The Income Protection Task Force (IPTF) has published story seven, the last in its 7 Claims Stories series, an industry-wide project that has spent the past 18 months looking closely at the income protection claims journey.
This final episode brings together the threads of the previous six stories. It draws on feedback gathered from advisers, insurers, reinsurers and claims professionals across the IPTF‘s member and affiliate firms to set out a collective view of what good claims handling looks like, and where the industry still has work to do.
It reinforces a message that has run through the series from the start: that the claim is the product, and that claims are not simply processes but shared experiences shaped by people, decisions and collaboration at every stage.
Themes highlighted in the final story include:
- Early and ongoing adviser engagement consistently leads to smoother, more confident claims experiences.
- Misrepresentation remains a growing, not shrinking, problem, and one that could be reduced through clearer disclosure questions and stronger point-of-sale understanding.
- Rehabilitation and early intervention are reframing claims as an opportunity to support recovery and return to work, not just a financial transaction.
- The wellbeing of claims professionals themselves has a direct bearing on the quality of client outcomes.
- Artificial intelligence is set to reshape claims further, but contributors were clear it should support, not replace, human expertise and human connection.
Resulting discussion points emanating from the series will be covered next year in the follow up to the IPTF 7 Claims Stories series – the IPTF 7 Claims Chapters.
Phil Deacon, who led the project on behalf of IPTF, (pictured) said: “I’ve always strongly believed that the claim is the product and that’s what we sell. The more we can focus on claims, improve customer journeys, and deliver better outcomes for all, the more compelling income protection is as a proposition.
“The most important part of the project for me, however, was collaboration. People came together and wanted to be a part of it from insurers and reinsurers, to service providers, and advisers who have such a big role to play at the customer’s point of need.”
