Hello Claims, whose team in New Zealand is half the size of the company’s roster in its headquarters in Australia, is looking to expand its Kiwi presence amid an “absolute appetite” for technology-enabled motor claims management.
Speaking with Insurance Business, Hello Claims managing director Nick Herford (pictured) said: “I think that there’s a need and a want from insurers, fleet managers, whoever that may be, to find more efficient and cost-effective ways to not only repair vehicles, per se, but to expedite and add value to claims for customer retention. So, I think that the appetite is there.
“There’s probably a little bit of delay in relation to the uptake of certain types of repair methodology and technology which is currently used in Australia, but we’re working with a couple of insurers in NZ who are absolutely on the same page and want to see things brought up to what is considered state-of-the-art for the technology and the processes around an insurance claim.”
Set up in 2014, Hello Claims expanded into the Kiwi market about half a decade ago. Currently the motor assessment and repair provider’s claims management technology is being used by its New Zealand partners, but the firm’s Repair Plus offering remains exclusively available in Australia – something that Herford’s camp is keen to change soon.
Herford explained that the rollout of the company’s offering for smash repairers – a network designed to facilitate faster repairs at lowers costs – in New Zealand was delayed when COVID hit. Now, the target is to get it up and running for partners in the next couple of months.
“It will make a huge amount of change in relation to repair methodology,” the former panel beater told Insurance Business. “The time spent on estimating vehicles – that’s a huge chore for smash repairers to employ managers to compile quotes. So, our technology allows all of that to be streamlined.
“It will dramatically reduce the clunkiness in relation to communication to all stakeholders. Whereas if our technology has been used by smash repairers, brokers, and insurers, the process is seamless and fast. We’re talking about assessment and repair in two days, not two weeks or two months.”
In line with the imminent rollout, the goal is to grow both Hello Claims’ operations and clientele in NZ, with available positions such as passenger vehicle assessors, liability assessors, heavy vehicle assessors, and claims consultants.
“We are absolutely recruiting heavily in New Zealand, and anyone of quality is more than welcome to contact me,” Herford said.
For Hello Claims, expansion opportunities abound in the land of the long white cloud.
“The exciting thing about NZ is it’s pretty much a blank canvas in relation to the innovation, technology processes, and smash repair networks,” Herford told Insurance Business. “It is a blank canvas over there, and insurers want the entrepreneurial angle to have a look at it and evaluate and trial. So, there’s an absolute appetite for it.
“We’re absolutely looking forward to being able to work with our partners and any other companies that may approach us over there, to roll out the practices that we’ve learned.”
While the smash repair network is still in the works for the Kiwi market, what current partners in New Zealand continue to benefit from is Hello Claims’ proactive claims management.
“It’s a difficult industry in the sense that every single interaction that we have is people in a very difficult and stressful situation,” Herford highlighted. “So, everyone has to realise that the bottom line is they’re not wanting us to reverse what has happened to them; they just want it fixed quickly, and they want a point of contact that can essentially guide them through a claim.
“It’s only when they have to sit on hold for 45 minutes to talk to someone and then get transferred to another department and get cut off, that all of these problems really start. So, at the commencement of a claim, our system pushes out a text message, and that’s with a live app link inside the text message.
“At any time, they can click that link, and that link will take them to a live feed on their phone and they can see exactly where their claim is up to. They can send a text message, email, or call any of the stakeholders in a claim, or they can immediately say if they’re unhappy, or happy, or neutral.”
With the immediate feedback comes immediate response, according to Herford.
He noted: “If it’s neutral or unhappy, one of our team will call them in 15 minutes and make sure that the problem is dealt with. So, it’s being proactive and understanding that people go through these difficult times, and we just want to fix it as easily as possible.
“All too often we get to the end of a transaction with an insurance claim and ask for a thumbs up or a thumbs down – all that’s telling is we did or didn’t do a good job. If we can measure that sentiment from the get-go, then by the time we finish a claim, the frustration is gone, the pain points are gone, and we’re clear. That’s why our customer sentiment scores are so high, because we’re proactive and we’re fixing problems before they become real ones.”
Hello Claims was co-founded by Herford with executive general manager Matt Hanson. The company’s NZ unit is currently manned by nearly 40 people.
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