Most consumers have the capacity to offer their insights intothe incident damage using their mobile devices. For auto claims, asmart phone can be used to capture damage from a fender bender,uploading the picture to the insurance company for claimsprocessing and quick offline resolution. This is an ideal scenarioof an express, no-touch, low-touch or desk claim.

This is a great concept that can produce significant savings forinsurance organizations. Long-term revenue has a direct dependencyon the customer satisfaction rating of the customer post claim,while the claim costs depend on the length of the claim in aresolution process. Hence, a sound cost-effective strategy for anyinsurance organization is to streamline as many no-touch claims aspossible, reducing costs and pressure from the existing businessunits from handling large quantities of small, but time consuming,claims.

No-Touch Claim Risks

While using technology to expedite claims is very feasible,there are some major risks involved. First, detection of fraud, andsecond is establishing liability. The trouble with recorded mediasuch as pictures or video clips is that they are outdated theminute they are taken, and if something eludes being captured onthe pictures straight from the scene, then it is not possible torecover this information. Recall a typical CSI episode and you willsee investigation photographers shooting pictures around a crimescene non-stop. The reason is to capture as much evidence aspossible at the time of the incident, so that nothing skips theinvestigator's eye.

Knowledge & Customer Guidance

While some customers are better at capturing appropriateinformation, most policy holders are not aware what kind ofinformation they have to capture and in what detail. Theirimmediate reaction is to capture a picture of the smallest bits ofdamage – a bumper, a headlight, a scratch, a dent. These picturesdo not document the full impact of the damage or present the righttype of evidence supporting the investigation. How can we expectthe customers to capture the right amount and quality of visualdata when they are simply not aware of what's important?

Most would agree that customers require a little bit ofguidance, but even with the most careful instructions, how can wehelp the customers follow the instructions, especially after apotential incident shock? This is where mobile real-time videostreaming is a perfect fit.

Real-time Guidance

Imagine the customer calling to report a fender bender from thescene. This first notice of loss notification (FNOL) is routed to acall center customer service agent, the main asset in receiving anddocumenting the most important information. The agent providescustomer the comfort needed to follow the instructions and asks thecustomer for details. Using the details, the agent documents asmuch information as possible from the client's accounts. Yet, whatif the agent could instruct the customer to show him the accidentscene real-time, looking at the scene from the customer's "eyes",as if the agent is present on location?

Using one-way high quality live video from customer's mobiledevice, the agent could gain valuable insight into the customer'spoint of view-–guiding the customer to display necessary details inreal-time and ensuring the right amount and quality of informationis delivered and recorded for quick claim resolution. Real-timevisual information can also help offering quick dispatch ofnecessary help and even a collect vital evidence for claimsinvolving third party liability.

Using Metadata

As with all mobile devices, there is a lot of data that isco-incidentally captured in the form of device metadata. GPScoordinates and directions of compass are just a few of the mostimportant examples in helping datamine risks and prevent fraud.Integrating this functionality into existing insurance mobile appsand identifying the caller by phone number is yet another elementthat can expedite the claims process and ensure proper fraudprotection.

Technology has significantly evolved, making it possible tobetter engage the customer in the most troubled times. Looking now,and into the future, the right technology and its application willbe the key to offer customers a high level of protection, higherquality of service and support, and higher level of customersatisfaction.

Bringing together live visual technology with human-to-humaninteraction is the next element in today's customer centricbusiness. Combining it with automatic speech analytics andincluding it with speech to text transcription services, we areable to develop a uniform customer claims delivery system that canhelp reducing costs while ensuring top level of customer experienceand reduction of fraud related risks.