Support tools for protection

These include the Business Income Review Tool which has been developed to help advisers identify and understand the key issues behind individual protection cases that never proceed to completion, or cancel shortly afterwards. The tool also highlights the impact on business revenues of these cases.

In addition, AEGON Scottish Equitable provides advisers with a pre-sale underwriting questionnaire which helps the adviser through the fact find stage with a client to ensure the relevant questions are asked and the correct information is obtained as early as possible to help smooth out the underwriting process.

Policies not taken up and policies cancelled from outset are an industry wide issue. Once these cases are identified, the next stage is to advise on the necessary steps to take in order to improve the efficiency of the advisers business.

Mark Meads, head of sales (individual protection) for AEGON Scottish Equitable said: "In our experience the key reasons why policies are not taken up are affordability and cases where a rating has been applied. Our information capability has enabled us to help advisers understand key issues affecting their revenue stream and identify the necessary measures to reduce them.

"AEGON Scottish Equitable is actively working with advisers to help highlight and understand how their businesses could become more efficient and to focus on maintaining and hopefully increasing business revenues in a particularly challenging market place."