<strong>By: Transact and Protect Insure (TPI)</strong>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">To assist South Africans with affordable funeral cover that is available immediately, the Eyethu Funeral Policy was launched this week. The policy, with a range of affordable cover options, can be bought via a dedicated WhatsApp number that is served by Timothy, the chatbot. Timothy, or Tim for short, has been engineered to ensure that the selling and buying of funeral cover is streamlined and available in real-time, anytime.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Eyethu Funeral Policy was established following the partnership between product developer Transact and Protect Insure (TPI) and SureStart Online Financial Services who will be administering the policies. TPI developed Timothy utilising Robotic Process Automation (RPA), to form part of a digital workforce that is always able and available to assist. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Founder and CEO of TPI, Henk Roos, is enthusiastic about the collaboration and the convenience of this technology, which he feels will bring great contentment, to more people, much faster. “In these unprecedented and uncertain times with Covid-19 impacting our lives, it is important to rethink our product offerings. Fortunately, we live in a digitally-driven world where technology is there to make our lives easier. We have so much at our fingertips when it comes to technology, why can’t insurance and funeral cover not be part of that? Along with SureStart, we are making Timothy available for consumers 24/7, which means that funeral cover can be made accessible anytime and anywhere and on platforms that have become part of our everyday lives. All while in adherence to social distancing rules.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Cover is simply a ‘Hi’ away and starts from the minimal amount of R20 per month (for R10 000 cover) with other options including R34 per month (for R20 000 cover) and R49 per month (for R30 000 cover) all of which is underwritten by Guardrisk Life (FSP no. 76). The cover plans can be tailored to the needs of the consumer and aside from offering cover for the assured, their spouse (or spouses in the case of polygamous marriages), children and extended family members (up to 20), will offer them additional benefits as well. These include a cash-back, grocery, airtime and education benefit to ensure that the loved ones of the deceased are well taken care of in the unfortunate event of their passing. Their definition of family also allows for the inclusion of households headed by children or grandparents, to accommodate for all family types. Eyethu, which means ‘Ours’, is a product that has South Africans at the centre and which lives up to its name by truly belonging to the people.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">To make payment easier for the informal market, partnerships have been entered into with 1Voucher and FLASH. These partnerships use technology to make it easier to top up/pay monthly instalments. The consumer can also purchase their 1Voucher to pay their instalments at PEP, Ackermans, Shoprite, Checkers, OK, Usave, House & Home and Dealz nationwide. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">To learn more about the Eyethu Funeral Policy, visit </span><a href="https://www.eyethufuneral.co.za/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.eyethufuneral.co.za/</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. To speak to Timothy (Tim) the policy chatbot, simply message ‘Hi’ on WhatsApp to the number +27(0) 60 070 2383 and he will respond with the needed information for buying cover.</span>