A Customer-Centric Approach to Claims Management

In our competitive market we place much importance on innovating and being able to demonstrate value to our partners. Our company culture is one of continuous improvement, we are alert to new ideas or improvements which will contribute to our high service levels.

The introduction of our bespoke Claims Management System in 2016 has been a spring board to a host of operational improvements. The provision of detailed Management Information and real time reporting, coupled with the capability to control multiple activities from one incident, has contributed to a number of projects that have enhanced the customer claims journey.

A new motor legal claims handling model

Last year, as part of our ongoing customer journey enhancements, we carried out an extensive re-structure of our motor legal claims team with the introduction of a new case handling model.

Each claimant is assigned a personal claims handler who supports that customer from the start. The personal claims handler sees anything that appears on the case file, chases information and keeps the customer updated along the way. Each small team includes experienced and new agents as well as coaches which encourages a culture of continuous learning where less experienced team members are constantly adding to their knowledge rather than handing off to a colleague.

The detailed information captured within our CMS ensures that as a 24/7 operation even if the specific case handler isn’t available colleagues are able to access all claim information to progress a file or answer a query, with the personal case handler updated as soon as they return.

This has driven an increased focus on customer ownership and outcomes, whilst still providing an excellent service around the clock, 365 days per year.

A more personal approach to claims

Personal Claims Handlers are able to quantify how much they are recovering for their customers and it enables them to easily see the impact they have had. They can build a better rapport through ongoing contact with the customer as Courtney Evans, one of our Personal Claims Handler explains:

“From my own experience I feel case management has made a massive difference to the way I handle claims. One of the main things is when my client calls I remember their file and circumstances in detail without even having to put the client on hold to read through the notes and do a full file review. This gives customer’s confidence in me as the handler rather than calling in and speaking to someone different each time who may not be familiar with their case. It’s also the small things like building rapport for example, if the client goes away on holiday I make a note so when I next speak to them I can ask them if they had a nice time, small comments like that give good impressions for myself and the company. I have made recoveries on many of the files I have worked on which all adds up to a great deal of money for customers.”

The higher degree of ownership and empowerment has enriched the claims roles for our people as well as shortening the time it takes to resolve a motor legal claim, two great customer service outcomes.