Correcting a Lapsed-Policy Email
The manager of an LIC branch has drafted an email to policyholders whose policies have lapsed. The draft reads: 'Dear Customer, We are pleased to inform you that your policy no. 123456 has lapse due to non-payment of premium. You are requested to revived the same by paying the outstanding premium before 30 September. Kindly note that revival is subject to receipt of premium and interest there on. If you have already paid, please ignore this mail and sorry for the inconvenience caused. For any query, contact our office between 10 AM to 5 PM on working days. Branch Manager.' The branch plans to send the email to its entire customer database because 'someone may benefit'. The compliance officer has asked for a corrected version and a note on whether the mailing list is appropriate.
1. Identify five errors in the draft and give the corrected form of each.
Read the worked answer
- 'has lapse' → has lapsed (present perfect needs the past participle).
- 'to revived' → to revive (infinitive after 'requested to').
- 'interest there on' → interest thereon (one word, meaning 'on that amount').
- 'any query' → any queries (plural after 'any' in this context).
- 'sorry for the inconvenience caused' → we apologise for the inconvenience (parallel, professional phrasing).
Also worth correcting: 'policy no.' → 'policy number'; 'this mail' → 'this email'; and 'between 10 AM to 5 PM' → 'between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.' or 'from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.'. The opener 'We are pleased to inform you' is also inappropriate for a lapse notice, even though it is grammatically correct.
2. Rewrite the email in 70–90 words with a professional tone, a clear call to action and a compliance-safe statement on revival.
Read the worked answer
Revised email (74 words): Dear Policyholder, Our records show that policy number 123456 has lapsed because the premium due was not received. You may apply for revival by paying the outstanding premium and applicable interest on or before 30 September 2025. Revival is subject to the policy terms and acceptance by the insurer. If you have already paid, please ignore this message. For assistance, contact our branch between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on working days. Branch Manager
The revision removes the inappropriate 'pleased to inform you' opener, replaces the vague deadline with a dated one, and makes clear that revival is not automatic.
3. Should the branch send the email to the entire customer database? Explain the data-protection and customer-communication issues, and state what list and consent check should be used.
Read the worked answer
No. The email should go only to policyholders whose policies are actually lapsed and who are contactable for policy servicing. Sending it to the entire database is over-collection and over-use of personal data, creates confusion among active policyholders, and may breach the purpose-limitation and consent principles under India's data-protection framework, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
The branch should: extract the lapsed-policy list from the policy servicing system; verify mobile numbers and email IDs; suppress do-not-contact and open-grievance cases; send through the insurer's approved channel; and keep a dispatch log. If the branch wants to use the same content for a general awareness campaign, it should be reworded as an information message, not a 'your policy has lapsed' notice.