Zurich has announced the launch of risk data feeds into XPLAN, in a bid to boost adviser efficiency ahead of the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) reforms.
Advisers using XPLAN can now receive automatic risk data feeds from Zurich, enabling them to easily access up to date in-force policy and client information. Zurich said the data feeds, which have been live for just over a week, provide a daily update direct to the XPLAN platform through what the insurer says is an ‘industry-first interface’.
“With recent research revealing an increased focus on efficiency will be the single biggest expected outcome of upcoming FoFA reforms, the timing is perfect for giving advisers direct access to the information they need without double handling of data,” said Philip Kewin, General Manager – Retail for Zurich’s Life and Investments business.
Earlier this year, Zurich surveyed advisers regarding the likely outcomes from the FoFA reforms. 40% of advisers said the single biggest change the reforms would force on their business was the need to be more efficient.
At the time, Mr Kewin said: “Enhancing the efficiency with which advice can be delivered is not just about cost containment, it’s about value; the value advisers offer to their clients and the value they are able to capture for their business”.
… removing the need to manually enter updates to clients’ policy data would make life easier for advisers
In launching the data feeds service, he said removing the need to manually enter updates to clients’ policy data would make life easier for advisers. “In turn they will be able to focus more of their time on adding value to clients throughout the advice process.”
There has been a strong demand for insurance data feeds from advisers, with many taking to social media to voice their opinion. In a LinkedIn discussion group for XPLAN users, advisers said data feeds would help to reduce escalating administration costs, and minimise data entry errors. As one adviser posted: “I am sick of paying good staff to find out insurance details and update XPLAN – complete waste of time.” Another contributor even questioned whether data feeds and automatic ‘alerts’ could assist dealer groups to identify advisers who churn.
Currently the Zurich data feeds are only accessible via the XPLAN financial planning program, but the insurer said it is working with other providers to progressively roll out the service through the other financial planning systems in the coming months. Zurich is also close to releasing a number of other technology innovations, including a mobile sales reporting dashboard.
