Insurance for complaint handlers

Why do complaints handlers need professional indemnity insurance?

Righting wrongs is what you’re best at.

But it’s a big responsibility. What happens if you make a mistake? Or come to the wrong conclusion? The last thing you need is your client breathing down your neck, looking for some compensation of their own.

You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a thankless task.

Complaints handlers’ professional indemnity insurance is the answer. If you have to defend yourself against allegations you’ve done something wrong (even if you haven’t), your policy pays your legal fees, rights any wrongs and compensates your client.

You need it because you have limited funds, because you’re not legally trained, and because your reputation matters.

And you can’t object to that.

How much professional indemnity insurance do I need?

Good question. The thing to remember is your professional indemnity insurance protects you. No one else. What might be right for one complaints handler isn’t necessarily right for all.

Putting aside your clients’ contractual demands for a moment, consider the type of complaints you’re dealing with (financial, or not), who you do it for and how much they’re worth. Think about worst-case scenario and what could go wrong. What’s the most expensive mistake you could make? How much would it cost to fix?

If it helps, you can’t have too much cover. Solicitors are expensive and defending you can cost thousands of pounds. Factor in compensation for your client too and you’re probably looking at something in the hundreds of thousands.

It’s a tricky one to get right. Have a read of this guide or call us if you need more help.

What does professional indemnity insurance cover?

Negligence claims and allegations made against you by clients and third parties, because of mistakes you’ve made and things you’ve failed to do.

Specifically (but depending on the policy wording):

• Defamation
• Intellectual property infringement
• Loss of documents or data
• Negligent misrepresentation or misstatement
• Employee dishonesty
• Virus transmission
• Breach of confidentiality
• Failure of third-party equipment

But that’s not all. Some professional indemnity policies can fix a mistake before your client is even aware of it, thereby preventing a claim in the first place.

Clever stuff.

What else do I need?

Public liability insurance is for when you go out and about on business, or have visitors to your office. It’s for claims of physical damage to property and people. Useful if you’re clumsy.

Employers’ liability insurance covers your business if an employee sues it for damages. Claims are usually because they’ve suffered injuries and illnesses as a consequence of working for you. It’s a legal requirement for UK businesses with employees.

Office and property insurance covers the things in your office (furniture, plants, fixed IT equipment etc) and portable insurance covers gadgets and technical equipment away from the office (laptops, tablets, projectors etc). If you’re not sure it’s worth insuring, add it all up – it’s probably worth more than you think.

Business interruption insurance means you can still work when your office is out of action. Be it flood, fire or flea infestation, you’re covered for the costs of setting up elsewhere and for any lost revenue in that time.

Directors’ and officers’ insurance covers your company bosses. Anyone from regulators to shareholders to competitors can accuse you of not running a business with due care. Worse, directors are personally liable for their actions. The good thing is this insurance covers your defence costs and any compensation you have to pay. So you can put away your chequebook.

Why should I buy my insurance from you?

Glad you asked.

The simple answer is: we know what we’re doing. Professional insurance is all we do so we know what you need, even if you don’t.

We also know that buying insurance can be, well, a bit of a pain. So we make sure getting yours is quick and hassle-free.

We do all that while treating you like a human being, too. You won’t find a call centre here. Or a phone menu. And we’ve banned nonsense insurance jargon.

Anything else? Well, there’s the great stuff you get, such as an ‘I’m insured!’ badge for your website – perfect for the professional professional.

Also, we’ll give you money each time you recommend us.

If you’re after a second opinion, have a look at our customers’ feedback. They’re the ones you should really listen to.