The Exeter has launched a new, purpose-built system to assess income protection claims.

The company says the system will streamline the process and improve service.

The engine will offer a more personalised claims experience to members by tailoring claims questions and cutting end-to-end turnaround times for payments.

It also gives The Exeter greater capacity to offer instant decisions at the point of claim.

The system, backed by UnderwriteMe, will help The Exeter’s claims assessors gather as much information as possible from an initial phone call by generating a tailored set of questions based on the cause of the claim and the conversation.

The system also provides assessors with policy information, product features, exclusions, and adviser details on one platform for faster decisions.

Whilst the system can recommend an outcome, the final claims decision will still rest with the assessor.

The Exeter’s customer service director Claire Hird says she believes it will ‘help deliver an even better experience for our members at the point of claim’.

She adds: “The ability to fast-track a claim for payment for those members with a day one or week one deferred period is hugely exciting and aims to provide faster payments to those who will experience an immediate drop in income if they are unable to work due to illness or injury.”

UnderwriteMe director of business development Simon Jacobs says: “UnderwriteMe is delighted to be working in partnership with The Exeter.

“As an industry we’ve spent a considerable amount of time and investment in making the underwriting process a far better experience for our customers.

IPTF co-chair Andrew Wibberley says: “The time taken to evaluate and pay claims is vital in ensuring that IP payments enable people to enjoy the financial security and peace of mind they purchased, and this is a positive step in delivering this.”