A Message from our Chief Executive For over 25 years, Citybond Suretravel, a trading division of Citybond Holdings plc, has been a leading independent travel insurance provider in the UK. Our experience and spirit of innovation have created a modern portfolio of products designed for today's traveller. We continually adapt our products to meet your customers needs and work continuously with our partners to ensure that we maximise the sales opportunities available at all times, from product design and sales process through to staff training and motivation. Unlike other competitors, we have online solutions for policy issue, medical screening, compliance and sales training. With over a thousand agents on our books, we must be doing something right! Citybond Suretravel is recognised within the travel insurance industry as an industry leader and, since all we provide is travel insurance, we can concentrate on delivering the quality that your customers expect. Our pro-active and experienced account management team are capable of delivering the solutions required on time, as agreed, addressing any issues efficiently and professionally. However, we are always there to advise and, if required, manage your travel insurance strategy throughout our partnership. We are proud supporters of the industry and are a member of the Association of Travel Insurance Intermediaries (ATII), the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA), the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT), and an ABTA Travel Industry Partner. The benefits of working in partnership with Citybond Suretravel are: Sharing mutual objectives of superlative customer service combined with healthy commission levels and competitive rating backed by first-class security; Working with experienced travel insurance experts on product development, online marketing, policy fulfilment and medical screening; Total branding solutions, from policy wordings to fully white-labelled websites; Dedicated account managers, marketing support, staff training and sales incentives; Up-to-the-minute regulatory advice whether you are directly authorised, Appointed Representative or Introducer. You have my personal assurance that everyone in our organisation will go the extra mile to make sure you are more than satisfied with your choice of partner, Citybond Suretravel. Yours sincerely, Mansukh G Ganatra Chief Executive
Introduction to Citybond Suretravel Citybond has been trading since April 1984 as an insurance intermediary. The business has evolved over time and, since 1992, has been trading exclusively as a wholesale supplier of travel insurance schemes to the general insurance, travel and affinity markets through its 1,000 agents across the UK. The group trades as Citybond Suretravel (www.citybond.co.uk) and actively promotes the white-labelling of its schemes for both online and offline sales. Mintel estimates the overall UK market to be worth GWP of 650m and Citybond currently enjoys a 4% share. We are the largest wholesale independent travel insurance intermediary in the UK in terms of turnover, number of employees and pre-tax profit. Citybond is one of the fastest growing insurance intermediaries in the UK. We are a financially secure partner with the capacity to invest in growing the business: Year to 31st March GWP Pre-tax Profit 2009 24.8m (projected) 3.3m (projected) 2008 22.3m 3.6m 2007 17.7m 2.7m 2006 16.2m 2.0m 2005 14.8m 1.7m Our Company Values We aspire to be the best travel insurance provider in the UK, and will make it our purpose to consistently remain at the top. We will not lose sight of our vision to be leaders in our field through:
Citybond s success can be clearly attributed to the performance of its people, to the building positive relationships with its customers and to innovative products and distribution channels. Our success lies in the way we work together in a team environment with all of us dedicated to the culture of service to both ourselves and all those that we deal with in the course of daily interaction - hence our company ethos, how may I help you?. Our Operations Citybond have two operations centres with a Head Office in Beckenham to service Citybond Suretravel clients and an office in Mumbai, India to handle Flexicover Direct sales. Each centre acts as a fully-operative Disaster Recovery Centre for the other, in addition to a second DR provision within the UK. In total, the Group employs more than 100 people and the company was awarded the Investors in People accreditation in May 2008. Our Industry Partners We believe that our success comes from better understanding the needs of both our clients and our customers. We stay in touch with market trends and maintain