I recently had to submit a travel insurance claim. It was for cancelled accommodation after I tested positive for COVID.
Sidenote: I’m well on the mend now. Hooray!
I submitted all my evidence, and completed all the required documentation.
A few days later, I got an email saying there had been an update to my claim, and to log in to their portal to check the status.
This is what I saw:
At the very top of the screen I was given 4 conflicting messages: “we are awaiting information from you”, “documentation is required”, “we are reviewing your information”, and “there’s no need to contact us again”.
Furthermore, there was no update to my claim—contrary to the email update I had just received.
I did not know which way was up or down.
When building services that large numbers of people are going to use, these failure states are costly. They erode user trust and confidence, and ultimately end with user’s calling customer support—something none of us need more of in our lives.
A little bit of care in the design, copy, planning, or testing stages of this product would’ve spotted such a glaring issue.
Alas, although there isn’t much I can do now, but it’s a good general lesson nonetheless.
Off to the phone lines for me!