Scottish Widows has urged intermediaries to get involved in supporting their clients’ protection claims and to work with insurers whenever possible in the process.
Dave Thompson, senior claims technical manager at Scottish Widows, also highlighted the importance of correcting public perceptions about “big bad” insurers trying to wriggle out of paying claims.
“We do pay claims and we need to emphasise that,” he told the insurer’s Dr Marius Barnard Recognition Event.
“As an industry, we pay a lot of claims way more than we ever used to do, and we’re all going in the right direction, but it’s how do we change that perception that we never shout enough about.”
One in four advisers get involved
However, Thompson shared a particularly strong message that the insurer wanted to see more advisers working with it and supporting their client’s claims journeys.
“Based on data we looked at about one in four intermediaries actually ever get involved in the claims process, so it’s a thought out to you, is there more you can do or is there more you’d like us to do?” he said.
Thompson noted that claims assessors were keen to join in seminars and meet intermediaries to inform them about claims journeys, and he also acknowledged that getting responses from GPs and government departments could be slow and difficult.
“We need to understand how we can get claims information quicker,” he continued.
“But if you are in a position to advise your clients of what the claims process looks like that can help, so we really do want you to work with us and for us to be seen as leading not just Scottish Widows, but as an industry that [paying] claims is the right thing.
“We all need to play a part in that,” he added.
Data protection restrictions
In response to Thompson’s call, one attendee noted that data protection rules often prevented intermediaries from getting involved in supporting protection claims across insurers.
“We’re locked down for data protection and it’s a real pain in the neck. We’ve introduced the insurer, we’ve got many questions for that client, but we are locked out when we try and help plan the claim,” he said.
Thompson explained that as being a member of the Protection Distribution Group claims charter, Scottish Widows will inform advisers when a claim comes in.
“We do that as standard, but we will basically tell the customer at that stage we will be contacting you and if at that point they say don’t, then we won’t,” he continued.
“But generally pretty much 95% or more we are making that statement, so you’re aware that there is a potential claim here.”
