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

Foster: Yes. Adjusters are being asked to enter more data elements than they have in the past. In today's world, it is expected. However, we need to be cautious and keep this at a minimum: only asking them to enter data that truly helps in the adjustment of the loss or adds value to the organization as a whole. Adjusters need to focus on adjusting losses as much as possible.

Is the role of the adjuster changing with your company? Are there issues the industry needs to face concerning the quality and experience of adjusters?

Foster: Yes, the adjuster role is changing. Their role is highly technical. The need for people with strong analytical skills will increase in the future. As an industry, we need to work to bring new people into insurance and claims. We do our best to hire adjusters who are recent college graduates or graduates with some financial industry experience. If we find the right person, we can teach them how to be a solid adjuster.

Has there been a fundamental shift in regard to the value insurers attach to mobile technologies or the way in which these tools are used?

Foster: There is clearly value to the use of mobile technologies. Communication is so much faster between all of the parties involved in a claim. Recently, one of our adjusters was trying to reach a claimant involved in an accident. The adjuster called the claimant's cellphone numerous times and left numerous messages with no response. After a few days, the adjuster was able to reach the claimant. The adjuster advised the claimant that numerous messages had been left on her cellphone without a response. The claimant responded that she never checks her voice mail on her cellphone and in the future, if we want a return call, we should send a text message first, asking her to call. This was an “ah-ha” moment for me. I think this will become the norm. We need to communicate with people the way they expect it and not the traditional means. Cellphones are “phones” in name only. They do so much more and seem to be used less and less for actual phone conversations. Photos and video taken by people involved in auto accidents are very helpful. They add a whole new dimension and help the adjuster visually understand what occurred as opposed to looking at photos taken sometime later or reading a written accident report.

Do mobile technologies affect case assignment, including FNOL, location, and routing? How so? Is it a conduit between various departments within the company or other liaisons?

Foster: We are looking at ways to extend FNOL to mobile devices. With Web-based systems, loss assignment is more efficient, especially as Internet service becomes more reliable in remote areas. As a farm insurance company, Internet service can be spotty in rural areas, but things are improving every day. We find we are able to route losses to the appropriate adjusters efficiently. We also want to explore connectivity with body shops, rental car facilities, and other customer contact points to make the process easier.

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

Foster: We are proud of our adjusters and the level of service they provide. This is supported by the positive responses we received from our customers. Is everyone always satisfied? No, but we hope to learn from those who are not, and see if there are ways we can improve the process so another customer doesn't encounter similar disappointment or frustration in the future.

Do you monitor social media in terms of customer satisfaction? What steps can you take—if any—to deal with unfavorable publicity about a claim?

Foster: Currently, we do not monitor social media. We are in the early stages of developing a social media presence as a company. Monitoring for customer feedback will be important.

How satisfied are you with your claims administration system? What areas work best?

Foster: We are transitioning from a legacy system into a new web-based claims system. We are very satisfied with the progress we are making.

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

Foster: This is an area we have not entered into as of yet. We hope to be able to extend services to claimants that add value and streamline the experience, but are careful not to add services they will never utilize, while supporting the added value of our insured's independent agent.

How often do you reexamine your processes to determine their quality? Any examples of changes you have made recently?

Foster: As we move forward with our claims system implementation, we continually evaluate all of our processes to determine if they add value. For example, we discovered our final payment process included manual steps that could be automated for time savings. As a result, we are in the process of improving our automated payment approval process to reduce the steps managers and supervisors need to take to approve a final payment requiring authorization.