A major challenge for insurers is improving both the efficiency of the claims process and the customer service of claims departments. Sydney’s upcoming Claims Leaders Summit Australia has two panel discussions on this balancing act.
Taking a proactive approach to customer experience in claims will examine claims improvements through process, systems and culture. Strategies to streamline service delivery in claims includes a focus on what different industry players are doing to enhance the customer experience.
Mark McDermott (pictured above) has 16 years of experience at QBE as head of claims relationships and is very familiar with these challenges. He recently joined Crawford & Company Australia, the global claims management provider, as key account manager.
Insurance Business asked Adelaide-based McDermott what he sees as some of the big issues facing the claims area? He said leaving insurance affordability issues aside, managing customer expectations “is of utmost importance.”
“A key aspect of this is ensuring that the customers' needs are integrated into the claims process with various insurers and suppliers,” said McDermott.
He said this creates a strong imperative for data and information to be shared with speed and ease “ultimately assisting the customer in their time of need.”
The increasing frequency and severity of climate events, including the sheer volume of claims they create, are adding to claims challenges.
“The industry as a whole recognises the significant increases in volume that events generate today and is likely to continue in the years ahead,” said McDermott. “What really matters, and what we are all working on in our own ways, is finding the best and most effective methods to respond to customer needs and finalise their claims.”
He said the challenge that these “spikes” in the volume of claims present concern the scale and availability of resources.
“Therefore, discovering new and different ways of working is imperative,” he said.
McDermott said this begins with managing inbound calls at lodgement and triaging customer needs.
“While personal service and people are critical to meeting customer needs, embracing technology to assist in managing customer calls and directing them to the services they require is paramount,” he said.
Another topic area at the Summit is how the regulatory landscape is impacting claims. Kylie Macfarlane, from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), will give a keynote address about Findings from the 2022 flood enquiry – what's next?
Macfarlane is the ICA’s chief operating officer for climate, operations and strategy.
McDermott suggested, that in the intermediated insurance space, bringing stakeholders together, including brokers and agency partners, is key to understanding “what works well and what needs to change during those catastrophic times.”
He described this engagement as “absolutely critical.”
“While we all strive to do the right thing, sometimes, we need to be agile enough to make changes to ensure we don’t fall into the traps of managing processes rather than addressing customers' needs,” said McDermott.
When the country’s major insurers were mobilising recently in response to the flooding across north Queensland, McDermott said Crawford was among them.
“Our teams, which include loss adjusters, engineers, building consultants, business interruption specialists, builders and contractors were mobilised over the weekend when the deluge hit Ingham, Cardwell, and the surrounding areas,” he said.
McDermott said his firm was able to engage “immediately” with clients to let them know support was on hand.
“I hope to further amplify this agility with our broker and agency partners,” he said.
According to the ICA, the flooding and severe weather across North Queensland has so far resulted in more than 7,000 claims. The recovery is well underway in many communities.
“The impact of flooding has been felt most significantly in communities in and around Townsville, Innisfail, Ingham, Gordonvale and Cardwell,” says the ICA’s website.
In a media release Tuesday afternoon, Allianz said two weeks into the response efforts, its Disaster & Recovery Team (DaRT) has been supporting customers in recovery centres in Townsville, Ingham and Cardwell.
The work includes registering claims, making and arranging payments, meeting with customers face to face, finding and placing people in emergency and temporary accommodation and identifying and supporting customers with vulnerability.
The release said Allianz has received about 1,000 claims to date.
