Effective claims management is all about balance. Adjusters today must walk the fine line of implementing technology and digital tools to expedite and enhance the claim process, while always keeping the human elements of compassion, reassurance and education at the core. To achieve this, the blending of technology with customer experience is key.
“When it comes to claims, it’s never one size fits all,” said Patrick Bossey (pictured), vice president, Data & Digital Solutions, Crawford & Company Canada. “We have to strike a balance between what’s the best technology to manage a claim and what’s the right solution for every given claimant, staying cognizant that some people are more comfortable with technology than others. At the end of the day, we’re all trying to do the same thing, which is to restore lives and resolve claims as quickly and effectively as possible. If technology helps us to do that, then we’ll use it where it makes sense.”
Technology and digital tools have arguably never been so prominent (from an insurance perspective) as they have grown to be in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting uptick in virtual business. Crawford, as the world’s largest independent claims management company, was already well advanced in technology prior to the pandemic, but this didn’t stop the Canada arm piloting upwards of 20 different solutions to weave into the claims process through 2020.
“We’re always looking to drive value for our customers through investments in digital solutions whether we build or buy; the pandemic just forced us to accelerate some of those initiatives and really evaluate what makes sense for different parts of the country and different lines of business,” said Bossey. “We looked at things like virtual communication with policyholders, new tools for estimating and evaluating losses, and simple things like working out the best e-signature solution. It’s important to remember that there’s no silver bullet technology. Rather, there are a lot of tools with specific use-cases that we must match with the right need. To weave this all together we have also undertaken a claim system modernization that will allow us to integrate with insurer systems and external vendors to create a more seamless experience.”
For claims adjusters, technology can remove burdensome administrative tasks, allowing for more time to focus on high impact activities. For large and complex property losses, Crawford has partnered with Matterport, a 3D platform that turns spaces into accurate and immersive digital environments. Armed with an interactive and dynamic view of a loss, Crawford adjusters weave their expertise into the digital environment with notes, comments and observations and walk clients through the loss in a more visual and interactive manner.
“We’re seeing about a 25% reduction in time as compared to traditional file handling and have been able to effectively resolve disputes by being able to review the imagery with a high level of detail,” said Bossey. “By going virtual we are also reducing the number of visits needed on scene and reducing our ‘wind shield’ time.”
In July 2020, Crawford announced a partnership with 3D modeling company HOVER, giving Crawford’s network of adjusters and independent contractors access to HOVER’s virtual property measurements and 3D model technology. Through HOVER’s Connect feature, adjusters can also invite property owners to take their own photos with their smartphone before sending the HOVER measurements back to Crawford, enabling both the desk and field adjusting teams to accurately triage, estimate, and settle claims as quickly as possible.
“The results have been very impressive so far. As compared to traditional methods of evaluating exterior losses, we are completing site work approximately 60% quicker and reducing the time to provide an estimate by almost 90%,” Bossey said.
“There’s value in that two-way communication with the policyholder,” Bossey told Insurance Business. “Through an interactive video call, we can augment the customer experience by walking a policyholder through the capturing of photos, video and other information that’s needed to adjust the claim. That makes a much more fluid and interactive conversation, and it potentially accelerates the claims handling, as opposed to the more passive option of capturing and communicating information via an app, but it is important to provide both options.
“Our strategy at Crawford is to focus on how we can bundle different technologies together with our adjusters’ skillsets to offer solutions that are unique and compelling. A colleague of mine put it like this: ‘When an adjuster is on scene, they’re not talking about the make and model of their vehicle. A car is a tool that they use to complete their job.’ And that holds true with the technologies that we’re implementing. We’re using tools like Matterport and HOVER together with the capabilities of our skilled adjusters to really accurately evaluate loss and make coverage decisions. We remain focused on selling solutions that meet our customers’ needs.”
