At times claims executives focus too narrowly on claimsresolution as the sole factor in how successful the policyholderinteraction has been. In reality, there are multiple touch pointsthat must be handled well in order to not only impress thepolicyholder but also earn his or her policy renewal.

Often it is the first impression that counts. Following arefive ways the right claims partner, particularly first notice ofloss (FNOL) providers, can help insurers make good on their promiseto the policyholder in times of need.

1. Answer the phone… no matter what.

Have you ever called an 800-service number and received a busysignal? You probably thought you got the wrong number and simplyredialed. The fact is that the contact center probably did not haveenough T1's… or worse, they purposely routed the call to busybecause not enough CSRs were available to answer your call.

During times of catastrophe, calls must be answered,even if that means rolling them off-site to preventfrustrating a policyholder.

Hurricanes and tropical storms are key examples. In the wake ofSandy, Safelite's contact centers successfully managed anunpredictable 900-percent increase in overallcall volume while maintaining consistently high service levels.That involved 14,000 non-glass FNOL calls, answering 91percent within 20 seconds. Only 2.5 percent wereabandoned. Even during this strenuous time, policyholder needs weremet because of this team of professionals.

It can be difficult to imagine just how important promptanswering of the phone is to a policyholder during adisaster. What seems like a small thing may translate toa policyholder for life.

2. Answer the phonequickly.

Do you know your contact center's average speed to answer? Arecent SupportIndustry.com survey of 50 senior-level serviceand support professionals reported their averagespeed to answer as 30 seconds to 1 minute. Imagine the impact thathas on claimants' trust in you. If it takes a minute to answer thephone, then how long will it take to actually resolve theclaim?

Of equal importance to average speed to answer is the averagetime to abandon for callers, meaning the average time a customerwaited before he or she gave up on you before you couldanswer. Our experience finds policyholders have an averagetolerance of 34 seconds before hanging up.

For some policyholders calling in, this may be their first-everclaims experience with the insurer. Having perhaps paid premiumsfor years, the policyholder will measure his or her investmentduring this moment of truth. What does it say to your insured ifyour company is quick to take payments but slow to deliverservice?

Safelite Solutions has a flexible workforce to make sure phonescan be answered quickly while maintaining a consistent cost percall, regardless of volume. In fact, Safelite Solutions' customerservice representatives answered 5.8 million calls in 2012 with anaverage speed of 11 seconds… that's just two household rings, andan abandon rate of 1.73 percent.

3. Answer the phone… and represent yourbrand appropriately.

These policyholders chose your insurance company for areason. Many times, that choice is influenced by a company'sbrand equity. Maybe the insured likes the commercials ortrusts the brand promise. It's critical that the experience of theclaim matches the tone of your brand. Otherwise there will be a gapthat leaves policyholders questioning their decision and brandloyalty.

In fact, an insensitive or unresponsive customer servicerepresentative is the number one gripe according to the 2012American Express Global Customer Service Barometer.

Making sure customer service representatives (CSRs) arewell-versed in the insurer's “personality” and preferences canbe challenging, especially considering a relatively high turnoverrate in this field. However, on-going and randomized monitoringwill help ensure that a CSR sticks to the brand promise.

4. Answer the phone… andconfidently share policyrequirements.

A survey from Accenture identified a gap between what kind ofcustomer service policyholders expect to receive and what they areactually getting. For example, 62 percent of respondents said itwas important that the insurer provide information that was easy tounderstand. Yet, only 27 percent reported their insurers werefulfilling this need.

It is critical to properly communicate policy requirements, aswell as the claims process and timeline during FNOL. Manypolicyholders mistakenly assume that just because they filed theclaim, the claims adjuster will be at their house the nextmorning.

Some third-party contact centers work in a variety ofindustries, jumping between customer calls for travel agencies,banks, retailers, and insurance companies. Consequently, theynever master any of them. How confident are you that they canproperly represent your company, your culture, and your standardsto policyholders?

5. Answer the phone… and don'trush to get off.

Do your CSRs know how many calls are waiting? If your CSRs knowthe queue is building, then how pressured will they be to get offthe call quickly than is really ideal? Representatives must takethe time to listen to the policyholder, express empathy, andcollect all of the pertinent information. Is this happening?

The average call time for FNOL is 12 minutes but can run as highas 20 or more depending on the claims severity. Using talk time asa measurement for success is never advised. Your staff should befocused on a positive customer experience that will ultimatelyoutweigh the cost of a longer call, resulting in a higher ROI inthe end.

Bolstering Policyholder Retention

Clearly, the theme here is answering the phone. Just asimportant as an excellent contact center, however, is asolution for the growing number of policyholders who prefer the webto report claims. Regardless of the channel—phone or web—thegoodwill from a positive first impression can influence the entireclaims experience.

If your contact center operations aren't answering the phones inthese five ways, then interactions may be damaging yourrelationship with your policyholder.