The Society of Claims Professionals (SoCP) has announced that it has plans to support its members – both individually and collectively – to help them adapt to the new normal of working in 2021.
The plans come as the SoCP celebrates its two-year anniversary this month. SoCP was created by the Chartered Insurance Institute to assist individuals who work in claims.
According to SoCP non-executive director Jeremy Trott, the association recognizes that claims professionals have to be up-to-date with all the current technical aspects of coverage, and how the claims process plays out in consideration of what is and what is not covered during this pandemic period.
“Let’s be honest – outside of a few industry experts, there were few that truly understood business interruption cover and all that it entailed; and this is only from one very specific perspective – pandemics,” Trott said.
“We now need to review what other key aspects of cover we need to consider going forward, and work with underwriters and other areas of the business to drive forward both policy and technical developments across our businesses, with simplicity and transparency at their core, for both customers and employees.”
Trott also said that claims professionals need to consider more leadership and behavioural support, as travel/business restrictions and remote work conditions have changed the way the insurance sector operates.
“We’ve gone from everyone in an office to everyone from home and will probably morph into a hybrid of the two during the coming years, with a variety of different models being set up,” the director said. “How do we ensure that we are thinking about all of the regulatory, welfare, customer, technological, training and induction concerns moving forward, and provide support to our membership?”
He also mentioned that the SoCP will assist members by providing good practice guidance, as well as a forum where members can share new ideas and advance discussions on career development and professional qualifications.
“Whatever we need to do should come from clear and simply explained policies that we deliver on in the key moment of truth of making a claim,” said Trott. “Small steps towards building back this trust, with some strong messaging about how many claims we do pay out on, will slowly and surely rebuild trust.”
