An insurer asks for photographs, an invoice and a short incident statement before it can continue assessing a claim. The email reaches a shared inbox, is forwarded to the adviser and is assumed to be “with claims”. A week later, the client asks for an update. Nobody can confirm who requested the documents, which items have arrived or whether the insurer’s deadline has passed.
An information request is a handover point, not just an email. It connects the insurer’s assessment, the client’s evidence and the team responsible for moving the claim forward. When that handover is informal, a valid claim can appear inactive even though the missing step is sitting inside the intermediary’s own workflow.
Create one clear request record
Capture the request against the correct claim as soon as it arrives. Record the insurer, claim reference, date received, response deadline, requested items and the person who sent it. Preserve the original wording or attachment so the team can distinguish the insurer’s requirement from an internal interpretation.
Check whether the request relates to the right policy, incident and claimant. Similar names or multiple claims for one client can lead to evidence being attached to the wrong record. If the insurer’s request is unclear, ask for clarification before collecting unnecessary information.
Turn the email into an evidence checklist
Break the request into separate, trackable items. “Please provide supporting documents” is not a useful status. A checklist might show photographs received, repair quotation outstanding, incident statement awaiting signature and proof of ownership under review.
Keep the requested scope proportionate. Do not ask the client for broad personal or financial records when the insurer named specific evidence. Where sensitive information is required, explain why it is needed and use the organisation’s approved secure handling process.
Give the query one owner
Name the person responsible for coordinating the reply, even if several people must supply evidence. That owner should know the due date, the next action and any blocker. Forwarding the message to a group does not create shared responsibility; it often creates no responsibility.
Use supporting tasks for the adviser, client, assessor or supplier, but keep overall accountability visible. If ownership changes because somebody is absent, record the handover and the new follow-up date rather than relying on an inbox rule or verbal instruction.
Keep the client informed without creating noise
Tell the client what the insurer requested, which evidence the team already holds, what the client must provide and by when. Use plain language and avoid promising an assessment outcome. The aim is to make the next step understandable without turning every internal exchange into another client email.
If a third party must provide a report or invoice, explain that dependency and set a realistic update point. A brief message saying that one document remains outstanding is more useful than silence followed by an urgent chase.
Review the pack before submission
Check that every item belongs to the claim, is legible, complete and current. Confirm that names, dates, descriptions and amounts do not contradict the claim notification or each other. A discrepancy may have a reasonable explanation, but it should be raised and recorded before the pack is sent.
Use descriptive file names and retain the approved version. Avoid sending duplicate, superseded or unrelated documents simply because they were stored in the same folder. Where the evidence contains sensitive information, restrict access and transmit it through the approved channel.
Record submission and acknowledgement
Capture when the response was sent, by whom, to which insurer address or portal, and exactly what was included. Keep the submission evidence. Then confirm whether the insurer acknowledged receipt or whether a follow-up is required.
“Sent” is not the end of the query if the insurer cannot locate the documents or identifies another gap. Keep the request open until receipt is confirmed and the insurer has either resumed assessment or issued a new, specific requirement.
A practical example
A retail client reports water damage after a pipe bursts above a storeroom. The insurer asks for photographs, the plumber’s report and an inventory of damaged stock within ten working days. The request is forwarded to the account handler, who assumes the client has already received it.
The photographs are stored in the claim folder, but nobody requests the plumber’s report. The stock inventory arrives by email and remains in the adviser’s inbox. When the insurer follows up after the deadline, the team sends only the photographs and cannot explain the missing evidence.
With a controlled handover, the request becomes a three-item checklist with one owner and a due date. The client receives a concise explanation, while separate tasks track the plumber’s report and inventory. The owner reviews the completed pack, resolves a date mismatch in the report and submits all three items together.
The insurer’s acknowledgement is saved, the client receives an update and the claim moves back into assessment. The process does not guarantee the claim outcome, but it prevents an internal ownership gap from becoming an avoidable delay.
Use a visible query status path
A practical status path is request received, triaged, evidence outstanding, under review, ready to submit, submitted, acknowledged and resolved. Give each open stage an owner and next action. Escalate requests approaching their deadline or waiting too long on one dependency.
Review ageing by insurer, owner and missing evidence type. Repeated requests for the same document may point to weak first notification, unclear client guidance or poor document quality. Use that pattern to improve the upstream process instead of treating every query as an isolated interruption.
MT Insure focuses on insurance leads, clients, policies, renewals, claims, commissions and insurer relationships. Explore MT Insure or talk to our team to discuss your workflow and confirm the capabilities available.
An insurer query is controlled when the request is linked to the claim, every evidence item is visible, one person owns the response, the submission is recorded and the client knows what happens next.