This article was produced in partnership with Markel Canada
Surina Nath, of Insurance Business, spoke with Maeve O’Malley, claims manager at Markel Canada, to discuss the organization’s unique approach to claims handling
Having a strong claims team truly sets an organization apart in the insurance marketplace. The support provided to insureds, underwriters and brokers is unmatched as claims professionals act as the unifying force between the various stakeholders involved in a claim or loss.
Maeve O’Malley (pictured), claims manager at Markel Canada, explained to Insurance Business that, as a specialty insurer, it is vital that personalized underwriting is matched with an enhanced approach to claims service.
“By utilizing our in-house claims team with external service providers who are considered the best experts in the specific areas we write, Markel Canada ensures that customers are well-served during the time of a claim as we understand the various challenges that a loss can have on a business,” she explained.
Quick claims response is another aspect to Markel’s unique claims handling approach. The company’s claims philosophy is to be ‘the most customer-focused, nimble and value-adding claims team in the market.’
“Our team lives by that philosophy in all our dealings,” said O’Malley. “We make sure we are responsive and continuously seek out ways to be more flexible, efficient, and creative in the way we handle and pay claims.”
Social inflation continues to be a major challenge for the industry. An example O’Malley highlighted was the impact on Markel’s sport and leisure sector (Markel Play) which focuses on providing risk solutions to amateur and recreational organizations.
“We’re seeing an increase in the likelihood that individuals will initiate a claim or lawsuit when they are injured while participating in a sport or recreational activity,” she continued. “This is a result of the evolving social interpretation of the legal principal known as ‘the voluntary assumption of risk’.”
Insurers can no longer rely on the fact that participants fully comprehend that there is an inherent risk when playing sports, placing even more importance on the use of waiver of liability forms. Markel’s approach is to give guidance and input on the language of waiver forms that its clients utilize.
This approach has proven to be successful for Markel, and its claims team continues to receive a number of favourable court decisions for the successful enforcement of waivers, including the first ever successful enforcement of an electronic waiver in Canada.
“This is a true testament to our customer-focused approach and belief that an insurer’s solution to a claim trend cannot simply be increased rates – education and making front-line change is just as important,” O’Malley added.
Another strategy employed by Markel in order to receive customer feedback is Markel’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey, which is sent out to all customers upon the resolution of a claim.
“The NPS is one of the most direct ways that we ensure we’re providing our customers with quality claims service, and our customers have let us know that based on the global NPS standards, we are doing an excellent job,” she explained. “While it is great to receive positive feedback, we learn even more from critical feedback and have made changes to aspects of our claims process as a direct result of NPS feedback.”
If a claims team is focused on providing customers with quality and collaborative service between brokers, underwriters and claims professionals, it sets a company apart from the competition and leads to client retention in the long-term.
Looking ahead, O’Malley hopes to see a modified work environment with more in-person interaction to keep insurance a people business.
“Markel is looking to learn from the pandemic. As an employer, we’re focused on the well-being of our staff,” she said. “As we transition back to office life, we want to leverage the benefits of an agile and hybrid work environment that allows us to connect with our team members, while also providing staff with the flexibility to work remotely and encourage a healthy work-life balance.”
Maeve moved to Canada from Ireland in 2010 and worked for two major insurers, prior to joining the Markel Canada claims team in 2014. In her eight years with the organization, Maeve has worked as a senior claims specialist, handling a wide variety of claims over several lines of business. In March 2021, Maeve was promoted to claims manager. She currently handles a limited number of complex matters, while managing the claims team in Toronto. Maeve brings a sharp mind and creativity to claims handling, and has help set the standard of excellence that Markel Canada’s claims department is known for.
