1 Jul 2023
Agria has been protecting animal health for more than 130 years by providing insurance products that are trusted by owners and veterinary professionals around the world. And that position of trust and respect is not something Agria takes for granted, as head of channel operations Nick White explained…
Nick White
Job Title
Nick White
Q. Hi Nick, could you tell us about Agria’s unique position in the veterinary sector?
A. Critically, our policies are all lifetime, so veterinary professionals know that with Agria, cover is there to pay for the right treatment, year after year if necessary – without limitations due to budget.
Our five weeks free policies now come with £4,000 of vet fees cover, providing a great introduction to insurance via our partner vets.
Being the oldest animal insurance company in the world also sets us apart and delivers a unique level of reassurance and trust.
Q. How does the company work with vets and nurses?
A. The long-standing partnerships between practices and their individual member of the Agria field team – all of whom are specialists in the veterinary world – gives us a closeness and real-time understanding into what’s going on, on the ground.
Practising veterinary surgeon, Robin Hargreaves, is an invaluable part of the team. He’s instrumental in guiding our development and ensuring every aspect of our products aligns with the best practice in animal welfare.
All insights are always fed back, and underwriting our own policies gives us unrivalled agility to develop our cover – enabling the experiences of vets and nurses in practice to shape the protection we offer to pets.
Q. Why are those relationships with vets and nurses so important?
A. Animal welfare is central to what we do, and we feel that good, specialist insurance supporting vets to treat animals creates a perfect welfare circle. When an insured animal needs treatment, the funding we provide can enable the right specialist care or upward referral to give that animal the very best outcome for their welfare. The exponential leap in the diagnostic tools and techniques used by vets and nurses enables treatments that without insurance would be out of reach for many owners.
The trust that we have built between ourselves and the vet professionals we work with is paramount. We feel, and are frequently told, that Agria is trusted to deliver the best welfare outcomes for animals instead of being profit first, and vets know that their clients won’t be let down by us when their bill comes in.
Q. What else does Agria do to support the sector?
A. From sponsoring key events, such as the Animal Welfare Forum, to providing an environment for debate at our vet dinners, to taking an active role in ensuring our products are of the very best fit for veterinary professionals, we’re fully committed to working alongside the sector and supporting in every way we can.
Day-to-day, we aim to make insurance simple and reduce the time burden on teams through PMS integrations and employing veterinary specialists to speed up claims time. Our new service, Agria Vet Guide gives policyholders 24/7 access to a vet via video call, allowing non-urgent triage to be done outside of practice – reducing call volume and freeing time for vets to focus on animals that need specialist care.
We also offer all veterinary practice staff a 20% ongoing discount on their own personal pet policies.
Q. How does Agria work to support clients, especially during the current cost of living crisis?
A. We know that lifetime insurance isn’t the cheapest, but we do also know that is can save owners thousands of pounds over the course of their animal’s life and transform outcomes.
There is significant flexibility across our policies, from variable excesses, vet fees cover levels, and additional benefits, so owners can still benefit from a lifetime policy yet keep their premiums to a minimum.
Q. Sustainability is a big issue right now, what is Agria doing to support Net Zero?
A. We are incredibly proud to be the first carbon positive pet insurer in the UK and are now planning further to set a pathway to reduce our emissions even further, with a target to be plastic free by 2030. Every time we replace anything in the office it’s with recycled or reused products such as bamboo or recycled glass.
As well as supporting overseas environmental projects, locally we are planting trees, are cleaning the canal in Aylesbury and have given away thousands of bee-friendly seeds.
