More than half of insurance policy holders who made a complaint last year felt their claim was handled poorly, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The ABI’s Customer Impact survey, which measures customer satisfaction with and experience of the life insurance, pensions and investment industry, found that complaints handling, however, was the only area in which improvement was needed.

Nearly nine out of 10 consumers felt their insurance provider treated customers fairly, while more than half (53%) agreed that the industry has an excellent reputation, an increase from 48% last year.

Maggie Craig, director of life and savings at the ABI, said: “Despite the fact that this year’s Customer Impact Survey was carried out at a time of economic uncertainty, when consumer confidence overall had dipped, the results show that the insurance industry is making some progress in improving customer experiences.”