NTT Docomo Business X Announces Results of NPS Benchmark Survey 2026 on Life Insurance Claim Experience; Sony Life Ranks First in NPS

NTT Docomo Business X Co., Ltd. (formerly NTT Com Online, headquartered in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Shuji Inaba, hereinafter NTT Docomo Business X) conducted the NPS Benchmark Survey 2026 Life Insurance Sector Claim Experience Survey. This survey focuses on the insurance claim and benefit payment experience, which has a significant impact on loyalty within the life insurance customer journey. As a result, Sony Life recorded the highest NPS. Across the industry, while the clarity of explanations and empathetic attitude of representatives were key to fostering loyalty, the survey results indicate an expectation for improvement in the ease of finding answers to questions on websites such as FAQs. Details of the survey results can be found here. Details of Survey Results [NTT Docomo Business X NPS Benchmark Survey 2026] Future release schedule: Life Insurance Sector Follow-up Survey, Electric Power, Banking, Automobile Insurance, Regional Banks, etc. 1. Sony Life Ranks First in NPS for Life Insurance Claim Experience Survey The NPS Benchmark Survey 2026 Life Insurance Sector Claim Experience Survey focuses on the insurance claim and benefit payment experience, which has a significant impact on loyalty in life insurance companies. Among the 12 life insurance companies surveyed, the top NPS for claim experience was Sony Life (-18.4), followed by AFLAC (-21.6) in second place, and ORIX Life (-24.8) in third place. The average NPS for the 12 companies was -27.1, and the difference between the top and bottom companies was 12.8 points. 2. Ease of Checking Uncertainties on Websites and Satisfaction with Payout Amounts are Key to Improving Loyalty Industry-Wide An analysis of the factors driving loyalty across the industry regarding the life insurance claim experience revealed that items related to representatives, such as 'clarity of representative's explanations' and 'representative's empathetic attitude and caring response,' were elements that fostered loyalty. Additionally, 'speed from claim to payment' was also a factor that improved NPS. On the other hand, the item expected to be prioritized for improvement to enhance loyalty was 'ease of understanding how to check uncertainties on the website (e.g., FAQs, Q&A).' Furthermore, 'satisfaction with the payout details and amount' and 'clarity of claim contact information' were also identified as areas expected to see future improvement. Figure: Industry-wide Loyalty Driver Analysis (Driver Chart) *Please refer to the downloadable materials for details. Download Materials For Sony Life, 'clarity of representative's explanations' and 'clarity of claim contact information' were factors influencing loyalty, leading to its top NPS ranking. For AFLAC, which ranked second, 'satisfaction with payout details and amount' and 'speed from claim to payment' were key. For ORIX Life, which ranked third, 'ease of checking uncertainties on the website (e.g., FAQs, Q&A)' and 'ease of checking applicable insurance details on the website' were points that fostered loyalty. 3. Future Intention to Use Websites is High Regarding the channels used during the claim process, the most utilized was 'Representative' (48.3%), followed by 'Website' (24.7%), 'Call Center' (20.2%), 'Branch/Store' (11.6%), and 'Official App' (6.5%). When asked about the channels they would like to use if they were to file a claim with the same company in the future, the top channels remained the same: 'Representative' (50.6%), 'Website' (31.2%), and 'Call Center' (25.5%). Compared to the channels actually used, the largest gap was for 'Website,' indicating a slightly higher intention to use it in the future. Figure: Channels Used for Claim Procedures and Channels Intended for Future Use (Top 5) Analyzing NPS by the channel used for claim procedures showed that the highest NPS was for 'Official App' at -13.1, followed by 'Branch/Store' (-20.3) and 'Representative' (-21.2). Figure: NPS by Channel Used for Claim Procedures Furthermore, NPS by channel used for claim procedures showed significant differences between companies. Looking at the NPS of app users, the top 3 companies had an NPS of -3.1, which was significantly higher than the -34.8 for the bottom 3 companies. Figure: NPS of Official App Users by Top 3 and Bottom 3 Companies 4. Younger Generations Have Higher Expectations for Digital Services During Claim Procedures When asked about digital services or features they would find convenient in the future based on their claim experience, the most desired was a 'service that eliminates the need to submit claim documents through medical institution coordination' (40.8%). This was followed by 'AI auto-input function for claim information via smartphone photo' (20.1%) and 'AI-powered real-time detection of deficiencies or omissions in submitted documents' (17.8%). Figure: Digital Services or Features Considered Convenient for Future Use Furthermore, analyzing the percentage of respondents who selected at least one of the above digital services or features by age group revealed that the percentage was higher for younger age groups, indicating higher expectations for digital services. The results suggest that improving the convenience of claim procedures through digital services is expected to enhance loyalty. Figure: Selection Rate of Digital Services or Features Considered Convenient for Future Use (by Age Group) 5. Higher Recommendation Levels Correlate with Higher Intention for Continued Use After Claim Experience When asked about their intention to continue using the life insurance company after the claim experience on an 11-point scale from 0 to 10, 'Promoters' (respondents with a recommendation score of 9-10) averaged 9.6, 'Passives' (score 7-8) averaged 8.1, and 'Detractors' (score 0-6) averaged 6.2, showing that higher recommendation levels correlate with higher intention for continued use. Figure: Intention for Continued Use by Recommendation Segment [Life Insurance Claim Experience Survey] Companies surveyed: SOMPO Himawari Life, AXA Life, AFLAC, ORIX Life, Kampo Life, Sumitomo Life, Sony Life, Dai-ichi Life, Tokio Marine & Nichido Anshin Life, Nippon Life, Meiji Yasuda Life, MetLife Survey target: Internet research monitors who have filed a claim for insurance benefits within the past year with one of the above life insurance companies Survey method: Non-disclosed internet survey conducted by NTT Com Research Survey period: April 28, 2026 (Tue) to May 11, 2026 (Mon) Number of valid respondents: 4,507 Respondent demographics: [Gender] Male: 59.6%, Female: 40.4% [Age] Under 20s: 6.0%, 30s: 9.2%, 40s: 16.2%, 50s: 24.7%, 60s and over: 43.9% *NPS values are rounded to the second decimal place; in case of ties, companies share the same rank. The NTT Docomo Business X NPS Benchmark Survey is a service provided by NTT Docomo Business X, based on the methodology of NPS, which was developed by Satmetrix Systems, Inc., a US company.