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The right advice in the age of packaged, direct insurance

ARTICLE BY

  • Indwe Risk Services

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Despite the increasing complexity of the individual and business risk environment, more consumers are opting for direct, off-the-shelf insurance products, foregoing professional advice from intermediaries and adequate cover according to one’s unique risk profile.

When it comes to insurance, having the right advice can mean the difference between mitigating risk and paying for a claim when losses occur. While it may be difficult to predict the future, having an experienced risk adviser on your side is the best way to ensure that you are prepared for tomorrow’s risks. Advisers give individuals and businesses a better understanding of how to identify risk, and offer objective advice on the coverage that is best suited for their risk profiles and budgets. 

 

What you can expect from an adviser?

Risk advisers are experts in their field with specialist experience and knowledge of insurance products and solutions. They help to solve your challenges and safeguard your future by ensuring that you are correctly insured, and that you get cover best suited to your risk profile, at an affordable cost. 

Advisers are informed about different forms of insurance and understand what is needed to cover specific claims. For instance, an adviser can explain to you exactly what type of risks your vehicle insurance policy covers and the intricacies involved with premiums, excesses, exclusions, etc. Imparting you with this advice enables you to make better decisions about insurance cover.

When making a claim, advisers are there to guide you through the claims process. They provide concise information and documentation, and act on your behalf with insurers. This way, you receive efficient service from the insurer and don’t have to deal with delayed policy payouts. 

 

Understanding your circumstances

The better a risk adviser understands you or your business, the better they can advise on suitable insurance solutions for your or your business’s risk profile. Risk advisers are equipped with advanced tools to identify and mitigate the risks to reduce the frequency and severity of potential claims on your home, household contents, motor vehicle, or business insurance policies. 

Using tools, such as our Realistic 360 process for business insurance and our virtual adviser for personal insurance, advisers can understand the client, their circumstances and market risks, which makes a proposed solution even more relevant.  

While risk advisers will advise you on your risks, as well as the cover you need to address these risks, what you choose is ultimately up to you. However, it is the adviser’s duty, as part of the Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) requirements, to provide you with the available options and the protection offered and the potential consequences of not taking up those options. 

Our business has been built on providing the right risk advice for over 120 years, helping policyholders to better prepare for tomorrow’s risks. Our advisers will provide you with the right advice and will regularly review your needs, to ensure that the coverage remains relevant to your changing circumstances.

For more information or advice, speak to an Indwe risk adviser today on 0860 13 13 14 or visit www.indwe.co.za. 

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