Client Success Story:
National Friendly
- Needed to modernise their payment journey, replacing outdated telephone payment processes with a secure solution
- Customers can now pay securely via online portals, SMS payment links, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Payment volumes have grown significantly, helping transform National Friendly into a more flexible, digital-first payment operation
About National Friendly
National Friendly is a long-established mutual insurer, providing health, life and income protection insurance for the over-50s market. Working with both internal sales teams and a nationwide network of external brokers, the organisation is committed to making insurance simple, accessible and secure.
As customer expectations evolved, National Friendly recognised the need to modernise its payment journey. The business wanted to offer customers greater flexibility while ensuring every payment remained secure, PCI DSS compliant and easy to manage for both employees and brokers.
The requirement
Prior to partnering with Key IVR, National Friendly relied on stop/start call recording to process telephone payments. While this enabled card payments to be taken over the phone, it presented compliance challenges and limited the organisation’s ability to scale its payment operation.
The business was expanding its broker network and needed a secure solution that external partners could use without requiring access to sensitive card data. At the same time, customers had very limited payment options, often needing to call during office hours to make a payment.
National Friendly was looking for far more than a replacement payment system. It required a platform that would:
- Remove card data from conversations between customers, brokers and agents
Maintain PCI DSS compliance across all payment channels - Support both internal teams and external brokers through a single secure platform
- Automate payment lookup and reconciliation via API integration
- Introduce modern payment methods, including Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Deliver a fully branded customer experience that could grow alongside the business
Ultimately, National Friendly wanted a future-proof payment solution that would improve customer convenience, simplify broker onboarding and support its long-term digital transformation strategy.
The solution
Key IVR worked closely with National Friendly to design and implement a fully integrated payment ecosystem tailored to its operational requirements.
The solution included Agent Assisted Payments with Agent Digital Payments, allowing customers to complete secure Cardholder Not Present (CNP) transactions without verbally sharing their card details. Integrated 3D Secure 2 authentication, alongside Apple Pay and Google Pay, provides customers with a fast, familiar and highly secure payment experience.
To complement this, Key IVR implemented secure DTMF payment technology, API-driven payment lookup and reconciliation, and two branded web payment portals:
- A secure application payment portal for prospective customers
- A dedicated self-service payment portal for existing policyholders making one-off payments
Both portals were integrated with Apple Pay and Google Pay, while Key IVR’s white-labelled payment gateway ensured the entire payment journey remained fully branded as National Friendly.
Rather than delivering a static solution, Key IVR continued to enhance the platform as National Friendly’s business evolved, introducing new functionality and supporting the organisation’s continued growth through regular collaboration and ongoing development.
The solution
Key IVR worked closely with National Friendly to design and implement a fully integrated payment ecosystem tailored to its operational requirements.
The solution included Agent Assisted Payments with Agent Digital Payments, allowing customers to complete secure Cardholder Not Present (CNP) transactions without verbally sharing their card details. Integrated 3D Secure 2 authentication, alongside Apple Pay and Google Pay, provides customers with a fast, familiar and highly secure payment experience.
To complement this, Key IVR implemented secure DTMF payment technology, API-driven payment lookup and reconciliation, and two branded web payment portals:
- A secure application payment portal for prospective customers
- A dedicated self-service payment portal for existing policyholders making one-off payments
Both portals were integrated with Apple Pay and Google Pay, while Key IVR’s white-labelled payment gateway ensured the entire payment journey remained fully branded as National Friendly.
Rather than delivering a static solution, Key IVR continued to enhance the platform as National Friendly’s business evolved, introducing new functionality and supporting the organisation’s continued growth through regular collaboration and ongoing development.
“When Embrace the Middle East approached us with an urgent need for a new payment solution, we knew how critical it was to act fast. Both of our teams worked quickly to deliver a secure, seamless web payment platform that allowed them to continue collecting vital donations without disruption. They were great to work with, providing clarity in what they were looking to achieve and how they’d like the overall solution to work.”
Jemma Kitson
Account Manager & Sales Coordinator
Key IVR
The outcome
The implementation has fundamentally transformed the way National Friendly collects payments.
Customers are no longer restricted to calling during office hours. Instead, they can make secure payments online, through SMS payment links or using Apple Pay and Google Pay, giving them greater flexibility and control over when and how they pay.
The introduction of secure broker payment capabilities has been equally significant. Brokers can now securely process customer payments using National Friendly’s branded payment platform, helping the organisation expand its distribution network without continually increasing internal resource requirements.
“Working with Key IVR has completely transformed the way we take payments. Our customers are no longer limited to calling during office hours, and our brokers now have a secure, straightforward way to help customers complete payments whenever it’s most convenient for them. The solutions have given us the flexibility to grow, reduced the pressure on our internal teams and helped us deliver a much more modern payment experience.
One of the most significant benefits we’ve seen is the impact on customer retention. Customers who make their first payment by card have averaged around 5% early policy exits, compared to approximately 25% for those who don’t, demonstrating the value of making that initial payment as simple and secure as possible. As our business continues to evolve, it’s reassuring to have a partner that’s responsive, collaborative and committed to developing solutions that grow with us.”
Louise Webber
New Business Manager
National Friendly
Operationally, the business has become more efficient, while customers benefit from a faster, more convenient payment journey that better reflects modern expectations.
Transaction volumes have grown dramatically, increasing from just a few hundred payments each month to more than 2,000 monthly transactions, with continued growth expected as adoption of digital payment methods accelerates.
Perhaps the greatest achievement has been the transformation of National Friendly’s payment offering. Where the organisation was once considered behind the curve in digital payments, it now delivers a secure, flexible and scalable payment experience that supports customers, brokers and future business growth alike.
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