Rethinking Bereavement Journeys

Why Bereavement Journeys Still Fall Short

When someone dies, the responsibility for closing their financial accounts usually falls to a grieving family member or executor. That person must contact each bank, insurer, lender, and investment provider individually. What follows is often a matter of chance: some bereavement experiences are handled with care, but often processes are repetitive, fragmented, and emotionally draining.

Although around 90% of financial institutions follow broadly similar bereavement processes, however, similarity does not equal simplicity. Even when the process is well designed, it is repeated again and again across organisations. And we know that at least 10% of bereavement journeys fall short of the standard families deserve.

The Administrative Burden of Death

Typically, after the initial call to report a death, the caller is asked to provide a copy of the death certificate. That document is passed to a product team, which may request further information such as certified copy. The case may then move to a risk team for approval, triggering additional verification requests. What should be a straightforward notification becomes a circular process of follow-ups and compliance checks. For the bereaved, this so called “sadmin”, the administrative burden of death, can feel like a wall of attrition at an already overwhelming time.

Connecting the Dots in the Bereavement Journey

At EstateConnect, our goal is to join the dots. We enable financial institutions to complete their necessary checks and balances in a coordinated way, so they can serve the estates of deceased customers more effectively. For families, this means a bereavement journey that is as compassionate and seamless as possible. For call handlers, it means knowing exactly what to ask for and only having to ask once.

Good practice does exist, but it often happens in pockets within organisations. We want to capture and bottle that best practice and deliver it consistently through a fit-for-purpose solution that mitigates risk for financial institutions while simultaneously improving the experience for end users.

With extensive market experience and expertise and a clear view of what works and what does not, EstateConnect is well positioned to bring this solution to market.

Supporting Financial Institutions Through Better Technology

Today, a financial services team member answering the phone has no way of knowing the nature of the call. It could be a routine mortgage enquiry, a car insurance claim, or a spouse reporting a death and needing to close an account. EstateConnect provides a structured platform so in the case of death notifications interactions are handled better, both for the caller and for internal teams processing the information.

Currently, the process can feel disjointed. A call operator may have excellent soft skills but limited product knowledge, or strong policy expertise but little experience handling bereavement conversations. Rarely are both skill sets combined. Product specialists should be able to deliver a seamless bereavement journey supported by the right tools. Equally, empathetic frontline staff should be backed by a clear structure and workflow that ensures nothing is missed.

Breaking Down Organisational Silos

Organisational complexity adds another layer of difficulty. In banking groups where one brand is owned by another, departments often operate in silos. Different teams manage different products, with limited visibility across the customer relationship. EstateConnect addresses this by creating a unified back-office system and notification platform that can be accessed across brands and departments. With one central management platform, information is captured once, stored securely, and shared appropriately, enabling a more joined-up customer journey.

The Role of Estatetrace in Estate Administration

Estatetrace, our complementary enhanced customer tracing service, also sits under the EstateConnect banner. Both brands provide death notification services, but they operate at different points in the timeline. With EstateConnect, the death is reported directly by the caller. With Estatetrace, time has elapsed since death.

Regardless of when the death occurred, the financial institution’s objective is ultimately the same: to close or reconcile the account correctly. Estatetrace works behind the scenes, verifying notifications of death, tracing executors and next of kin, and ensuring funds are repatriated appropriately. It is a specialist area, often involving incomplete or outdated data. We operate in this “no-man’s land,” correcting workflows and resolving cases usually many years after death.

With EstateConnect, the bereavement journey is more current. It is felt not only by the person making the call, but also by the customer service teams trying to resolve the account. EstateConnect helps initiate and smooth that journey in real time. Then, Estatetrace supports institutions when cases have fallen outside standard processes at a later date.

Balancing Risk Management and Customer Care

Financial institutions do recognise there is a problem. A glance at Trustpilot reviews or Financial Ombudsman complaints shows that cases involving death frequently feature among the most serious customer service failures. While financial firms are highly experienced in managing their own risk, they are not probate specialists. The balance must change so that risk management and compassionate customer care work hand in hand.

EstateConnect is designed to achieve exactly that: mitigating risk while transforming the bereavement experience to achieve better outcomes for everyone involved.

The Future of Death Notification Services

Our technology is already in place to deliver a secure, streamlined notification service. Looking ahead, we are particularly excited about enhancing the platform with advanced identity verification capabilities. Our ultimate goal is to enable customers to notify a death once, and only once, while providing financial institutions with the necessary verification and compliance checks they require.

By combining experience and technology, EstateConnect aims to replace fragmentation with a streamlined process and turn one of life’s most difficult administrative experiences into one that is handled with empathy and care, every time.