a dialogue with a number of different industry associations, so that we always remain at the cutting edge of travel insurance. We are an active member of the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) and are heavily involved in the promotion and development of the travel insurance industry in the UK, principally as a member of the Association of Travel Insurance Intermediaries (ATII). Our management have helped shape a number of travel insurance conferences and regularly sit on various professional committees. We work closely with ABTA and have provided the ABTASure travel insurance scheme since 2007. Facts and Figures Zero tolerance for poor customer service 1.6 million policyholders 13 Appointed Representatives 22.3 million GWP 25 years in business 100 percent of customers treated fairly 115 staff 200 Introducer Appointed Representatives 1000 agents working with us
Our Brands The Citybond Group deals through a multitude of distribution channels and the current business is split 58% direct to consumer and 42% on a wholesale basis. In addition, our direct operations also work with a number of affiliates and aggregators to promote our direct brands, including Moneysupermarket.com, Confused.com and Tradedoubler. Citybond Suretravel enjoys a first-class reputation in the travel sector of the industry and services some 900 insurance brokers and 150 travel agents and tour operators in the UK. We currently have 13 Appointed Representatives (ARs) and some 200 Introducer Appointed Representatives (IARs) who have appointed Citybond to provide sales advice and issue policies, both online and via its contact centres where we handle an average of 60,000 calls a month. Flexicover Direct, a wholly-owned subsidiary (www.flexicover.co.uk), markets travel insurance policies directly to the public (mainly via web, national advertising and database marketing) and working closely with the web-based affinity market, including moneysupermarket, confused.com and a number of trade affiliate sites, including TradeDoubler and Affinity Solutions. Working in conjunction with leading travel insurers, we have developed a highly efficient medical screening system, available both online and offline. We are one of the few providers to offer 24-hour online screening through www.healthcheck247.com. Launched in 2004, we now screen more than 150,000 cases a year. We continually monitor medical and claims data to ensure that our screening database is up to date and fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and Data Protection Act (DPA). In 2008, Citybond embarked upon a strategic partnership with Mondial Assistance as the exclusive Medical Screening Provider to the whole of the TUI UK Group, including Thomson and First Choice.
Our products Our flexible and attractive products can truly make your brand stand out from the competition with their USPs : Economy & Premier cover Single trip & Annual Multi-trip up to age 85 Gap Year up to age 45 Long Stay up to 18 months travel Winter Sports Couple/family/single-parent family discount Infants under 2 free of charge Wide range of activities covered Scheduled airline failure cover Missed connections Trip Interruption Business equipment Available to EU residents Personal assistance services 300 medical conditions covered free UK cover Our Underwriters Our principal insurers are Europ Assistance and Mondial Assistance but we can place our new business amongst a cross-section of UK underwriters, including AXA, AIG, Fortis, and Optimum. Close working relationships at both senior and operational level ensure that customer satisfaction is maximised whilst providing competitively priced products. We have regular operational meetings with our insurers allowing us to actively manage more complex claims issues whilst keeping a close eye on your book s overall performance. This approach ensures that there are no nasty surprises waiting for you at renewal time. Management Information We will produce a comprehensive monthly MI pack and meet with you regularly to review pricing, plan marketing campaigns and analyze market trends. We will also discuss scheme performance, and any regulatory or operational issues. In essence, if we can collect the data, we will provide you with that data, tailoring reports as necessary. IT Development All of Citybond s systems are developed and maintained in-house by our own skilled development team. We have extensive experience in building slick, functional portals for today s consumers and understand the importance of speed and flexibility to keep ahead in the online world. Subject to product format, we are confident on delivery of full white-label website and documentation within 4-6 weeks of appointment.
