"Customers increasingly expect empathy and quality of experience, not just product delivery."
When a beneficiary makes a life insurance claim following the death of a loved one, it represents a defining moment: one that, for younger generations, can matter more to long-term loyalty than the original purchase decision.
Empathy’s recent The Cost of Loss: The UK’s Bereavement Burden report suggests that many beneficiaries do not feel sufficiently supported at that moment.
One in three (33%) people who had navigated a life insurance claim following the death of a family member or close friend said they felt undersupported during the process. Among Gen Z, that rose to 46%. The same research found that 57% of consumers would actively choose one insurer over another based on the bereavement support offered.
Consumer expectations are shifting across every sector, especially for younger people, and insurance is no exception.
The claims experience is about more than payment
A claim is not a standalone administrative task. It comes at a time when families are juggling legal paperwork, financial uncertainty and family responsibilities, under significant emotional strain. A process which may be viewed as manageable and transactional can often feel confusing or impersonal. The presence or absence of empathetic bereavement support impacts how the claims journey is experienced and remembered, directly impacting brand trust.
Bereavement handling is a customer and conduct issue
Once that is recognised, it becomes clear that this is not simply a question of service style or tone of voice. In its 2024 review of bereavement claim processes, the FCA said firms generally provide good service but need to improve settlement times and customer experience. The regulator reviewed the area specifically because bereavement creates customer vulnerability.
Bereavement is where the proposition is tested most clearly
The regulatory focus also reflects something commercially important: for life insurers, bereavement claims are one of the few moments where the proposition is experienced in full. A policy may be bought on price, cover or adviser recommendation, but the claim stage is where customers and families decide whether the insurer has actually delivered on its promise.
When a bereavement claims process feels slow, confusing or impersonal, it shapes how customers judge the insurer just as much as the payout does. Customer experience therefore becomes a core part of the product, and consumers increasingly see it that way: again, over half say they would choose one insurer over another based on the specialised bereavement support it provides.
Younger generations’ expectations are changing
When you look at the generational breakdown of the data, it shows that 77% of Gen Z and 72% of Millennials would choose one insurer over another based on the bereavement support it offers. They are not only comparing insurers on price or policy terms; they are also paying close attention to whether the experience will feel clear, human and manageable when a family actually needs help.
For insurers thinking about future growth, this should matter. The claims experience plays a meaningful role in shaping trust, particularly in bereavement, when families are most sensitive to how support is delivered. The way an insurer responds can influence the immediate customer experience and leave a lasting impression on the next generation of policyholders.
Beneficiaries whose experience during the claims process exceeded expectations were 2.4 times more likely to say they would be highly likely to purchase their own life insurance policy and twice as likely to purchase additional products from the same insurer, compared to those whose experience simply met expectations.
What good support looks like in practice
Good bereavement support does not need to be complex. In practice, it comes down to reducing friction at a moment when customers likely have reduced capacity to manage it.
Things like clear communication, straightforward language, realistic expectations around timelines, and a process that avoids unnecessary confusion or repetition is important. However, truly good support goes much further, proactively connecting bereaved families with practical help, bereavement counselling or estate administration guidance, to name a few examples. The distinction between compliance and genuine care is what customers will remember.
It also means recognising that the needs of bereaved customers often extend beyond the policy itself. People may need help understanding next steps, dealing with practical and legal tasks, or simply navigating a process for the first time. Insurers that acknowledge that wider reality are more likely to leave customers feeling genuinely supported rather than simply processed.
Bereavement support is becoming part of the proposition
This shift is also becoming more visible across the UK market. As more insurers introduce comprehensive and empathetic bereavement support, it is becoming clear that support at moments of loss is no longer being treated as a peripheral service extra, but as a more visible part of the proposition.
Empathy's recent partnership with Zurich, adding to a network that already covers 50 million lives globally, is a clear example of how leading insurers are embedding this kind of support directly into their offering.
The direction of travel makes sense. The protection industry exists to support people through some of the most difficult moments they will face in life, and at the claim stage, that responsibility goes beyond payment alone to the quality of the experience around it.
As expectations rise and regulatory scrutiny sharpens, bereavement support is becoming a genuine point of differentiation. For insurers focused on trust, customer outcomes and future growth, it should be built into the proposition, not bolted on afterwards.
