Two or three group insurance offers side by side blur together quickly: different structure, different vocabulary, the premium in a different place. A good comparison table puts that in order – identical rows, identical questions, one view. Copy the template below into your own spreadsheet and fill it in from the offers.
The template table
The X, Y and Z marks are where your own offers' values go – the template deliberately contains no numbers, because the premium always emerges from a quote request tailored to your team's data.
| Criterion | Offer A | Offer B | Offer C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Range of covers (life / accident / fixed-sum health elements) | list | list | list |
| Sums insured per main cover (death, permanent impairment, critical illness…) | X | Y | Z |
| Waiting periods per cover | X months | Y months | Z months |
| Exclusions that may affect our job types | list | list | list |
| Claims process (channels, document requirements) | description | description | description |
| Administration (list update frequency, platform) | description | description | description |
| Renewal indexation practice | description | description | description |
| Premium (per person per month, and per year) | X | Y | Z |
How to fill it in so a decision actually comes out of it
Three rules. One: every cell should hold a fact taken from the offer's own text, not an impression – this matters especially for the waiting periods and the exclusions, because that is where later disputes are decided; good background is the waiting periods article. Two: the premium row sits at the bottom of the table, not the top – content first, then price; for weighing beyond the premium, the decision criteria article helps. Three: whatever does not fit in a cell goes into a footnote, not into oblivion.
Three typical mistakes while filling it in
- Highlighting the premium row too early. If the cheapest column has already "won" your eye at the start, you will read the other rows with a bias – that is one more reason the premium stands at the bottom.
- Treating different content as equal. Two offers' "surgery benefit" rows can only be compared if the amount and the classification logic sit next to them – shorthand distorts here.
- Letting the waiting period and the start date drift apart. If you promise the team protection by autumn, check the covers that carry waiting periods against the calendar as well, not just the table.
What does the broker add to this?
In a tender I build exactly this kind of table: competing offers from several insurers, against identical criteria, with commentary on where the substantive differences are – the whole process is shown on the How it works page. Next to the table it is worth asking the final round of questions before signing – that is what the 5 questions for your insurer article is for. I assess the needs and lay out the options – the decision is yours.
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