CIExpert has integrated its critical illness cover (CIC) comparison service and Insight Zone with the UnderwriteMe Protection Platform.
The integration aimed to create a protection journey with the capability to visualise and quantify the balance between quality of CIC and cost, using fully underwritten premiums, ensuring that advisers are assessing fair value and best client outcomes, as set out under the Consumer Duty.
Advisers using UnderwriteMe’s Protection Platform can now transfer client data, underwriting decisions, as well as both standard and underwritten premiums through to CIExpert using its personalised predictive analysis.
The integration was designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, making the process clear and simple for advisers to use and customers to understand.
Once within CIExpert, access to the full range of current and historic comparison services is available, as well as the Insurer Insight Zone, claims data and product information.
The Protection Platform’s quote information is displayed alongside CIExpert’s quality rankings – meaning prices and quality can be assessed simultaneously.
This allows advisers to review the options with a client and then immediately apply to put a policy on risk.
Alan Lakey, director at CIExpert said: “When working with a client to review the options available to them it is crucial that the dialogue is carried out in a timely manner.
“Often a conversation has been initiated by perhaps a change in family circumstances or the purchase of a new property where timing is crucial.
“One of the challenges that faces advisers is providing an assessment of the best options available within budget, in cases where underwriting could significantly influence that advice.
“Given the delays that can be involved in accessing doctors’ reports to confirm underwriting decisions, which can vary significantly between insurers, this can easily create complications and a lengthy process.”
He continued: “For the first time, this integration has created the capability to readily assess fully underwritten prices against quality of cover, making the process from initial discussion with a client to getting a policy in place, arguably the fastest process available in the market.
“With the introduction of the new Consumer Duty regulation, this integration provides advisers with another valuable tool to help lighten the load.
“By helping advisers provide their clients with an efficient and timely service, avoid making those chasing calls for underwriting decisions and finally to be able to provide their clients a CIExpert report that includes the fully underwritten options for them to consider; these benefits can only result in improved customer outcomes.
“We are delighted to have another significant integration partner on board and make all these enhancements available to advisers using both platforms.
“For advisers with an existing CIExpert subscription there is no additional cost.”
Phil Nash, director of sales at UnderwriteMe, added: “We are delighted to announce UnderwriteMe’s integration with CIExpert – this creates a unique proposition by providing the ability to quickly and seamlessly obtain fully underwritten premiums alongside a CIExpert product comparison report.
“The collaboration is closely aligned with Consumer Duty by providing both price certainty and quality of product in a single journey – this puts control into the hands of the adviser and is closely aligned to the principles of fair value and customer outcomes.
“I look forward to working with both existing and new intermediary partners to demonstrate the value of this partnership.”
Nicola McKenzie, co-founder of Dunham McCarthy, said: “We’ve been using CIExpert as a core part of Dunham McCarthy’s protection advice proposition for more than 10 years while UnderwriteMe’s Protection Platform has grown in popularity with our advisers recently too.
“Having the ability to combine both CIExpert’s comprehensive critical illness analysis with the underwriting certainty UnderwriteMe delivers in an integrated process will only enhance the quality of the advice our advisers provide our clients as they can now recommend the insurer that fully meets their needs from a product, price and now underwriting perspective by combining two platforms into a single seamless solution.”
