"It’s storytelling that’s going to help both customers and advisers engage with IP."
- Rich Horner, Head of Transformation & Growth Initiatives at MetLife UK
Last month, teams of six from across the industry gathered to compete at Inside Track - the ultimate team-based gameshow experience designed to pit the very best in protection against one another; who doesn’t enjoy some friendly rivalry?!
For 2025, Inside Track was supported by MetLife UK as Sponsor of its ‘Claims’ round. I spoke with Rich Horner, Head of Transformation & Growth Initiatives at MetLife UK, about why he’s supporting this initiative.
"It’s not often that the protection market gets accused of having too much fun. Inside Track gamifies education to help us learn in a new format. It’s a great opportunity for those who’ve not been in the industry for long as well as competitive veterans," he said.
"As we know, if it’s fun, if it’s gamified, learning tends to stick."
The Claims round featured questions written by Alan Lakey (CIExpert), Emma Thomson (Women in Protection Network), Setul Mehta (SM Advice), and Jo Miller (IPTF).
Rich noted, "At MetLife UK, claims are what we do […] it’s what gets us out of bed in the morning, continually motivating us to improve our products, expand distribution, and serve our customers."
In 2024, MetLife UK paid 94% (27,112) of accident & health claims, averaging 108 payments per day to its individual protection customers. That equates to over £27mn (£27,058,980.32) in claims over twelve months.
According to MetLife UK’s analysis, more than 15k (15,337) hospitalisation claims were paid, alongside 9,664 broken bone claims. 702 lifestyle claims were approved, and 711 funeral benefit claims from non-accidental death.
"Claims are what makes us proud, and we pay them quick."
Championing education, Inside Track 2025 supported the ongoing work of the charity-led campaign 7Families, fundraising £10,000 for upcoming awareness initiatives. 7Families ran between 2014-16 and followed the lives of seven families who’d suffered an income shock but didn’t have IP.
Equally funded by insurers across the industry, 7Families provided payments to these families – replicating what they would have received if they had IP in place. Throughout this campaign, the families were filmed regularly to document the impact of the payments & added-value services provided – 7Families celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2024.
Rich thought 7Families’ effective storytelling was vital to its success. "Insurance is hard to get your head around for a lot of people – plus there’s a natural optimism bias that the worst will never happen to me. 7Families focused on real-life stories, which made it hugely impactful," he added.
"That's the power of case studies."
Storytelling was another motivation for MetLife UK to sponsor the Claims round. "Our most requested resource is our claim-related case studies booklet. These stories help customers recognise the value of protection and apply it to their own lives," Rich concluded.
