We understand that insurance policies can be difficult to read and understand, so removing unnecessary jargon, ensuring an ‘easy-to-read ’ format is used, and simplifying our policy documents to help our customers understand what they are covered for is very important to us.
In 2019 we embarked on a plain language journey with Write, an organisation that helps companies make their written messages clear. After a lot of reading, revising, emailing, and talking through insurance concepts, we gained the WriteMark, a quality mark given to documents that meet a high standard of plain language, on 11 of our personal insurance policy documents (this includes all current policy documents except our small business policies).
Some of the suggested updates that both surprised us and made a lot of sense during that process were to do with formatting – making our text larger, turning lists into bullets, and adding more headings to signpost information.
But we didn’t stop there. While gaining the WriteMark was an achievement we were very proud of, this year we had the opportunity to take our policy documents one step further and work towards the WriteMark Plus, the next level of accreditation for documents that meet a very high standard of plain language and have been user tested. We did this by asking some of our customers for their thoughts and feedback on our policy documents. There were again a lot of conversations about what could make our policy documents easier to read and understand, but this time our customers joined that conversation so we could dig a bit deeper and make things easier for them.
Our customers helped us understand where more detailed ‘how to’ information was needed, like how to get an optional benefit. There were also some visual changes we could make, like the addition of a new logo to better explain how the policy document works together with the policy schedule. By asking customers about documents for the policies they currently hold, we made sure we were gathering truly beneficial and relevant information.
After going through a rigorous testing process to make sure our policy documents are now easy for our customers to read, understand and act on, we’re proud to say we’ve been awarded the WriteMark Plus on 11 of our personal policy documents. This quality mark has been added to both the PDF and online versions of these documents, which cover insurance for contents, home, vehicles, caravans, and trailers.
You can read our updated and easy-to-read policy documents here.
About AA Insurance
AA Insurance is a New Zealand-based joint venture between Vero Insurance New Zealand Limited and the New Zealand Automobile Association Limited ('NZAA'). Vero is owned by Suncorp Group Limited, a listed Australian company. NZAA is an incorporated society that is governed by a National Council and Board. Since 1994 we have provided home, contents and car insurance in New Zealand and in 2018 we introduced small business insurance.
We underwrite our own policies and sell direct to New Zealanders. Our New Zealand-based teams looks after 560,000+ customers with more than 1,100,000 policies. Standard and Poor's (Australia) Pty Ltd has given us an Insurer Financial Strength Rating of AA- (Very Strong).
We are consistently recognised in industry awards and honours. This includes being voted the Reader's Digest Most Trusted General Insurer for 14 years running, named Canstar's 2023-2024 Outstanding Value Award winner for Home and Contents insurance and ranked 6th among 50 of New Zealand's top consumer-facing corporates in the Kantar Corporate Reputation Index in 2024.
Find out more at www.aainsurance.co.nz
For more information please contact:
AA Insurance Media Team
mediacontact@aainsurance.co.nz
