TAL yearly claims payments hit $4.2bn

The claims payments totalled about $4.2 billion, which TAL said is the highest annual claims ever paid by an Australian life insurer.

It added that more than 70 per cent of these claims were for customers living with or recovering from an injury or illness.

TAL chief claims officer Georgina Croft said improving its claims process has made it easier for customers to submit claims, with many being completed within a day of commencement.

“Digitising parts of the claims process is also key to a more seamless claims experience for TAL customers, our superannuation fund partners and their members,” Croft said.

“TAL continues to invest in TAL Connect, its digital platform providing TAL’s superannuation fund partners and their members with control and visibility to engage with their insurance or manage their claim, to create a faster and better experience when making and managing claims.

“Over the past 12 months, more customers have chosen to lodge or manage their claims digitally, with 50 per cent of claims commenced via the TAL Connect platform submitted within just 24 hours.”

She said TAL has also ramped up its education and training for its consultants, which is helping them better service their customers.

“Supporting our customers starts with providing our claims consultants with the tools and training they need to be there for each customer when they need us most,” she said.

“In the past year, our claims team completed over 22,000 hours of training across 277 training programs through TAL Claims Academy, including Person-Centred Claims Management to further strengthen their capability to support our customers.”

Upon submitting a claim, TAL customers are granted access to a range of online support services to help support their recovery process. Croft said this allows TAL to offer its customers support beyond a financial benefit.

“With the majority of TAL’s claims paid to Australians as they recover from an illness or injury, it’s important that we meet their needs, not only when they claim, but with personalised support on their path to recovery,” she said.

Croft stated that the new claims statistics reflected TAL’s commitment to fulfilling clients’ needs.

“Supporting our customers and their families when they’re going through the most difficult times of their lives is the most important thing we do at TAL,” she said.

“We’re committed to ensuring every person feels confident in our claims process by providing the financial, emotional, and physical support they need.”