WriteMark

Plain Language Standard

Simplified general insurance policies get tick for clarity

Photo image of a tree fallen on a silver car

When it comes to claim time, everyone knows exactly what’s covered and what’s not | Photo by Michael Jin on Unsplash

Insurance policies have a reputation for being hard to understand. Vero and ANZ have gone the extra mile to make the ANZ Asset Protector policy wording booklet easy to read. The booklet of five policy wordings meets the Standard for being clearly written and user-friendly.

When customers are choosing an insurance policy, they look for one they can understand. A clear policy document inspires trust in the insurance provider and supports a long-term relationship between insurance provider and customer. When it comes to claim time, everyone knows exactly what’s covered and what’s not.

Clear writing and user-testing made the difference

All five of the ANZ Asset Protector policy wordings have been awarded the WriteMark Plus. The policy wordings cover homes, contents, cars, boats, and lifestyle blocks.

To get the WriteMark, the policy wordings were written using plain language to clarify complexity. To get the ‘Plus’, they were user-tested with a sample of their target audience. Writers used the feedback from user-testers to further improve the clarity and usability of each policy wording.

The five policy wordings are bound into a booklet, which is available in print, and as a PDF on ANZ and Vero’s websites. People can choose from the range of policies, buying as few or as many policies from the booklet as they need.

Read the ANZ Asset Protector policy wording booklet at the ANZ website

Delivering a great outcome for customers

Sacha Cowlrick, Vero’s Executive Manager Consumer, explains that delivering great customer outcomes starts with ensuring customers understand their insurance.  So working with their partners at ANZ to deliver plain language policies has been a priority.

‘It’s about making it easy for our customers to understand what an insurance policy does and doesn’t cover, as well the responsibilities they have. Clarity and transparency in the policy wording is the recipe for great claims experiences. We’re confident that the simplified language, layout, and navigation in our new policy wordings will deliver this clarity.’

Sacha said the feedback from user-testing showed this too, with some participants surprised by the extent of policy cover.

‘User-testing also enabled us to check the parts of the policy wording that previously caused confusion or surprise for customers when making a claim. The new plain language wording has passed the test.’

Worthy of the ‘Plus’ — tested by the target audience

Lynda Harris, Chief Eexecutive of WriteMark and Write Limited, says she’s excited to know the ANZ Asset Protector policy wordings are joining the ranks of documents worthy of WriteMark Plus.

‘Achieving the WriteMark Plus is testament to a lot of hard work and shows true dedication to improving the customer experience.’

The WriteMark Plus is only awarded to documents and websites that:

  • meet the WriteMark’s rigorous standards for clear writing and reader-friendly design
  • have been user-tested to confirm that both the writing, and the content as a whole, are easily usable by the intended reader.

Check out the full list of WriteMark and WriteMark Plus holders