The first 90 days after a protection sale

Why this period matters

Early lapses are the most expensive kind. If a policy is cancelled within weeks or months of starting, most of the upfront commission is likely to be reclaimed. For the customer, a policy that ends this quickly usually means something went wrong: the cover was not what they thought, a problem was never fixed, or they simply lost confidence.

Week one to two: the handover

Between the advice conversation and the policy going on risk, responsibility passes from the adviser to the insurer. This is where details can be keyed wrongly, documents delayed or a replacement left half-complete. Customers may receive letters from an insurer whose name they do not recognise and wonder whether they have been sold something else.

A short contact at this point, confirming that the policy has started and what to expect next, removes a surprising amount of uncertainty.

Weeks two to six: the post-sale check

Once documents should have arrived, a structured check asks the questions that matter. Have you received your policy documents? Do the cover, premium and personal details look right? If this policy replaces another, has the old one been cancelled? Do you know how to claim and what support is included?

In one representative Adviser.ai client sample from June to August 2026, about 54 in every 100 completed checks produced a response needing prompt action. Most of those would not have been found otherwise.

Weeks four to twelve: early payment and value

The first premiums are a common point of failure, particularly where the customer has changed bank or did not expect the payment date. Prompt contact on any failed collection saves many policies. This is also a good moment to remind the customer of support benefits that come with their cover, such as remote GP or counselling services, which make the policy feel useful long before any claim.

Routing the responses

Every 'no' or 'not sure' should go somewhere. Missing documents to the service team. Incorrect details to whoever can raise an amendment with the insurer. Uncancelled old policies back to the adviser, as the customer may be paying twice. Questions about suitability to the adviser who gave the advice. Each flag should be tracked until it is closed.

What to measure

Completion rate of the post-sale check, the proportion of responses that raise an issue, time to resolve, and the cancellation rate at three, six and twelve months for customers who completed the check against those who did not. Across anonymised Adviser.ai client data, customers who complete a post-sale check have been around 50% less likely to cancel.

Making it consistent

The framework is simple. The difficulty is applying it to every customer, every week, without a large team. Automated journeys in the firm's own brand let every new customer go through the same process, with people involved only where a response needs them. That makes the first 90 days predictable, measurable and much less likely to end in a lapse.

A note on replacement business

Where a new policy replaces an existing one, the first 90 days carry extra risk. The customer may be paying for both policies if the old one was not cancelled, or may have a gap in cover if it was cancelled too early. Checking specifically with every replacement customer that the old policy has been dealt with correctly protects both the customer and the firm.

Bringing it together

A simple 90-day plan might look like this: a welcome contact when the policy starts, a structured post-sale check at two to four weeks with a reminder, immediate contact on any failed payment, and a benefits reminder around the third month. Each step is short, branded and easy to respond to, and each routes issues to a person.

Owning the process

The first 90 days often fall between teams: the adviser has moved on to new business, administration is processing applications and service is handling queries. Giving one person or team clear ownership of new-customer support, with simple measures of completion, issues and early lapses, makes it far more likely the process runs consistently every week.