If you head on a road trip without first considering traffic reports, weather forecasts or recommendations from travel websites, you could end up stuck in a traffic jam, caught in a thunderstorm or visiting some place you didn't intend to along the way.

Similarly, processing an auto insurance claim without collecting and considering key data and analytics, asking the right questions and using the right tools early on, can send the claim down a path filled with wasted time, extraneous expenses and a lot of headaches.

To process claims smoothly, effectively and efficiently, it is important to focus on collecting and analyzing the right data from the start – good data upfront supports good decision making throughout the claim lifecycle, ultimately enabling better auto insurance claim results. By using insights derived from early data collection and analytics, insurance carriers can appropriately triage the claim, send it down the right path and make data-driven decisions for both the physical damage and bodily injury portions of the claim.