How is technology streamlining the claims process atyour company and, in your opinion, in the industry as awhole?

Hatch: At Zurich, we believe that streamlining the claimsprocess is key to achieving efficiency gains, as well as increasingquality and service levels.

In late 2009, we started a claims transformation program aimedat providing a much more effective and efficient claims experiencefor our customers. Redesigning our first notice of loss businesswas a key starting point for us in that it introduced automatedworkflow management (WFM), which now guides work through a standardintake process. WFM gives us the ability to track work itemsthroughout the claims lifecycle and minimizes data entry byintegrating with other systems. This was a foundational step for usin our transformational journey of being a best in class insurer,and we continue to expand the use of workflow management.

The development of our claim handling systems and applicationsis ongoing, with the understanding that we must, at a minimum, keeppace with the market's technology. To that end, we are utilizingpredictive models to get claims in the right hands as early aspossible. By tapping into our huge claim data repository, we canidentify claims that likely will have a high severity index,require nurse case managers or have an increased likelihood offraud.

Are these technologies changing the way adjusters dotheir jobs? Are adjusters focusing their attention/time ondifferent tasks as a result?

Hatch: WFM, as well as predictive modeling, will not only helpimprove customer satisfaction, but also the employee experience, byensuring the right people are working on the right tasks at theright time—all to get the best outcome for our customers. Byequipping our employees with these tools, they will be enabled tofocus more on decision-making and customer service rather thanadministrative tasks. We think this empowerment will make theirjobs more fulfilling and better engage them with our strategy ofcustomer centricity.

In addition to shifting the focus on more value-drivingbehaviors, predictive modeling will help make us smarter about eachclaim. With the implementation of a recent predictive model, claimprofessionals now get insight into more than the complexity orseverity of a claim, but also the key elements thatdetermine the claim score.

This information is critical to the claims professional quicklyand accurately managing the claim from the time of assignment. Webelieve having this insight early in the claim lifecycle will allowus to achieve better outcomes, strengthen our customerrelationships, and allow us to exceed their expectations.

What inroads are you making in thearea of self service for insureds?

Hatch: Our self service offerings are focused on reporting andongoing claim management primarily with our insureds. Today,customers can report claims via the telephone, fax, Web or submitelectronically. We also have an industry leading tool called ZurichRiskIntelligence. This is a powerful Web-based system that providesdaily updates of claims and loss information in standard orcustomized reports. By providing timely information in its mostuseable format, Zurich RiskIntelligence enables our customers toreview loss costs, analyze loss trends, and pinpoint problem claimsor loss areas early on, so that corrective action can beimplemented.

Our global colleagues also have implemented self-service tools,such as iPhone and BlackBerry applications, to assist ourpolicyholders and we continue to look at innovative solutions forour customers here in North America.

What kind of feedback do you receive concerning customersatisfaction with the claims process?

Hatch: We are told time and time again by our customers thatclaims service matters, and we understand that many accounts arewon or lost on this single issue. We have earned our highcustomer-satisfaction ratings by adhering to claim handlingpractices that put customer service and communication first,working with them to identify loss cost trends, collaborating withrisk managers and human resources representatives on training oremployment issues, and identifying opportunities for riskreduction.

Zurich performs very detailed customer satisfaction surveys andwe also rely on our claims staff to get direct feedback fromcustomers, brokers and agents. We believe it is important tomeasure satisfaction from every angle to continuously improve theease of doing business with Zurich.