pages looking like competitors in some kind of ‘gurning’ competition, but there is also a lot of ‘news’ regarding Inheritance Tax (IHT). IHT is a political weapon that punches above its weight when it comes to creating headlines, but also in nudging the political agenda this way and that – I recall vividly when the £1m level was first floated back in 2007, it was enough to…
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by ProtectionReview 07/10/14 Comment
So what do we think about auto-enrolment for group income protection? Surveys are being conducted, think tanks are thinking and the specialist HR and benefits media have found another topic to write about. And of course, employers via trade organisations such as the CBI or local Chambers of Commerce will be saying NO, too soon after pensions and too expensive and not our role anyway!! But we really are only at the stage of raising this as a proposition. Let’s not get bogged down in issues of affordability, complexity, responsibility. The mere fact that is has been suggested at all…
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by ProtectionReview 08/08/14
Getting the most out of the growing group risk market In the context of financial provision for the public overall, group risk business is very important. Yet, with a few worthy exceptions, our industry treats group business as a poor relation. The pace of product development in the group market doesn't compare to its individual cousin. Why is that? Is it because group risk is a small slice of our business? Not at all. Around 40% of all UK life cover is provided by group schemes and, for IP, this is a huge 75%. Income protection is clearly the…
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