The pilot could help to dramatically reduce the time taken to pay certain claims; since May 2012, Aviva has been gathering data of different types of critical illness policies to determine whether some claims could be paid after receiving evidence through other means, rather than in traditional paper formats making it less complicated for customers.
So far it has enabled Aviva to pay one critical illness claim within 24 hours of notification. It follows on from similar changes introduced to Aviva’s life insurance claims processes, enabling some payments to be made in a matter of days when the claim meets certain conditions.
Aviva also has a history of taking a pioneering approach to speeding up life claims and trying their best to please customers by making the process as quick as possible; for several years now, wherever possible, the insurer has avoided obtaining a full grant of probate before paying claims to the families of life insurance customers. This means that claims can be paid significantly quicker than when a grant of probate is required. In May 2011 the ABI introduced similar guidelines to help speed up life claims across the industry.
Andy Doran, claims manager at Aviva, says that their constantly reviewing their processes with the end customer in mind. If there is a way to make the claims journey quicker and easier for their customers then that is exactly what we they will strive to do.
He said: “We’re constantly reviewing our processes with the end customer in mind. If there is a way to make the claims journey quicker and easier for our customers then this is exactly what we will strive to do.
“While not all claims are suitable for a paperless route, we want to determine how many people we can help in this way. For those individuals, this could be a hugely positive step forward.”
