Most clients forget what they paid the day after they pay it. What stays with them is how you handled things when a claim went wrong, which is why the news that NIBA has set up a dedicated Claims Committee is worth a broker’s attention. The committee is made up of eight experienced brokers drawn from firms including Lockton, Gallagher, Marsh and Willis, and it held its first meeting on 11 August, with the association describing it as a significant step towards better claims outcomes for consumers.
Claims need a broker perspective because brokers see the friction clients actually hit. Unclear information requests, long settlement timelines, repairer disputes and the emotional weight of a major loss all land on the broker’s desk first. Brokers also see how insurer processes ripple into SME cash flow, retention and a client’s confidence in insurance generally. A broker-led committee can carry those realities into industry conversations about claims standards and outcomes.
A committee cannot run your claims for you. It will not lift a single file off your desk, and it should not change how disciplined your own process is. The minimum standard for any brokerage stays the same: clear lodgement information, a named person responsible for updates, dated file notes, regular insurer follow-up, and early escalation when a matter stalls.
Clients should always know what is happening, what information is needed, who owns the next step and when they will hear from you again. That sounds basic. It is also the exact thing that breaks down when a sole practitioner is trying to manage everything alone, which is where complex claims quietly go sideways.
The greatest test of a broker relationship usually comes after a loss. Strong claims advocacy is not an administrative add-on. It is the visible difference between buying a policy and being supported through a claim, and it is precisely why listening to brokers on claims issues serves both the profession and the client.
We have written before about how insurer delays land on the broker, how claims delays are driving record motor complaints, and how claims handling moved from soft guideline to legal obligation. If the admin load before you have advised anyone is eating your claims time, that is the constraint worth fixing.
Better Broker’s Administrative & Claims Support gives ARs extra capacity from lodgement through to settlement, managing insurer communication and follow-up so you can protect service quality when clients need you most. If claims are where you want to be stronger, we should talk.