MLC Life Insurance was recognised last night for its excellence in claims and underwriting after receiving four awards at the prestigious Australian Life Underwriting and Claims Association (ALUCA) Life Insurance Excellence Awards in Sydney, including back-to-back awards for Claims Team of the Year.

• Claims Team of the Year Award – Retail and Group Claims Management Team
• Customer Service Team of the Year Award – Retail and Group Mental Health Claims Team
• Partnership Impact Team of the Year Award – Recovery and Wellness
• Life Insurance Excellence Leadership Award – Darren Leonard, Northern Underwriting Manager NSW/QLD

“The annual ALUCA awards are extremely competitive and receive a high number of exceptional entries all of which are judged by cross-industry leaders and senior life insurance professionals,” said Amanda McKernan, Chief Executive Officer for ALUCA. “We’re extremely proud of all the deserving winners, who’ve demonstrated excellence in life insurance, going over and above to achieve outstanding outcomes for their customers and partners.”

Having last year taken home Claims Team of the Year for its Fast Track Straight Through Processing Initiative, MLC Life Insurance this year went back-to-back for this highly coveted award, winning the accolade for its Income Protection Analytics Model, which improves customer and partner experience by augmenting the ability for claims teams to accurately forecast claim durations from lodgement and ensure the right support is provided at the right time, assisting customers through every step of their claims journey.

“This groundbreaking tool empowers our people by harnessing advanced data analysis techniques to improve our claims process and the total customer and partner experience,” said Andrew Beevors, Chief Claims Officer for MLC Life Insurance. “In many ways, it’s also an important litmus test for the industry as we’ve clearly shown new innovations and digital solutions can be used effectively to serve strategic goals and build customer trust by elevating their end-to-end experience.”

MLC Life also picked up the Customer Service Team of the Year Award, for its claim lodgement support program, a customer-centric process that leverages the principles of early intervention to support customers with a mental health condition who are lodging a claim by simplifying the lodgement process and offering early allied health support for its most vulnerable customers.

“With 100% of customers saying they felt supported by our claim lodgement support system, it’s welcome recognition for our teams that are dedicated to delivering our best-in-claims experience, because we know that making a claim is when our promise for life matters most to our customers,” said Andrew Beevors. “Our ‘here for you’ claims philosophy means offering a personalised, empathetic and efficient response.”

“We were also grateful to take home the Partnership Impact Award, recognising our collaboration with Wysa and Swiss Re, as the first Australian life insurer to offer our customers a world-leading digital mental health app, incorporating scores to promote holistic healthy living and improve mental wellbeing, as well as an anonymous conversational AI chatbot,” said Andrew Beevors. “Featuring regular check-ins, bespoke assessments and a library of self-care tools built by experts, the app seamlessly integrates into our award-winning Vivo health, wellness, and recovery support network.”

ALUCA also awarded the prestigious Life Insurance Excellence Leadership Award to MLC Life’s Darren Leonard, recognising his genuine care and expertise in driving strong outcomes for customers and partners.

“Operational excellence is one of the ways we put customers at the centre of our business, and investing in our people is a key part of delivering on that,” said Jane Murray, Chief Operating Officer for MLC Life Insurance, “that’s why it’s so terrific to see our people recognised through these important industry awards.”