Ten ways to thrive as an international life company
By Mark Battersby, 3 Nov 15
In the latest in a series of viewpoints from prominent life industry figures, Sean Christian, executive director – offshore of Canada Life International, sets out what it takes to thrive as an international life office.
Technical support is surprisingly an area that some life companies have cut back on over recent years. And yet in a post-RDR world, adviser demand for technical support is higher than it ever was.
Life companies play an essential role in the provision of technical knowledge and support to advisers. This goes far beyond the technical aspects of life products which form only a small part of the service typically offered.
Successful life companies are very proactive in this area, providing guidance on regulatory and fiscal changes and the impact on new and existing clients of the adviser.
Services often include dedicated technical websites, libraries of client-ready technical material, web-based video tutorials and regular technical brochures.
The same companies offer a variety of ways to interact with their technical support teams. Some advisers simply want the assurance and convenience of someone at the end of a phone while others may welcome face-to-face visits by tax & estate planning consultants who can work through client scenarios with the adviser, helping to identify wealth planning solutions for different client segments.
Technical support is undoubtedly an important value-added service offered by successful life companies.
Tags: Canada Life | Sean Christian
