An initiative to cut end-to-end times for illness claims has knocked up to two weeks off previous waiting periods, according to Norwich Union Life.
An initiative to cut end-to-end times for illness claims has knocked up to two weeks off previous waiting periods, according to Norwich Union Life.
The approach, used for critical and terminal illness claims, has seen success when putting the claimant in control of GP response times.
Sarah Butler, Norwich Union Life claims team manager, explains: “When progressing illness claims, we are very much dependent on the doctor’s speed of response.
“So now, we are giving our customer the choice to take the medical report form to their doctor directly. The thinking is that a busy GP will react better to a patient than an insurance company.
“Our hunch has proved correct and, as a result, the time it takes to get the form back has been cut by a third, which means nearly 14 days fewer in the longest cases.
“And despite the onus being placed on the claimant, we have found that no-one feels it is an imposition when they know that their claim will be resolved more quickly as a result. Of course, Norwich Union Life pays the GP for the information and chases them for return of the medical report form too.”
This is the latest strategy introduced by Norwich Union Life to reduce end-to-end claims time.
Since the launch of the Claims Support Team, the insurer has developed systems to capture information from the customer and transfer it directly to a claim form.
This enables the assessor to ensure the claim form is completed as fully as possible, to deal with issues immediately and obtain a greater depth of information.
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For further information, please contact:
Jon Clements or Ailish Hanna on 0161 919 8495
Robert Pell or Louise Soulsby at Norwich Union Life on 01904 452659/07800 699563
Notes to editors:
Norwich Union is the UK’s largest insurer. It is a leading provider of life, pensions and investment products and one of the largest financial adviser (FA) providers. FAs provide over 70% of the company's long-term savings business in the UK.
Norwich Union is the UK’s largest general insurer with a market share of around 14%, with a focus on insurance for individuals and small businesses.
Norwich Union’s news releases and a selection of images are available from Aviva's internet press centre at www.aviva.com/media