Legal & General has announced an update to its 2017 TrainSMART programme.

It is a free online application that helps intermediaries to improve their knowledge of Legal & General services, systems and processes and ultimately assist advisers to develop better practice and improved customer outcomes.

TrainSMART supports advisers through a Computer Based Test (CBT). The latest iteration focuses on increased interactivity and an improved user experience.

As part of the update, TrainSMART is now available to all intermediary contact centres selling Legal & General products and registration time has been “significantly reduced”, L&G says.

Participants now receive an instant result at the end of the test, and notifications for any areas of improvement, rather than having to wait for a report to be developed. This includes their test scores, as well as any areas that the respondent answered incorrectly. For firms with more than five participants, the user can compare their results with those of other participants to allow for better self-management.

Support materials have also been introduced, with a new DQM brochure to help participants improve understanding of certain test scenarios.

TrainSMART tests intermediaries on five key subject areas: Legal & General product knowledge, pre-sale application, point of sale and completing the application, post-sale and maintaining contact and improving client loyalty.

The software aims to assist advisers by reducing the potential for errors and application re-works, and thus improve a customer’s experience through more coherent and professional sales interviews.

Craig Brown, director, of intermediary at Legal & General, said: “With more than 40% of our intermediary new business originating from Contact Centres, these centres and the advice they provide to customers is crucial to both our business at Legal & General and to meeting the task of closing the protection gap.

“It’s vital that the industry continues its duty of care to ensure consumers are offered the right protection and advice. We are committed to helping intermediaries to this end through the development of TrainSMART, which assists intermediaries by developing their product knowledge and ability to manage differing client scenarios.

“This is just one development we have made to our proposition at Legal & General this year, with the intention of creating better customer journeys, and we continue to review our offering to ensure we provide the highest levels of support for our intermediary partners.”