According to TAL, life insurance claims now account for 75 per cent of all claims.
Breaking down the data further, mental ill health remained the leading cause of claims for the fifth consecutive year, at 22 per cent of claims. This was followed by cancer (17 per cent) and injuries and fractures (14 per cent). These three conditions accounted for more than half of all claims paid.
TAL chief claims officer Georgina Croft said the insurer’s investment in technology, process improvements and partnerships, alongside its focus on maintaining human support throughout the claims process, had influenced customer claims experiences.
“Last year, we supported 57,000 Australians and their families. Alongside our partners, we’re helping more people through increasingly complex claims – as many manage multiple conditions and uncertain recovery journeys.”
She added: “We are focused on creating a better experience for the customers we exist to serve.
“This means investing in technology that makes it faster and easier to lodge a claim, connecting people with recovery support earlier and giving our team AI tools that enable them to be fully present with customers and deliver a compassionate high-quality experience.”
TAL said it is continuing to work with external organisations on initiatives aimed at supporting customers throughout the claims process and recovery.
These include the Pathways project, a collaboration with the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre, the University of Sydney and Workcom, which is focused on developing tools intended to connect customers with support services during their claim journey.
The insurer has also introduced additional technology within its claims function. According to TAL, a chat-based knowledge assistant has responded to more than 37,000 claims-related queries from consultants, while an automated call summarisation tool has been used across more than 120,000 calls.
TAL said it has continued to develop its digital claims platform, TAL Connect, including changes to documentation, assessment and claim lodgement processes, as well as self-service features that allow customers to track the progress of their claims.
The insurer said digital integration with superannuation fund partners and administrators has reduced claim lodgement times. As an example, TAL said it is receiving digital income protection claims from AustralianSuper members around 80 per cent faster than paper-based submissions.
Croft said the changes formed part of TAL’s ongoing claims capability program.
“These changes reflect TAL’s commitment to modernising its claims capabilities while keeping people at the centre of everything we do,” she said.
