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Technology is steadily revolutionising the claims space but one senior figure has warned of potential pitfalls, saying new developments also bring new risks for the industry.
Susan Donaldson (pictured), head of claims for the Australian operations of Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, says she sees two main risks associated with claims tech.
“There’s a risk of creating a barrier between insurers and their customers which requires them to interact with us in a certain way,” she told Insurance Business.
“There’s also a risk of having systems, especially ones with auto adjudication, that have unconscious bias built-in,” she added.
While these issues are certainly a challenge for those operating within the space, Donaldson – who is set to chair the upcoming ClaimsTech Summit in Sydney – said they can be circumvented with careful consideration and input from brokers.
“Both can be addressed through good planning and being open to feedback,” she said. “A clear theme of the industry over several years has been ensuring we are fair and easy to do business with – one of the greatest ways for insurers to do this is to have open channels to receive feedback from customers and broker partners.”
Seeking feedback from brokers, and other channels, is an endeavour Donaldson says all insurers should be embarking on if they want to be sure the technology they have implemented is truly improving the customer experience rather than hampering it.
“Insurers need to get feedback from multiple sources, such as our customers and brokers directly,” she told Insurance Business. “Allowing access to different platforms e.g. not just NPS scores for those that are happy using a technology platform, means we will gather a broader and more fulsome set of data and feedback.”
As well as offering opening remarks at the ClaimsTech Summit, Susan Donaldson will also moderate an expert panel discussing the skills required by the claims workforce of the future. Panellists include GenRe claims executive James Hahm, Zurich claims head Sheriff Hamza and Liberty VP Angus Kench.
More information about the summit, including the full event schedule, can be found online.
