The Integrated Grievance Management System of IRDA (IGMS)

An excellent grievance management system is something desired by all customers, isn’t it? All of us as consumers want our issues to be resolved quickly and without any hassle, and this is expected from all the industries, even insurance. So, to fulfill this expectation of its customers The IRDA as the regulator of the industry launched the Integrated grievance Management System.

Let’s Get a better insight into the Integrated grievance management system of the IRDA

What is IRDA IGMS?

It is an online customer grievance or complaint registration system launched by the IRDA in 2010. It is like a portal for the customers to connect with the insurers and get their issues resolved.

The IGMS has the online complaint management system of all the insurance companies linked to it. The customers can not just register their complaints but also track the progress of their complaint resolution. The Integrated Grievance Management system or the IGMS to the insurance policyholders also provides the facility to register their problems through a gateway in case they are not able to directly connect to their insurance company for some reason.

The IGMS also serves the purpose of being a tool to monitor the grievance redressal policies, methods, and duration of different insurance companies. The IRDA keeps a real-time and close watch of the complaints and their progress through the IGMS.

When should you contact The IRDA?

Every complaint or issue that an insurer has must be first registered with the insurance company and only if needed one should escalate it to the IRDA’s consumer affairs department. You must use the IGMS if your issue or issues are not solved by your insurer after 15 days of registering it.

If a policyholder registers a complaint with the IGMS, it is updated on the insurer’s system as well which is mirrored on the IGMS.

The link or contact of your insurer’s complaint redressal mechanism is mentioned on your policy papers.

What are the steps involved in the process of registering a complaint on IGMS?

There are three simple steps involved for registering and tracking your complaint:

1. Register yourself by entering your details.
2. Register your complaint.
3. After registering your complaint, view the status to track its progress.

The IGMS is a comprehensive tool. It not only keeps a track of the complaints but also can classify them based on the pre-defined rules which are fed into it. It assigns, stores, and tracks unique complaint IDs. It is also programmed to define the “Target Turnaround Time (TATs) on all complaints and also keeps a record of it. It sets and sends alerts to the insurance companies regarding the pending tasks or if a complaint is about to exceed its assigned TAT.

It also has the ability to automatically trigger actions based on the rules of workflow programmed into it. The IGMS is a way for the IRDA to know the needs and expectations of the policyholders in a better way. And as responsible consumers, it is our responsibility to make the best use of the IGMS by providing the right information about our complaints and co-operating with the Insurance companies and the IRDA.