Marketing Support We have achieved a significant market share because we truly understand how to sell travel insurance in a competitive environment. With a top 3 presence on leading aggregators, and a 45% renewal rate on our direct sell business, you will benefit from our experience to both grow your book and increase retention. We can maximise utilization of your existing marketing database through our regular travel news bulletins and special offers. Check out some of our past mailshots: www.flexicover.co.uk/travel_news.aspx. If required, we would work with your existing database and manage an e-marketing campaign on your behalf, ensuring maximum conversion, minimum unsubscribe and with all sales returning a commission to you. In addition, we would look to discuss cross-selling opportunities between the travel mailshots and the travel insurance content to further increase revenue. Our online marketing team will work with you to analyse possibilities and maximize your revenue streams. Our extensive experience of SEO and affiliate marketing will complement your own online growth strategies, and we can guide you on pricing and discounting so to never lose out on an opportunity. The Power of Partnership Our working partnership approach supports your business where you need it most. We never forget that it is people that we do business with, not brands. You will have a dedicated account management team who will act as your in-house champions, and first point of contact for any day-to-day issues. We provide technical helplines for both your team and your customers so that you can focus on selling and we can always provide the backup when needed. Citybond have worked with a wide variety of clients across both the travel and insurance sectors. From specialist brokers to high street travel agents, online aggregators to tour operators, we offer unparalleled travel insurance experience combined with complete support from policy design through to claim settlement. We understand the market and can give you the edge over the competition. Our Travel Partners include: Center Parcs Directline Holidays Esprit & Total Holidays Hayes & Jarvis Holiday Cottage Group James Villas Lowcost Travel Group Major Travel Mark Warner Holidays RCI Sovereign Holidays Teletext Holidays Titan Travel youtravel.com Our Broking Partners include: A-Plan Insurance Clarke Roxburgh Insurance Brokers Ltd David Hills Insurance Agency Delta Financial Giles Insurance Brokers Ltd JBI International Insurance Brokers Ltd Manor Insurance Services Ltd The Insurance Surgery Ltd Travel Portair Insurance Services Ltd Westmed Insurance Services
Our Solutions Whether you want complete control over your customer s purchase experience, or you d like to offer travel insurance but don t have the time to get involved with handling the sale, we have a solution that will work for you. We have a wealth of experience gained from our partnerships with a wide variety of companies, from small high street brokers, to large call centres, to national travel agent chains. We believe that this experience can be used for your benefit and that of your customers. The Dynamic Solution We have an easy way for you to add in an insurance quotation to your travel booking path. Simply provide us with basic traveller details via an XML feed, and our travel insurance quotation system (TIQS) will return a premium which you can display on your quote page. This enables you to build a dynamic package without the need to house complex rating tables in your database. (Example of dynamic packaging provided by Citybond) If you want to quote and buy using only your own in-house systems (e.g. call centre), our experienced IT development team will provide you with all the product and sales information needed to issue policies in line with FSA rules. You provide us with an electronic sales bordereau, and we collect the net premium from you by monthly direct debit. We can provide you with bespoke rates that will fully mirror your booking process, so you don t even need to capture the ages of all travellers. This ensures that the customer journey is as smooth as possible and there is no increased drop-off in sales.
The Standalone Solution (Example of Citybond s PQE) For standalone sales, we can provide you with our Portable Quote Engine (PQE). Using i-frame technology, you simply plug our quote engine into your website so the customer never leaves your site. Alternatively, we can host a more traditional standalone service on your behalf. Whatever you choose, your customers can buy online 24 hours a day or, if they prefer, talk to one of our friendly staff. We can take care of every aspect of the sale, from the initial quotation and medical screening, through to policy fulfilment and premium collection. If required, we are able to handle all policy sales and enquiries in your name, from the telephone greeting to the letterhead. The customer will believe they are dealing with your own travel insurance team. We ll send you monthly commissions and we ll even continue to pay you commission if the customer renews their annual policy.
