Guidance for policy numbers starting with PR
Guidance to help you support your customers for policy numbers starting with PR. These policies are sold through our existing platform.
Follow these quick links to find out more:
What changes can you make to products to reduce premiums?
Whilst most will see the value of your advice and look to retain their cover at all costs, unfortunately some will be forced to reduce their outgoings and may look to their protection policies to achieve this.
Rest assured that Zurich’s products are designed with flexibility in mind allowing your customers to alter their policy to make it more affordable. The flexibility options available to your customers are determined by when they bought their policy.
To understand the changes they can make, please download the relevant sales aid below.
For changes to policies sold before 7th September 2023
For changes to policies sold on or between 7th September 2023 and the 10th March2025
For changes to policies sold on or after 11th March 2025
If you are the servicing adviser, you can make these changes online through the Zurich adviser portal.
Contractual changes can be applied when a policy is in arrears however all missed premiums must be paid before the lapse cycle ends.
How do Zurich regularly communicate with your client’s and remind them of the features and benefits of their cover?
We believe in enabling our customers – both end customer and the intermediaries who advise them – to regularly take stock of the protection policies they have taken out with us. Every year, we send protection statements to our customers and their advisers, which can trigger myriad benefits for all parties.
Here’s a reminder of how they can help conversations with your customer:
- It serves as a regular reminder of the cover that the customer has. Is it still fit for purpose? Our protection policies can flex with people’s changing circumstances. This increases the potential benefits of undertaking regular reviews.
- Our annual statements include a prompt to log onto our customer portal or contact us to update address details or make a claim. That may seem obvious but there have been instances whereby statements have resulted in successful claims that would otherwise not have been made.
- An annual statement can open the door for you to initiate a conversation that could start with protection and evolve into other areas. This could be particularly pertinent in cases whereby the relationship is in its infancy.
How and when do Zurich notify advisers and customers if a premium is missed on a policy?
If your customer wishes to reinstate their direct debit, they can call our Protection Help Point on 0370 850 5682.
The day after a premium has been missed, we issue a letter and email to both the adviser and customer.
Customers who state 'online through the Zurich portal' as their preferred method of contact will receive an email which will include a link to their online letter. Advisers will also receive a notification of the missed premium through the 'Retention' section of the adviser portal.
To reinstate a direct debit and pay any missed premiums, the request must be received from the customer directly.
What tools are available to help advisers manage their existing client banks and improve retention?
All advisers have access to the Zurich adviser portal which helps you to manage your customer bank and make changes to existing covers. One of the features of the portal is our Retention tool which enables you to see:
- Policies which are due to, or have already lapsed
- Any next steps required to prevent a policy from lapsing
- How long before the policy will lapse
- The amount a policy is in arrears
- Any initial commission which is at risk of being clawed-back
- Highlighted policies with the least amount of time remaining before the lapse
If paraplanners or administrators have access this will also show which adviser each policy relates to.
If the original servicing adviser has left your firm, to access their cases through the Retention tool you will need to transfer all their sold policies via a transfer of servicing request. To request a transfer, please call our Agency and Remuneration team on 0800 151 3333. The team are available 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).
If policies sold via a closed firm have been novated across to your business, all associated functionality within the Retention tool will transfer to you.
Copies of each letter sent to your customer will be added to the ‘My Documents’ section of the adviser portal so you are kept up to date with any communications we’ve sent them, including their annual benefit statement.
We've also created a Retention tool sales aid that provides a wider view of the tool’s features and limitations.
