How is technology streamlining the claims process at your company and, in your opinion, in the industry as a whole?

Hatch: At Zurich, we believe that streamlining the claims process is key to achieving efficiency gains, as well as increasing quality and service levels.

In late 2009, we started a claims transformation program aimed at providing a much more effective and efficient claims experience for our customers. Redesigning our first notice of loss business was a key starting point for us in that it introduced automated workflow management (WFM), which now guides work through a standard intake process. WFM gives us the ability to track work items throughout the claims lifecycle and minimizes data entry by integrating with other systems. This was a foundational step for us in 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 applications is ongoing, with the understanding that we must, at a minimum, keep pace with the market's technology. To that end, we are utilizing predictive models to get claims in the right hands as early as possible. By tapping into our huge claim data repository, we can identify claims that likely will have a high severity index, require nurse case managers or have an increased likelihood of fraud.

Are these technologies changing the way adjusters do their jobs? Are adjusters focusing their attention/time on different tasks as a result?

Hatch: WFM, as well as predictive modeling, will not only help improve customer satisfaction, but also the employee experience, by ensuring the right people are working on the right tasks at the right time—all to get the best outcome for our customers. By equipping our employees with these tools, they will be enabled to focus more on decision-making and customer service rather than administrative tasks. We think this empowerment will make their jobs more fulfilling and better engage them with our strategy of customer centricity.

In addition to shifting the focus on more value-driving behaviors, predictive modeling will help make us smarter about each claim. With the implementation of a recent predictive model, claim professionals now get insight into more than the complexity or severity of a claim, but also the key elements that determine the claim score.

This information is critical to the claims professional quickly and accurately managing the claim from the time of assignment. We believe having this insight early in the claim lifecycle will allow us to achieve better outcomes, strengthen our customer relationships, and allow us to exceed their expectations.

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

Hatch: Our self service offerings are focused on reporting and ongoing claim management primarily with our insureds. Today, customers can report claims via the telephone, fax, Web or submit electronically. We also have an industry leading tool called Zurich RiskIntelligence. This is a powerful Web-based system that provides daily updates of claims and loss information in standard or customized reports. By providing timely information in its most useable format, Zurich RiskIntelligence enables our customers to review loss costs, analyze loss trends, and pinpoint problem claims or loss areas early on, so that corrective action can be implemented.

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

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

Hatch: We are told time and time again by our customers that claims service matters, and we understand that many accounts are won or lost on this single issue. We have earned our high customer-satisfaction ratings by adhering to claim handling practices that put customer service and communication first, working with them to identify loss cost trends, collaborating with risk managers and human resources representatives on training or employment issues, and identifying opportunities for risk reduction.

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

Special Reports /

Claims Technology Q&A: Improving the Workflow

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