The Screening Solution We are one of the few providers to offer both call centre and online medical screening facilities. These can be offered as a separate standalone service, or integrated into your sales process. Online screening where clients and customers alike can get an instant underwriting decision by accessing the easy-to-use website. Details of additional premiums and endorsements in respect of medical conditions are advised instantly. The website can be white-labelled with your brand and can be viewed at www.healthcheck247.com. Customer Contact Centre for customers who prefer to screen over the telephone. All our calls are recorded and can be retrieved within minutes. Our underwriters have direct access to our systems and are able to trace medical screening data 24 hours a day, offering a seamless service in the event of medical emergencies abroad. The Compliance Solution Becoming an Appointed Representative of Citybond couldn t be simpler. Our compliance team will be with you every step of the way on the path to authorisation. We will provide you with scripting guidance to ensure you are meeting all of your regulatory (ICOBS) requirements, and provide you with regular feedback through our mystery shopper and audit programs. We will also keep you informed of any regulatory, legislative and case law changes that impact upon insurance sales. We maintain a positive and proactive relationship with both the FSA and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and always aim to strike a fair balance between the commercial view and the compliance view.
Our Training We believe in effective training that demonstrates a good return on investment. Our commitment to lifelong learning has resulted in a well-trained and highly-skilled team. Many of our employees study for NVQs in Financial Services, approved by The Financial Services Skills Council. We are proud to have been awarded Investors in People status in May 2008. Our in-house training program, the Citybond Academy, is also accredited by the Institute of Travel & Tourism (ITT) and is available not only to our own staff but also to yours. Our training team will work with you to design training tailored to your team s needs, whether it s for a new starter or a loyal staff member who s been selling insurance for years. We can come to your offices to deliver lively and engaging classroom sessions, to develop your team s product knowledge and to maximise sales opportunities. In response to the changes to the FSA s rules regarding the sale of travel insurance in January 2009, Citybond developed an e-learning programme specifically for Appointed Representatives and to date has trained over 10,000 sales staff working in a variety of regulated companies. Our powerful web-based competence management system means that all training records are held online, ensuring that the FSA s training and competence requirements are met with the minimum of fuss and effort.
What do our partners say about us? Clarke Roxburgh has had an excellent trading relationship with Citybond in excess of 15 years. Being able to transact business and settle accounts electronically is a major efficiency gain for us. We like the wide breadth of policies and cover Citybond provides and the fact that we can write business for policyholders up to 85 years of age and for pre-existing medical conditions which many off the shelf policies cannot cover. Antony Summers, Sales Director - Personal Clients, Clarke Roxburgh Over many years of managing A-Plan s relationship with Citybond Suretravel, I have found that Citybond Suretravel shares our aim of offering clients high quality insurance cover, competitive prices and great service. Citybond Suretravel has provided A-Plan with a complete online solution, enabling our staff to issue cover promptly on behalf of clients, as well as an online quoting facility that our clients can access directly, so we can capture those out of hours sales. These have been complemented by bespoke product documentation and an A-Plan branded website, all designed to promote the A-Plan brand while selling Citybond Suretravel products. Paul Griffiths, Account Handler, A-Plan Insurance Policy Sales I am impressed by the efficient and friendly service provided by your staff in arranging this insurance. I would like to thank everyone for making buying travel insurance a hassle-free experience and will continue to recommend your excellent policies to all my friends, as I think they offer good value. Many thanks for your splendid service-very prompt and hardly any fuss! There are dozens of companies who could take a leaf out of your book. Medical Screening Your staff were extremely courteous and also dealt with me in a warm way. They are a credit to your company. I should like to express my sincere thanks for your care and assistance in helping me through the additional cover screening process for my up-coming skiing holiday. If they are still paying bonuses in the financial services sector these days, go to the front of the queue you deserve one! He was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable, helping an OAP through the details with patience and understanding.
What to do next? Citybond would very much welcome the opportunity to discuss our proposal further with you and, if possible, to welcome you to our offices and to show what we do, how we do it and, more importantly, how we could work with you and your team to achieve your goals for travel insurance. Your contact for the purposes of this proposal will be: Laura Sullivan Tel: 0208 676 9362 Fax: 0208 776 8106 Email: laura@citybond.co.uk www.citybond.co.uk Would you like to see how we work? Arrange a visit to our offices: Citybond House 109 Elmers End Road Beckenham Kent BR3 4SY