How to… ensure scheme claims run smoothly

Members of a scheme often communicate with each other and share their experiences on all manner of subjects – including insurance. And so the well-worn saying that a claims service is the “shop window” for the insurance industry has never been truer than in the schemes sector. News of poor service on one claim can suddenly become common knowledge and may tarnish the reputation of the broker, insurer and the scheme itself. Good news can also spread quickly though. So what actions can brokers take to ensure their service breeds satisfaction rather than contempt?

I believe that a well-run scheme, offering a competitive premium alongside a pro-active and professional claims service, can grow its membership through word of mouth. Take the predominantly buy-to-let property owners’ scheme we are the nominated loss adjuster on. It was launched three years ago as a no-frills, low-premium scheme, but the membership have experienced a good claims service. This reputation has spread and the membership has quadrupled. A number of new insurers have now been added