The Massachusetts winter of 2015 broke multiple records andcaused misery for drivers, homeowners and insurers. February wasthe snowiest month in Boston since 1872, with 64.8 inches of thewhite stuff. New records were also set for the snowiest 30-dayperiod, with 94.4 inches between January 24th and February 22nd,and the all-time snowiest winter at 110.6 inches set shortlythereafter.

“Ice dams” quickly became the dominant topic of conversation atwork, home and in the news.

Everyone was talking about ice dams: “What causes them?”“How can they be prevented?” “Who should I call for help?”and, of course, the ever-popular, “Will my insurance cover thedamage?”

An insurance carrier's reputation can be made or brokendepending upon its ability to respond to customer needs after acatastrophic event, or even a series of events like thoseexperienced this past winter. Key challenges faced by carrierleadership teams during these stressful times included effectivelyresponding to the questions above and many others, the dramaticinflux of claim volume, and keeping employees fully engaged tohandle high impact service demands.

Hire the right talent

An organization can have a spectacularly detailed catastropheresponse and communication strategy, but without the right talentto execute it at the moment of truth, failure becomes a loomingpossibility. While strategy is key, delivering a superior customerexperience really begins with selecting, developing and retainingthe talented individuals who will fully embrace a company'scommitment to extraordinary service.

Insurance is a business of emotion. People call when they needhelp during times of crisis, and emotion is often intricately tiedto their needs. The impact of selecting employees who understandthese needs and demonstrate a deep commitment to helping others ina highly technical and sometimes emotionally-charged environmentcannot be underestimated.

During the interview process, a focus on technical skill sets,potential for advancement, and corporate cultural alignment isimportant. Even more significant, however, is vetting thecandidate's behavioral stress response, including the ability to becalm, helpful and flexible. When a catastrophe hits and customerexpectations spike to new highs, will the candidate respond andbehave in the way the company wants and needs him or her to?Considering the very real possibility that employees will bepersonally dealing with their own weather-related home, auto andfamily issues while being asked to deliver stellar serviceexperiences to others, identifying resilient talent must be apriority.

Communication matters

While some will call it cliché, overlooking the power ofeffective communication is a fundamental mistake. Communication isvital and must take multiple forms. It starts with awell-thought-out communication plan that is prepared long before anevent occurs. The strategy should address all potential hurdles,including disaster recovery and business continuity issues, andmust fully maximize all of today's communication channels andmediums. For example, what is the best way to leverage technologyand social media effectively to communicate with customers andagents? Which messages will be sent at what frequency? All of thesequestions must be considered when developing a comprehensivecommunication strategy.

Even the best plan will need tweaks, and the unique,back-to-back weather events of the winter of 2015 certainly provedthat. As the relentless snow piled up by the foot, agents andcustomers continued to seek guidance from carriers in unprecedentednumbers, forcing continued modifications in the frequency, methodand content of communications. Being able to foresee new orunanticipated questions, digest them, and display the agility torespond directly, consistently, and quickly is critical. To besuccessful, the claims leadership team needs to be highlytransparent and remain nimble and open to updating the strategy asthe situation dictates.

People often think of communication needs in terms of theirimpact on external partners, but the highly successful leadershipteams also recognize the importance of effective internalcommunications. Providing detailed information and updates to theclaims professionals who will be interacting with agents andcustomers is crucial to everyone's success. When employees are keptinformed, they are better positioned to effectively respond to theemotionally-charged calls they receive throughout the day. Thisapproach adds a strong consistency to marketplace messaging andkeeping the brand's promise.

Continuous and transparent communication also helps drive higherlevels of employee engagement as it keeps people actively involvedin developing the overall catastrophe response. Claimsprofessionals are the best situated to provide real-time feedbackon the questions and concerns they are hearing, thereby enablingthe leadership team to respond quickly to their needs and requests.If the right talent has been selected, they will want to deliver asuperior customer experience and be part of the solution when aproblem arises. With this in mind, leaders should actively andcontinually seek out feedback. Embracing employees' ideas andsuggestions will encourage even more valuable recommendations.

And one must never forget that frontline claims professionalsare the most vital part of any response and communication plansince they are the first carrier touch point for a customer who hassuffered a loss. Understanding that most customers want to hearfrom the company to whom they have been paying their premiums, notnecessarily a third party that represents the carrier, it isessential that the claims professional is well-informed. If theinitial interaction is handled effectively, there is a higherprobability that the claims process will work smoothly andefficiently toward resolution.

While striving for perfection is the goal, it will never beconsistently achieved, which means there will always beopportunities for recovery. Embracing this eventuality is not toaccept sub-par performance, but a reality driven by the heighteneddemands associated with a catastrophe. Leaders should considerformalizing a recovery strategy to ensure that those opportunities,which are without question more frequent during catastrophes, arehandled effectively and efficiently.

The recovery strategy should also include a method toeffectively let frontline claims professionals who are workingtirelessly to provide superior service despite high claims volume,know that the occasional “hiccup” is anticipated and the leadershipteam is fully prepared to stand behind them and play an active rolein assisting them with the recovery process.

Great leaders continually seek to learn. They are neversatisfied with the status quo. They take every experience, good orbad, and work to understand where there are opportunities toimprove. Whether it is a major change in protocol or a minor tweakto an internal process, there will be things that should be donedifferently the next time a catastrophic event happens. It is not amatter of “if” but of “when.”