Harnessing empathy and simplicity to deliver better digital experiences for advisers and clients

David Arthur
TAL General Manager, Technology Delivery

When designing and adopting new technologies to make life insurance easier, financial advisers and their clients can benefit from solutions that are simple, adaptable and user-focused.

By addressing unmet needs and points of friction in the insurance process, insurers like TAL can use technology to solve problems and add real value for advisers.

The life insurance industry provides a valuable financial safety net for millions of Australians, ensuring they can support their families when they are unable to work or have lost a loved one. So, our aim is to make it as easy as possible for advisers to recommend the benefits of life insurance to their clients, secure the right cover, and maintain it.

Tech moves fast, but people come first

Prioritising the needs of those who use our technology and platforms shapes the way we innovate and fosters meaningful customer relationships. Taking an empathetic approach – including understanding how and when customers want to engage with life insurance and considering, for example, daily behaviours and habits – helps ensure technology enhances, rather than complicates, user experiences.

For insurers bringing a digital product or capability to market, feedback loops are essential. Two-way communication channels allow for insurers to gain insights and respond to customer feedback to deliver best practice user-centric design. Rigorous testing with advisers and clients alongside internal pilots are valuable tools in this process.

At TAL, our goal is to simplify the insurance process with user-friendly interfaces, minimise process disruptions and provide comprehensive support through different stages of securing and maintaining cover. Recent enhancements, such as streamlining the insurance application journey through the TAL Adviser Centre and introducing intuitive online payment systems, are key examples here.

From admin to action: freeing time for what matters

Across the industry, there is growing recognition of the need for intuitive, digital solutions that drive efficiency for advisers and their clients. Clients expect more control over their policies, seeking tools that enable them to easily manage their coverage independently.

For advisers, these advancements can reduce time spent on administrative tasks, allowing more focus on client relationships. The result? Smarter workflows, faster reactions, and improved client service.

For example, TAL’s real-time alteration quotes tool enables advisers to create alteration quotes instantly, allowing them to respond swiftly to clients wishing to update their cover. Our latest release launched this month, includes new features to increase sums insured and add stand-alone cover, designed to improve adviser efficiency by reducing turn-around times, improving both service quality and client outcomes.

Evolving to meet real needs through intuitive solutions

How users respond to new technologies varies, often depending on their daily habits and technological literacy. The goal is to create intuitive solutions that do not require extensive training or ongoing support.

Best in class digital products deliver value and ease of use, allowing advisers to see their benefits and therefore want to use them. Simple and user-led design, ensures the technology meets the needs of advisers, enhancing their ability to provide the best possible service to their clients.

By taking an empathetic approach and focusing on continuous improvement, life insurers can harness technology to help simplify the insurance process and navigate evolving user needs and industry shifts – delivering value to advisers and their clients through responsive solutions.