Southern Cross wins plain language award for its policies

The awards recognise organisations that communicate in plain language, whose documents are easier for consumers to read, understand and act upon.

In commenting on the award win, judges admired the tone of the document, saying it felt friendly and manageable. “The document has a good tone. It’s friendly but professional – and that’s not always an easy balance to strike. It skilfully employs all the right plain English and clear design techniques. Its language and layout make understanding it as easy as it can be without losing its legal rigour.”

Southern Cross launched its new Domestic Travel Insurance policy for New Zealanders in August 2020. Since then, it has also rewritten some other policy documents in plain language, including its Domestic Travel Insurance Australia policy and overseas travel policy, ‘TravelCare’.

Commitment to customer experience

These documents have subsequently all been awarded the WriteMark, an independent endorsement awarded to documents that achieve a high standard of plain language. Southern Cross is the first travel insurer in New Zealand to have its domestic travel insurance policy awarded the WriteMark.

“Writing our policies in plain language is just one part of our commitment to simplicity, transparency and delivering a great customer experience,” said Southern Cross Travel Insurance CEO, Jo McCauley. “It’s important to us that we build trust and goodwill with our customers through policies which are clear and easy to understand.”

Southern Cross Travel Insurance plans to continue investing in making more of its policies available in plain language, making it easier for customers to understand what they’re covered for.