MetLife Europe is this year’s winner of the Outstanding Achievement award after years of excellent customer service.
The Financial Adviser Service Awards archives read well for the life assurer, which has never dipped below the five-star service category in the investments section since its first appearance in the 2011 survey.
Our readers also rate the provider’s staple life and pension business – this being its seventh consecutive year in the five-star category. Four-star acknowledgements stretch beyond that.
Simon Massey, wealth management director at MetLife UK, said: “MetLife places substantial time and resources into understanding advisers’ business challenges. This includes carrying out internal customer-centric activities, commissioning external research and maximising the unrivalled sector knowledge of our consultants across MetLife’s network of offices and operations centres.
He said: “This allows us to gather rich insights that help us deliver products customers need and advisers want to recommend.”
The advent of pension freedoms presented advisers with opportunities for business development, but also introduced greater complexity into pension advice.
Now in the second year of the landmark reforms, MetLife continues to guide advisers through the new retirement landscape through seminars, webinars and regular updates.
In addition, the life assurer launched the Real Pension Freedom campaign, which helps savers understand the choices available at retirement following the unlocking of pensions.
Mr Massey added: “We understand the impact of macro-economic events on advisers’ business models and demonstrate our commitment to helping them navigate the potential effects of such events.
“When it comes to the Brexit vote, we remain committed to keeping advisers informed of market developments and by conducting opinion research among advisers and consumers.”
On the product front, MetLife unveiled a ‘pension Isa’-style solution that enables savers to receive a guaranteed tax-free income for life from age 55 – no matter how long they live.