Norwich Union staff in York and Sheffield learned more about managing their personal finances at ‘Make the Most of your Money’ workshops. These Financial Services Authority events, being rolled out across the UK during 2008, will help at least 10 million people in the UK – including our staff – to improve their understanding of financial products.

We rolled out our Six-Steps website internationally in 2007. The site, which contains a simple retirement planner, gives free, impartial advice about preparing for retirement, and was named Best Corporate Social Responsibility Programme at the 2007 IFS Financial Innovation Awards. The judges commented that this “accessible, engaging and jargon-free website meets a massive, currently unfulfilled, need across the UK. Financial education of this nature will have significant long-term benefits and Aviva should be proud of its contribution.”

To help consumers to understand how to turn their pension into a regular income upon retirement, Norwich Union produced an educational guide to annuities. The easy-to-read brochure, also available on norwichunion.com and the ‘Make Sense Of It’ website, is intended to guide customers through the maze of investment, protection, retirement and pension products. Similarly, in Lithuania, we launched a new investment product, ‘Aviva funds’, to promote longterm financial planning and saving, both relatively new concepts in the country.

Case study

SMS reminder service

Direct Debits are still uncommon in Romania, so to support and encourage the timely payment of premiums, Aviva Romania launched a new SMS reminder service in March 2007. Two days before their premium payment is due, customers with mobile phones receive a reminder by text. This is the first initiative of a wider programme to improve customer loyalty through clearer communication, better processes and more flexible payment methods.