The Intermediary – November 2025 - Flipbook - Page 31
T E C H N O L O GY
In focus
Bionic advice:
Digital precision,
human expertise
T
echnology might
permeate almost every
aspect of modern
life, but there will
always be desire for
human interaction
and reassurance when making
financial decisions – and that’s true for
insurance just as it is for mortgages.
Recent YouGov research, conducted
by Paymentshield with a sample
of 2067 adults in September of this
year, reveals that despite the strong
marketing from comparison websites
and online insurance providers,
almost half (47%) of consumers
would prefer to receive advice when
buying home insurance – a substantial
proportion actively welcoming the
conversation, not avoiding it.
When asked why they seek advice,
35% of these consumers cite peace of
mind as their primary reason, the
single biggest driver. A further 28%
said they believe they’d end up with a
beer product.
Perhaps most tellingly, 56% of all
respondents with home insurance say
they’d be willing to pay more for it if
it gave them peace of mind. Price, it
seems, isn’t the blocker many assume
it to be. Quality, confidence, and
reassurance oen maer more – all
areas where advisers can really deliver
value to their clients.
As consumers, we’ve grown to
expect instant information that’s
easily accessible. Customers want
to see options quickly and be able to
compare alternatives at a glance. It’s
a key reason why 65% of respondents
told us the reason they use price
comparison sites is because it makes it
easy to compare policies.
What consumers benefit from
most could be called ‘bionic advice’:
a powerful combination of digital
tools that enhance an adviser’s ability
to deliver the speed clients expect
alongside the human guidance
they value.
Our research also shows that geing
the right cover intensifies with the size
of the household. Among households
with three or more children, where
time-stretched parents are juggling
competing priorities, doubts about
cover and whether the policy is the
right fit rises to 42%.
These families likely face greater
risk of accidental damage, or might
have higher value contents simply
due to more belongings, yet they’re
the least able to dedicate time to
understanding policy detail.
Value proposition
This is where advisers can deliver the
most value for their clients. Being
able to interpret each client’s unique
situation and ensure cover matches
their needs is absolutely crucial.
In the long run, combining bespoke
understanding with the power of
sophisticated digital platforms enables
advisers to deliver the type of service
that earns them a trusted client base.
We know how important this is to
advisers. Whether they prefer our
optimised quote and apply tool that
generates accurate quotes in under
one minute, or our Refer and Protect
service to refer clients directly to our
insurance experts, providing options
that help advisers to work how they
work best is crucial.
The most useful platforms
complement advisers’ capabilities
by enhancing customer service and
automating repetitive and timeconsuming tasks, like re-keying
information. This frees advisers
up to focus on what they’re trained
for – advice.
Another key piece of research to
mention is Paymentshield’s 2025
ALISTAIR BROWN
is national sales manager
at Paymentshield
As consumers,
we’ve grown to expect
instant information [...]
customers want to see
options quickly and be
able to compare”
Adviser Survey, conducted online in
June 2025, which had 485 responses.
This survey also underlined the
growing demand for advisers and their
expertise, as we found that almost 40%
of advisers told us they have seen a rise
in client demand for general insurance
(GI) advice in the last 12 months.
Only a small proportion (12%)
said their clients don’t want to
receive advice at all. It’s clear
that as technology becomes more
sophisticated, demand for the human
expertise that makes it meaningful
will only increase.
The market will continue to evolve,
and technology will undoubtedly
become more sophisticated. But the
future doesn’t belong to algorithms
alone, it’s rooted in a powerful
partnership between adviser expertise
and digital precision.
The best technology in insurance
should make advisers more human,
not less. It should give them more
time for the conversations that maer,
more tools to serve their clients
excellently, and more confidence that
they’re delivering the right solution
every time. We’re here to help advisers
make the most of this. ●
November 2025 | The Intermediary
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