Aggregator pilots universal protection application form for advisers

Directlife's application, Quote+, will be piloted with an unnamed aggregator before being rolled out to advisers.

Quote+ will pre-screen applicants and aims to address the "huge" fall off between initial application and final conversion.

The process adds 14 pre-screening questions to produce a more accurate price and direct customers to insurers that are most likely to cover the applicant.

The universal application process will be free for insurers with ten protection insurers, including Legal and General and Aviva, participating in the initial trial including term, family protection and critical illness insurance products.

Rob Quayle, managing director at Directlife, said: "The ability to provide an immediate indicative price to customers is essential. However the industry has only been able to use limited screening questions, which have often produced quotes that are subsequently changed, as well as a customer journey that is not always conducive to the final purchase of the product."

According to Directlife, the process means clean lives can be fast-tracked with immediate acceptance without application and improve those that need full application, tele-underwriting or further advice.

Dan Sharpe, sales director at The Insurance Surgery, said: "It will be interesting to see how this works and whether the providers buy into it. It is something we have been campaigning for for many years and we have given up to be honest. Providers have a vested interest in keeping their application forms unique.

"But because we deal mainly with impaired lives we sit outside the mainstream bubble so this is where universal application forms become more of a challenge."

Sharpe added the intricate questions on full application forms that varied from one provider to another regarding medical history was where the firm encountered problems.

Paul Roberts, head of intermediary business at Directlife, said: "Universal application forms across the board would be an ideal situation to get to. I would hope this could be possible in the future. Our role is to make the provision of protection as easy and accessible as possible."

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• Topics
• Critical Illness
• Term Assurance
• Aviva
• Legal & General
• Direct Life