Plain language and what it means for you

One of our priorities is to ensure we’re being as clear and transparent with our customers as we can be so they can make the most out of their policy, transforming our policy wording into plain language has been one step to achieve this.

We’re now proud to announce that your new policy document has been written using plain language
Our policy documents have also been awarded the WriteMark meaning they’ve been recognised for meeting a high standard of plain language – even better we’re the only NZ pet insurer to have been awarded this to date. Make sure you take a look at your new policy documents – you should find they’re much easier to understand.

What is plain language?
We all know that traditional insurance policy wording can be made up of legal jargon and complex definitions and are generally a bit difficult to understand. When we looked at how we could improve our policy documents to make them simpler, changing them to plain language was a no-brainer. Plain language uses clear, easy to understand wording to avoid confusion and provide clarity for the reader. For Southern Cross Pet Insurance policies, this means changing the language we use to explain what you’re covered for, how your policy works and any other important information you need to know.

What is the WriteMark?
The WriteMark is an internationally recognised standard for plain language. As plain language can be subjective, Write – a New Zealand based company – have created an objective standard for what is classed as “high standard” plain language. Any site or document that gets awarded the WriteMark standard has been checked against their rigorous criteria, is focussed on the intended audience and is easy to read, understand and ultimately act on.