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AXA today announced the launch of its new intermediary website. Intermediaries can access real time valuations, get quotes and submit applications for AXA life and pension products at the new site www.axa.co.uk/advisers.
The new design is the result of a survey of over 1,000 IFAs and existing users whose most popular requirements included making the site easy to navigate and very reliable. Using this feedback, AXA has made a number of improvements including stream-lining the site with fewer pages and much more functionality.
AXA has made registration much easier using the UNIPASS system for the new site – another result of the IFA survey. The digital certificate replaces the need for multiple user IDs and passwords to access provider and portal websites such as AXA's. Launched two years ago by Origo, the technology standards body for the financial service market, UNIPASS is fast becoming the industry norm for providing secure internet access for financial advisers.
Uniquely, each screen includes a floating toolbar which records all activity since the user logged on. For example, by typing in the code for previous quote information, the new application can be pre-populated, saving valuable time and money.
The AXA extranet, which already has 13,800 registered users, can support an unlimited number of users concurrently. It uses real time processing meaning that any policy valuation is exactly as it would be on the AXA mainframe system.
David Brooks, Investment Marketing Manager at AXA Sun Life said: "We have responded to feedback from IFAs and improved our adviser website so that it is much quicker, easier to navigate and has many more functions. The number of users on the site has increased by over 40% during 2003 and we are confident that these latest improvements will further increase usage. The new site helps IFAs access information on their clients, submit applications and make transactions quickly and easily at a time that suits them."
The new site which is available to all IFAs was extensively tested with over 80 existing users over a four week period earlier this year. Security on the site has been provided by Oblix.