BT says the majority of its retail customers who are making a claim under their life insurance policies are now doing so by teleclaim, without the need to fill out claim forms.
It says, in a statement marking the 10th anniversary of the teleclaims service, that this makes for a more convenient, faster and efficient process, during what is often a stressful time for customers.
Since BT’s first-to-market launch of teleclaims in 2010, the proportion of claims that are processed over the phone has steadily climbed and now comprises 58 percent of all new claims received each month, across income protection, trauma, life and terminal illness policies. (For trauma and life, the proportion of all claims that are teleclaims is 55 percent and 82 percent respectively.)
The insurer says that the teleclaim process reduces the decision-making time – from notification of a claim to first payment into the customer’s bank account – by up to four weeks.
The average time that customers spend on the phone to discuss their teleclaim is a total of 45 minutes, if all information is provided to make a decision.
It says it pays a benefit of up to $500,000 via teleclaim under life and terminal illness policies; $250,000 under trauma/living benefit; and $8000 per month under income protection.*
The company adds that since launching its teleclaims service in March 2010, BT has assisted more than 7,063 customers with assessing their claim over the phone without requiring a claim form, paying out a total of $398 million.
Neil Borthwick, BT’s Head of Claims, Life Insurance, says that over the years BT has looked for opportunities to streamline life insurance processes, so it can improve the customer experience.
*BT notes that amounts are a guide only, as claims are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
