More than three million UK insurance customers are set to be given free access to bereavement support amid the growing complexity of coping with the loss of a loved one.

Zurich insurance has announced today that its life protection customers are to be given access to human-led and digital bereavement support service, Empathy, making it the first major business in the UK to offer comprehensive loss support at this scale.

Retail protection customers and employees of corporate risk customers will have access to personalised care plans, dedicated care managers for personalised guidance and secure digital tools to help manage the emotional and practical pressures that follow the death of their loved one.

From June, this will be expanded to those who are diagnosed with a terminal illness. The insurer added families using the service save on average 148 hours of administrative work and around £2,319 in costs for tasks such as probate and estate administration, funeral logistics or closing digital accounts and subscriptions, easing both workload and financial strain.

Commenting on the announcement, Louise Colley, managing director at Zurich UK said: “When it comes to loss and bereavement, grief is just the beginning. There are funeral logistics, probate and estate administration, digital accounts to close and more when your life has just been turned upside down. Empathy’s services will provide our customers with the human care and digital tools to manage all this and more, so that people don’t feel forced to move on but really helped to move forward.

“At Zurich empathy isn’t just a skill but a cornerstone of our business, and our partnership with Empathy is a continuation of our commitment to this. The nature of insurance means that we help people at some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives, so listening, understanding and supporting people is always at the heart of everything we do. With over half of UK adults without a valid will and rising care demands being felt across the country, this strengthens our proposition to win in the market.”

Later this year, Zurich’s retail protection customers will also have access to Zurich LifeVault, a secure digital platform that helps people plan for their legacy, create wills and organise essential information, so families clearly understand their wishes.

The new service will also enable families to preserve and store memories from precious photos right through to family recipes, so everyone can access these meaningful items through Empathy’s platform. Access to the Empathy Loss Support™ service will also be expanded to support customers with the loss of a loved one.

The initiative responds to findings from Zurich’s global empathy research showing that consumers increasingly expect compassionate, practical help during life’s most difficult moments. Empathy’s Cost of Loss report also highlighted a growing “loss support crisis” in the UK, with a third of bereaved people taking time off work to manage administrative tasks (33%) and many feeling unsupported during the claims process (33%). This clearly highlights the scale of the support deficit in the UK.

The underwriter added: “Compassion is fast becoming the key differentiator for consumers. Research shows over half of people say they would choose an insurer based on bereavement support (57%) and 92% prioritise employers that offer it, with nearly half willing to leave a job if they felt unsupported after a loss (48%).”

James Tait, managing director of corporate protection at Zurich UK said: “The inclusion of Empathy Loss Support™ in our offering will help our Corporate Risk customers to support their employees with compassion and care at arguably the most difficult time of their lives. These resources and care systems ensure employees feel understood and supported, while fostering a caring workplace culture. For employers, investing in bereavement services demonstrates a commitment to employee welfare while strengthening engagement and resilience across the whole company, which we know is a priority for our customers.”