Crawford & Company (Crawford) is set to launch a new claims technology that it believes will “take the customer experience to the next level.”
Crawford head of virtual Chris Bennett told the participants of the 15th annual AICLA/ANZIIF 2022 Claims Convention in Sydney that the company's smart online platform, accessible to policyholders via a smartphone app, transforms photos into a complete property data package – including an interactive 3D model with accurate roof and elevation measurements.
“In some instances, even the best communication in the world between a claims management company like Crawford and the insured doesn't avoid a customer feeling a lack of control over their claim,” Bennett said. “As a customer, if you feel you don't know what's going on, it can lead to frustration. Our new tech puts the power back into the hands of the insured and gives them far greater control and total visibility over their claim.
“At Crawford, we like to say we solve claims challenges through innovation and expertise; that's not just a tagline; that's exactly what this tech delivers.”
Bennett further claimed that the tech significantly speeds up the home repair process by removing the need for an adjuster to visit the property, which can take a week by the time policyholders find an agreeable time between them and the adjuster.
“In changing that step of the process, it means the customer can participate in the process at a time convenient to them, which for many people, is after traditional business hours,” he said. “Plus, it gives the adjuster more time back in their day to be dealing with other claims. And that equates to us being able to deal with more claims much faster.
Furthermore, in the traditional claims process, after the adjuster visits, it takes time to prepare a Scope of Work for a builder. By contrast, Crawford's technology automatically prepares the document, with almost 100% degree of accuracy.
“Further time is eliminated because that very accurate Scope of Work morphs into a Work Order, and builders are then able to start scheduling repair works immediately. Because our Scope of Work is so accurate and prescriptive, builders don't need to do a site visit in order to quote, saving more time. And so, all in all, the whole claim resolution timeframe is slashed very considerably,” Bennett said.
Crawford was named one of Insurance Business Australia's 5-star innovators for 2022.
