By Robyn Hall Clinicare is planning to launch an interactive intermediary-only website by the end of...
By Robyn Hall
Clinicare is planning to launch an interactive intermediary-only website by the end of the year.
Stage one of the site's development will see Clinicare offering client-specific data online.
By 2001, however, Clinicare plans to offer IFAs access to the group's specialist PMI products directly over the web. It has not yet been decided whether PMI products sourced through the website will be available at reduced rates.
Derry Andrews, general manager at Clinicare, said: "We are 100% committed to intermediaries. Ultimately, this site will be fully interactive by 2001 and IFAs, if they have the right systems in place, will be able to source and apply for our products online."
Clinicare is the latest provider in the protection market to look at the internet as a way to capture market share.
"It is a changing world - my children know far more about the internet than I do. But it would be good if we can give intermediaries immediate access to data that is specific to clients," Andrews said.
Clinicare only has a holding page on the internet at present, but Andrews said a web design company had been contracted and that the site would be up and running by the end of the year.
"We have allocated a substantial sum of money to design this site and we are currently in the process of doing so."
The company's French health insurance parent, Strasbourgeoise, indicated its commitment to the UK PMI market last year when it bought out the third party administration arm of the Medical Insurance Agency (MIA).
MIA had already established the Clinicare brand and Strasbourgeoise wanted a point of entry to the UK market.
Andrews remarked: "This is a period of consolidation for us. Not only are we committed to the intermediary market, but also to the PMI market. We are not going to establish products in other areas as we want to be a leading player in this specific market.
"It is possible that in a couple of years we could launch products linked to the PMI market, such as cash plans, but that is still a long way off.
"We have no plans to offer any of the other products available in France and throughout Europe that are currently available through Strasbourgeoise."
