Client experience

Enhancing the Client experience at every touchpoint

Today’s consumers want easy and caring service, and a company that makes them feel valued. They want options that make taking action simple and build confidence in the services they are receiving.

Our approach

We aspire to meet Clients’ evolving expectations by putting them at the centre of everything we do. We’re building a better, more inclusive company focused on consistently providing great service experiences. Whether it is helping to navigate health concerns, save and plan for retirement or provide financial security for their families, our focus is on the positive impact we have on our Clients' lives. We aim to do this through convenient processes, fair and quick handling of complaints, and friendly, easy-to-understand communication. We’re working to support each Client’s financial security and health management goals, too. We discuss our efforts in these areas in the Financial Security and Client Health sections.

We are both increasing and personalizing our Client outreach in ways that make the most sense to each Client. That could be through an advisor, in person, or by phone, videoconference, email, digital apps, text or social media.  

We’ve also made substantial improvements to the way we communicate with Clients. Since 2017, we have worked to apply plain language principles across our business, from our prospectuses to our Client forms and letters. Plain language is our priority because we want Clients to easily understand our materials, plans and products. We want to help empower them to make the right choices by offering the clear, concise information they need. To learn more, refer to our case study, “Words Matter”.

We are committed to keeping the Client in mind when designing, marketing and distributing our products and services. Our advertising and sales materials, including prospectuses and point of sale materials, aim to be accurate and clear and will provide full disclosure. We all have a responsibility to consider our Clients’ interests in all stages of the product life cycle and to ensure our products and services provide fair value to them.   

Our compensation, commission and incentive structures help encourage good sales practices.

We strive to communicate in ways that everyone can understand and which aren’t misleading. We want our Clients and potential Clients to know the key facts (including benefits, risks and costs) about our products and services, so they can choose what’s best for their needs.   

Learn more about how we help ensure the fair treatment of our Clients in our Code of Conduct.

We take Client concerns and complaints seriously. They are opportunities for us to learn and improve, so we get things right, and create positive experiences.   

Across Sun Life, we have clear channels to receive complaints, including over the phone, by e-mail and online. Our processes to address concerns and complaints are focused on ensuring they are dealt with promptly and fairly. For example, in Canada, our goal is to resolve Client problems within our problem resolution teams. When this isn’t possible, our Client Advocacy team works with Clients and our internal problem resolution teams to resolve our Client's problem. Our social media team also tracks online comments and facilitates responses to Clients within one business day. 

We measure our success in delivering a great Client experience through several metrics, including:    

  • Client Satisfaction (CSAT): This metric measures the holistic experience that Clients have with Sun Life.  
  • Business performance outcomes: At the beginning of the year, each business is responsible for identifying and committing to measurable Client outcomes. This emphasis on outcomes ensures a strong focus on service delivery.   

These two metrics are factored into our annual incentive compensation. We also monitor Client join-and-leave rates, complaints and problem resolution results.   

As well, we engage with our Clients to capture their feedback at specific moments along their journey. This allows us to get input about onboarding and claims experiences, call centre and digital interactions, and other points of contact with Sun Life employees, advisors and services.

2024 highlights

  • Increased global Client Satisfaction score by 1 point1
  • Improved digital offerings to provide faster, smoother experiences for Clients globally
  • Empowered Clients in Canada to make positive financial and health decisions by providing them with information, guidance and tools to manage their money and well-being

Learn more about our progress and performance in our 2024 Sustainability Report and Sustainability Performance Tables

Our stories of impact

Client Advocacy: Leading Client care with empathy
Client Advocacy: Leading Client care with empathy

Sun Life's case manager supports a Client with COVID-19 through empathy and proactive care. Our employees’ actions reflect Sun Life's commitment to putting Clients at the centre of everything we do. Keep reading to find out more.

Recognition

Sun Life Philippines was recognized by the Trusted Brand Awards for 15 consecutive years, receiving the highest recognition, the Platinum Award for life insurance, for the past 7 years.

Sun Life was awarded the Most Innovative Product or Service from Insurance Asia News Country Awards for Excellence 2024 in Singapore. This is in recognition of our SunBrilliance Indexed Universal Life product which promotes philanthropic giving as well as meets both the wealth transfer and legacy planning needs of our High Net Worth Clients.

Excludes SLC Management, U.S. (In-force Management), Asia (High Net Worth and  Regional Office) and Corporate Support. Includes Asia Joint Venture (Malaysia).

Refer to Sustainability Data Scope.