XL Group completed a two-year deployment of its global claimssystem in December and as a secondary phase of the deployment thecarrier has developed a mobile claims application for use by bothbusiness users and insureds.

The multi-channel customer portal was created with the help ofAccenture, as part of XL's global claims system, XL GlobalClaim.The portal provides customers with access to claims informationvia the XLWebsite and through mobile devices using the Apple OperatingSystem for iPhone. No Android application is available yet.

The portal offers real-time access to claims-relatedinformation, such as:

• Contact details and locations of participating XL claimshandlers
• Date of loss
• Policy number
• Claims status.

“It's the next step to our global claims platform deployment,”says Paul I. Tuhy, executive vice president and global head ofclaims at XL. “The app is another avenue for users to access the[claims] system.”

As competitors have offered more access to their systems forbusiness partners and insureds, XL found itself limited in thisarea because of its legacy systems.

“Now we're working on access issues and part of that is allowingusers directly into the system through the Internet from theirlaptop computer or another alternative—an app from a mobiledevice,” says Tuhy.

XL GlobalClaim is based on Accenture Claim Components, Accenture's claims processingsoftware. Accenture helped XL design and develop the customerportal and the mobile services capabilities.

“With the increasing ubiquity and usage of mobile devices, itwas a priority for XL to offer its customers better access toclaims information through online and mobile channels,” says Tuhy.“We had previously selected the Accenture Claim Components for thedevelopment of our global claims system and, since the software isdesigned for multi-channel access, we were able to also develop andimplement our new customer portal rapidly andcost-efficiently.”

“With nearly two billion people connected to the Internet, and90 percent of the world's populationhaving access to mobilenetworks, digital technologies are changing the way consumerschoose to interact with their insurers,” says Michael Costonis,executive director and head of Accenture Claims Services. “That'swhy it's imperative in the relationship-driven business ofinsurance for carriers to be able to serve their customers throughnew channels. By launching its multi-channel claims customerportal, XL demonstrates its capacity to innovate and take advantageof the opportunities that digital technologies present.”

XL began its claims transformation in 2008 with design work.Deployment began in 2010 with XL'sBermudaoperations and the carrierfinished the rollout last December.

Tuhy cited three areas XL was seeking improvement in the claimsarea: ease of use, multi currency, and adaptability. XL has severaldifferent policy areas: aviation and space, marine, property &casualty, and professional D&O, among others.

“We needed a system that could adapt to all those [coverageareas] without a lot of customization and a system that wasmulti-currency,” says Tuhy. “We are geographically all over theworld and we wanted something that would adapt to the localcurrency. Multi-currency was a key.”

Another important consideration for the systemwas the ability to deal with a separate XL initiative—goingpaperless, according to Tuhy.

“We went to a paperless environment and because of our differentlines we had to figure out how to develop a process for firstnotice of loss and which parts go through ourIndiaoperation and ourscanning offices,” he says. “It was neat to see how it all fittogether. It's a new age.”

Because of the paperless environment, XL personnel went throughsome behavioral changes, explains Tuhy.

“The IT challenges are always there, but one of the biggestchallenges that people sometimes overlook is the behavioralchange,” says Tuhy. “We started to look at that when we weredesigning the system to develop user acceptance. We found it takesabout 6 to 8 months for [users] to see the benefits and almost ayear before it becomes embedded in their normal routine. You haveto adjust to that.”

The claims project is one piece of the technology strategy at XL Group, according toTuhy. Pieces were added to the claims system that ultimately willaccept areas where other strategic initiatives are underway, suchas underwriting workstations and analytics.

“Idon't know if claims would be the normal starting point—a lotof time it's not—but that's the way this worked,” he says. “We werethe first ones out of the gate. It was actually helpful because alot of the people working on the claims project gravitated into theother [initiatives] and had substantial background of working on aproject of that size, so it's actually worked out really well.”

When asked what made this project special, Tuhy immediatelypointed out that the system was completed on time and significantlyunder budget.

“For a project this size that's a huge win,” he says.

Beyond that, though, Tuhy explains that XL is now on oneplatform globally and has the ability to service accounts andcustomers in a seamless manner—both internal customers inunderwriting and other functional areas or outside brokers andinsureds.

“If someone calls me in regard to a claim inAustriaI can easilylook up the claim and know what's going on,” says Tuhy. “This makesus more consistent in our approach to claim handling and, mostimportant, to serve our clients.”