#DesignMonth: Sanlam launches instant insurance app

Go Cover, which is a first on the South African market according to Sanlam, requires a simple once-off registration after downloading and optional nomination of a beneficiary or contact person.

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Jack Kruger, head of design at Sanlam says the app was built on observations of how the digital era has transformed the way consumers buy products.

“We identified the unbundling of services, a move towards micro-services and services being available on demand, as major trends behind contemporary digital business models, such as AirBnB, Uber and Spotify. People want quick, easy to understand, affordable and convenient products and this is what we want to offer them with Go Cover.”

Three levels of cover

To simplify the product further, Sanlam decided to only offer three levels of cover. For 24-hour cover: a premium of R10 gives cover of up to a R100,000, R20 for up to R500,000 or R30 for up to R1m. The daily rate decreases as the period extends.

Kruger says Go Cover has been designed to cater for insurance needs of people who, for whatever reason, don’t necessarily want to purchase a product with monthly premiums, but still require great cover periodically. This can include anyone from weekend warriors who participate in adventurous sports and other hazardous activities, to people who simply realise the risks associated with travelling by road at particular times of the year – and want accident cover.

Go Cover can be purchased by anyone in South Africa, including foreign tourists. Moreover, it also covers South Africans who are travelling abroad. It is also suited to people who require a degree of workplace protection – either for themselves, or their employees.

“If you have workers who are occasionally deployed to perform high risk activities, Go Cover might be more ideal than longer-term cover.”

Kruger, however, advises that people should not see Go Cover as a replacement for other modes of insurance cover or medical aid.

Complimentary insurance

“Go Cover is more of a complimentary insurance, and it pays out over and above any other insurance you might have. It can be very handy if you partake in hazardous activities that are excluded in your long-term insurance. It covers everything from cage-diving to paragliding and mountain biking. It can also be used as a form of travel insurance by people who travel by road during the festive season.”

Kruger says if you observe the similarities on many of the popular e-commerce apps used by consumers to transact today, you start to understand the serious need for easy-to-understand, no-commitments, on-demand solutions for consumers. They want to buy things on-the-go and insurance can’t afford to lag behind.

“If you make a purchasing process simple enough, people use it, even if they haven’t considered it before.”