Welcome to the latest edition of Zurich Adviser News. Many of you across the country are in some form of lockdown, we hope you’re coping well with all of the challenges that it brings and are looking forward to some of the freedoms that high vaccination rates are likely to provide us in the weeks and months ahead. In the meantime, our team remains committed to you and your clients and we are available to meet you virtually and provide the high level of service you have grown to expect from us.
We want to offer financial peace-of-mind to Australians around risk of COVID-19 vaccine side-effects. I am pleased to announce Zurich is giving COVID-19 vaccination protection at no extra cost to everyone insured under an eligible life insurance policy. An additional amount will be paid to customers who can claim under their insurance because of suffering a serious side effect from an approved COVID-19 vaccination, on top of their claim payment.
We understand that many of you are getting questions from your clients relating to their policy and COVID-19. We have outlined common enquiries and concerns to help support any questions you may be receiving.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support as we work towards implementing legislative changes that are coming into force within the next 2-3 months. The most significant of these is the changes to Income Protection products. This is a challenging period for the entire industry but we have been working very hard to provide all the right tools, support and training to help guide you through these changes.
Whilst this will cause short term pain, this is an opportunity for the industry to create more stable, sustainable products that will improve confidence and ultimately enable you to better serve your clients.
We have recently released important information around what the transition rules are for your applications prior to our new products going on sale from Monday, 27 September. For details please visit our Change Navigator Hub
I am happy to announce that Conny Kalcher, our Group Chief Customer Officer will be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming AFA Conference (21-22 September). With the disruption the Australian life insurance industry is currently facing, customers needs are ever changing and we must be on top of the changes in their routines, behaviours, and expectations. Conny will share her story on the customer led transformation journey she embarked on whilst she held an executive role at one of the best known brands - Lego and how she is transitioning these key principles into Insurance. As one of the major partners of the AFA conference, it is an honour to be bringing you such a high calibre industry leader to speak at the conference. Register for the AFA Conference
We all have Footy Finals Fever at Zurich and are still buzzing following the Dees emphatic win over Brisbane at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night! This takes them straight through to the Preliminary Final in Perth on Friday 10 September. As proud co-principal partners of the Melbourne Football Club we will be cheering the Dees on!
On a final note, it’s so important to look after yourselves and your friends and families during this time. As a reminder we have our Adviser COVID-19 resource centre and our mental health and wellness support centre, My Wellbeing Hub available, giving you access to engaging articles, fact sheets and guides that may help you, your clients and those you care about to improve their mental and physical wellbeing, these resources also provide information on community support groups and access to national support services.
Stay safe, thanks for your ongoing support.
Kieran