ITIC UK 2026 | Examining the claims process

The ITIJ team have been reporting from ITIC UK in Brighton (29–30 April 2026), sharing the discussions that took place at the conference. Read all reports.

Enrique Gomez, Chief Operating Officer, Assistance, Healix International

Gomez began by outlining a range of common circumstances in which travellers would not be covered by conventional travel policies, such as undeclared pre-existing medical conditions, alcohol-related incidents, undisclosed activities and sports, items that have been lost without proof, foreseeable or known events, and general “reckless behaviour”.

He noted that there was a significant difference between the expectations of many customers and the reality of what is actually covered – something which even the most experienced insurance professionals may occasionally fall foul of.

“Even if you work in insurance, you get surprised by what is covered,” he said, recognising that ultimately, both the insurer and the customer want “certainty, but for different reasons”.

While the customer primarily buys insurance in the hope of gaining “peace of mind” and a “safety net for anything that goes wrong”, the reality is that insurers want strict conditions and well-defined terms.

However, Gomez warned that it was vitally important to manage expectations in advance: “Once we [as insurers] lose control of expectations, things really go south. We need to have balance, between transparency and scrutiny, and efficient processes.”

The solution is to carefully balance the needs of both parties, providing empathy, certainty, and a rapid response to customers, while managing expectations, controlling costs, and scrutinising the customer’s circumstances carefully in advance.

He concluded by saying that ultimately insurers need to maintain control of the situation: “If the case feels like it’s controlled by the customer, we’ve failed. We should be in control of the case.”

Sid Mouncey, Chief Commercial Officer, Blink Parametric

Mouncey focused on the use of parametric solutions as a means to expedite processes and improve customer satisfaction.

He reported that interest in the concept of parametric insurance had grown immensely in recent years, becoming a far more core aspect of how many insurers do business.

“What we’re seeing now in the market is that when we started a few years ago, parametric was a fringe concept,” he explained. “But now in some markets it’s becoming something you have to have in your policy [as standard].”

Mouncey added that ultimately, his view of parametric solutions is that they are a “customer engagement tool”, designed to “deal with those simple, high frequency claims, and getting them out of the claims process so insurers can focus on tackling the more complex claims”.

He also reported that beyond simply providing payouts, one of the other key benefits of parametric coverage as a way for insurers to garner customer goodwill is the alternative payout types that are available, such as offering vouchers.

“One of the upsides is that it’s not just about providing cash. What we found is that people want cash, but we can also provide other solutions in real time,” Mouncey reported.

Examples he noted included providing a pre-paid Uber voucher to get customers to a hotel when they have experienced a flight cancellation, airport lounge access, or access to entertainment solutions such as Spotify or Netflix to pass the time during delays.

Mouncey concluded by noting that a key area of expansion for his company in the field of parametric insurance was the development of new solutions for events and activities such as music festivals, golf, or cruising, which allow for payouts and the provision of alternative activities in the event that customers’ original plans are no longer viable.

Claire Hargreaves, Managing Director, EMEAA, Trawick International

Hargreaves began by highlighting the differing priorities between the various parties involved in the claims process. She noted that for insurers, the primary driver is “reputation and compliance”, for TPAs it is “relationship security”, and for the customer, it is “trust and clarity”.

Underlining all of these needs is a requirement for good communication, due to the high risk of failure without it.

She warned that many customers do not receive sufficient updates about the progress of their case – something that insurers should take note of, as such customers are around three times more likely to complain.

Furthermore, 73% of customers would say that a poor claims process would put them off an offering permanently – meaning that poor communication and a slow claims process can have a major impact on whether a customer returns.

More positively, Hargreaves highlighted the role that new technology such as parametric solutions and AI is serving to improve responsiveness and claims process times.

“However,” she added, “there is always a need for people. It’s important we understand where that balance is between automation and human presence.”

Beyond this, though, Hargreaves said there were other, more low-technology ways to make improvements to claims processes, such as ensuring that all documentation is clear, concise, and readily available to customers and partners.

“I would challenge, if you’re an insurer – go over your decision letters, and read them as if you were a customer. We did that recently, and we’ve made a number of changes,” she said.

Additionally: “Give your assistance partners the full terms and conditions of your policy – partners don’t need to refer to the insurer for clarity on that. When you’re dealing with emergency situations, you don’t have the luxury of time.”