Travel insurance, Post Covid, is not an option, it’s a must

 

Contributed By: Allianz Partners

 

 

Einstein put it simply, if not best: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Along with travel challenges, the pandemic has created opportunities to step up and help travelers in new ways—ultimately adding even more value to the services you provide.

 

Travel can come with some extra baggage these days: shifting entry requirements, changing mask mandates, and surges in travel cancellations during pandemic spikes—just to name a few. If an individual traveler is exposed to COVID-19 while traveling and needs to quarantine, that can be much trickier to navigate than a quarantine at home. Offering travel protection with benefits and assistance that meet your customers’ evolving needs has become a key competitive advantage for travel advisors—giving customers the confidence they need to book a vacation, plus round-the-clock, expert help in their corner once they’re out in the world.

 

Thanks to the nimbleness of complete in-house capabilities and constant exploration of traveler needs, many Allianz Travel Insurance plans now include more ways for your customers to use certain benefits—including epidemic-related issues.* Here are a few examples of how Allianz Travel Insurance benefits can now apply for epidemic-related situations:

 

 

Trip Cancellation

Your customer must cancel their trip after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

 

 

Trip Interruption

Your customer tests positive for COVID-19 during their trip, and is specifically named and individually ordered to quarantine, or they are denied boarding by a travel supplier due to suspicion of an epidemic illness such as COVID-19.

 

 

Emergency Medical Care and Transportation

Your customer is diagnosed with COVID-19 and needs to be hospitalized, or requires emergency medical evacuation while traveling.

 

These next-generation products are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to offering more value to travelers, growing your business, and building customer loyalty. Over the last several years that Allianz Global Assistance has conducted a national travel advisor survey, a clear trend has emerged: the number one reason advisors cite for recommending Allianz Travel Insurance products over others is a superior customer experience.

This is no surprise, given Allianz Global Assistance’s consistent 95% or higher customer satisfaction rating, robust customer experience program, and 37% repeat purchase rate within the last three years. In the beginning of 2022 alone, Allianz Global Assistance earned two Stevie awards for standout service and a Travel Insurance Provider with the Best Customer Service title from the Elliott Advocacy Readers Choice Awards. These are just the latest in a long history of repeat travel industry accolades, including the Best Insurance Provider title in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards every year since the category was established six years ago.

 

What’s the secret? Painstaking attention to—and constant improvement of—every detail of your customers’ journeys. It starts with the Voice of the Customer program, which continually collects, evaluates, and follows up on constructive customer feedback. Insights gleaned from you and your customers have led to customer-favorite developments like proactive SmartBenefits^TM, the Allianz TravelSmart^TM app safety features, and an easy online claim filing process.

 

While these product and technology solutions help create a safer and simpler experience for your customers, the most important area of focus is keeping your customers’ service personal—treating each individual like a traveler, not a transaction. One of the ways customers feel this is through interactions with in-house travel assistance team members, who resolve about 33,000 cases per year. When your customer has a travel emergency or challenge, you can be sure that between the skilled, multilingual staff and global network of 904,000 pre-screened medical providers, they’ll consistently receive the top-quality care they deserve.

 

 

Here’s an example of a traveler the Allianz Global Assistance team supported during the pandemic:

After suffering a severe stroke, a customer was hospitalized in critical condition in Romania, and needed a rapid transfer to a hospital with specialized neurological care.

 

Without a moment to spare, Allianz Global Assistance teams across multiple countries—Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, and Turkey—banded together to find a hospital that could treat his condition. In less than 1 hour, the teams facilitated an emergency medical evacuation while simultaneously ensuring protocols, including a negative PCR test, were met without delay.

 

Two days later, his family called the team to share the good news: the customer had made remarkable progress and would eventually recover.

 

While this is an example of a somewhat rarer, life-threatening type of travel emergency, Allianz Global Assistance responds to every customer with the same level of personalized care—no matter what type of travel challenge they’re facing. When it comes to earning customer loyalty, there’s no method more powerful. So, as travel challenges and requirements continue shifting, let’s rise to the opportunity to provide a better experience together.

 

Want to learn more about how the Allianz Partners Advantage can accelerate your business, while helping you win more customers for life? Visit JoinAllianzPartners.com.

 

*While 26 total covered reasons for Trip Cancellation are available, benefits vary by plan, and plans with epidemic-related covered reasons aren’t available in a few states. Please advise customers to review their plan documents for full details.

 

 

Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply. Insurance benefits underwritten by BCS Insurance Company (OH, Administrative Office: 2 Mid America Plaza, Suite 200, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181), rated “A-” (Excellent) by A.M. Best Co., under BCS Form No. 52.201 series or 52.401 series, or Jefferson Insurance Company (NY, Administrative Office: 9950 Mayland Drive, Richmond, VA 23233), rated “A+” (Superior) by A.M. Best Co., under Jefferson Form No. 101-C series or 101-P series, depending on your state of residence and plan chosen. Plans only available to U.S. residents and may not be available in all jurisdictions. Allianz Global Assistance and Allianz Travel Insurance are marks of AGA Service Company dba Allianz Global Assistance or its affiliates. Allianz Travel Insurance products are distributed by Allianz Global Assistance, the licensed producer and administrator of these plans and an affiliate of Jefferson Insurance Company. The insured shall not receive any special benefit or advantage due to the affiliation between AGA Service Company and Jefferson Insurance Company. Plans include insurance benefits and assistance services. Any Non-Insurance Assistance services purchased are provided through AGA Service Company. Except as expressly provided under your plan, you are responsible for charges you incur from third parties. Contact AGA Service Company at 800-284-8300 or 9950 Mayland Drive, Richmond, VA 23233 or customerservice@allianzassistance.com.