British Friendly has reported a 72% uplift in the use of value-added services provided by healthcare services provider, Square Health.
During a targeted member email campaign, downloads of the Square Health Clinic in a Pocket™ app by members rose by 112% during the 10-week period between August and October 2023, compared with the three months prior.
Spouse and partner app downloads and registrations rose by 231% during this time, while app registrations for dependant children increased by 259%.
Email open rates across the whole campaign reached an average of 49%.
British Friendly reported high demand for its member benefit services over the past year, amid ongoing challenges in the NHS.
In total, 199 virtual GP appointments were made using the app between August and October 2023, with the average appointment secured within four hours.
Approximately 10.7% of users were children under the age of 16, while 35% of users engaged with a virtual GP outside the key working hours of 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.
Demand for other services, such an annual health check, rose 138% during the campaign.
Similarly, the number of requested physiotherapy appointments increased 43% during the campaign period.
Increased demand for mental health appointments (32%) was also reported during the 10-week campaign period.
Samantha Haffenden-Angear, senior protection expert at Drewberry, said: “Value Added Services can really help advisers when comparing providers with clients requiring protection cover.
“But while offering great add-on services is one thing, it’s also important that insurers regularly promote the benefits to their members because we can often see a direct correlation between the communication and uptake of the services.”
Natalie Summerson, sales and marketing director at British Friendly, added: “We believe it is important to regularly communicate the benefits of these additional services to keep our members and their family well; to support retention and to remind them of the value of their premium.
“The increase in demand for the services during the campaign shows that when we remind our members of the additional services we offer, the engagement rates increase significantly.
“This clearly demonstrates the importance of providers and distributors in communicating these services in a targeted, focussed way and on a regular basis.”
Steve Casey, marketing director at Square Health, said: “We are delighted to see more British Friendly members and their families getting the medical advice and support they need from our services. At a time when there is unprecedented demand on the NHS, member access gives important peace of mind.”
