AEGON ran a three-month tele-claims pilot for critical illness and terminal illness claims at the end of last year, with the results showing that the average time for a claim decision to be made was reduced from ten to five weeks.
Matt Rann, group head of underwriting and claims at AEGON said: “When advisers began to understand that their customers were speaking to highly trained claims assessors and that the speed of the claims process was significantly improved, the take-up rate of the tele-claims process surged to around 90% by the end of the pilot.
“One of the key concerns we had from advisers at the start of this process was how customers would perceive the service. Would they be intimidated by the process, or feel they were being interrogated? We’re pleased to say that customer feedback has been positive with all agreeing that the service was very helpful, sensitive and assisted in a quicker claims decision being made.”
AEGON’s claims assessors have a minimum of five years experience and are able to discuss and explain policy definitions and answer customer queries over the phone. This ensures the correct information is obtained at the beginning of the claims process, allowing the claim to be submitted quicker.