When insurers talk about mobile technology, the conversation usually revolves around smartphones — but at some point soon such discussions will likely be broadened to include the possible use of drone aircraft for claims management.

Insurance isn't the only industry considering the potential for drone observation. Ranchers may use them to help keep track of stray livestock. Filmmakers could employ drones to enhance action footage. Firefighters may depend on them to assess conditions before entering a burning building. Police could deploy them to look for perpetrators and their vehicles if suspects are on the run. Security firms could keep an eye on large properties from high above the ground.

Energy companies may send drones to inspect oil and gas pipelines in remote regions. Online booksellers have already speculated about trying to reduce delivery time with such aircraft. News organizations are eager to capitalize on the exclusive point of view drones could offer, particularly when covering a disaster or a celebrity wedding.

Imagine the possibilities for insurance claims managers. A tornado devastates a community. Roads are impassable because of debris and downed power lines, and access is being restricted to first responders in their emergency and law enforcement vehicles. Insurance claims adjusters may be unable to do any on-site surveys of the damage to insured properties for days.

Instead of waiting for the roads to clear, why not send a drone into the area and at least get started with a basic claims assessment? Not only would insurers be able to deliver more timely settlements to policyholders, but adjusters could cover a wider area than by traveling around on the ground. Drones might also spare adjusters from being exposed to the hazards of inspecting catastrophe claims in areas that often resemble a war zone.

Whatever the catastrophe may be — a wind event, flood, earthquake, mudslide, or wildfire — drones could support insurer efforts to get a handle on the damages by flying right over the scene and transmitting real-time images back to an adjuster's tablet or smartphone, as well as directly to the home office.

Drones could support claims management in certain non-catastrophe situations as well. Consider home- or business owners filing claims for roof damage after a hail storm or some lesser weather event. An adjuster could literally get a bird's eye view by sending a drone up to take a closer look and record images for the official record.

Challenges remain

Of course, however valuable they may eventually turn out to be, the incorporation of drones into a claims management arsenal is likely to take time as a number of variables need to be sorted out first.

For one, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to determine exactly how to regulate drones flown by hobbyists, let alone commercial enterprises. Insurers, perhaps more than anyone, should appreciate such precautions as sound risk management. We can't just have people launching drones into the sky above populated areas willy-nilly, which could end up causing more harm than good.

However, even after government regulations are in place, insurers will have hurdles to clear. For example, those actually controlling the drones for claims management will need to be trained and perhaps even certified to demonstrate they've mastered the necessary skills. That raises the question of whether carriers will equip their own adjusters with drones, or hire a third party with the equipment, expertise, and regulatory clearance to respond as needed on demand.

Then there are the liability implications to consider. Should this idea catch on, it's possible that multiple insurers could deploy dozens of drones at the same time, particularly if we're talking about a widespread disaster area. That could increase the possibility of midair collisions in a suddenly crowded, low-altitude airspace. And even under the best of conditions, with no other such aircraft in the vicinity, drones could malfunction or be misdirected and end up crashing, hurting people or damaging property beneath them.

One way to limit this liability could be cooperation among insurers, especially in a disaster area. Multiple carriers with insured properties on the ground could work through a single vendor or share data from one or a handful of drones deployed on behalf of a group of company adjusters to limit the amount of air traffic and the possibility of an accident, while spreading the liability around.

Still, carriers will need to make sure they are covered for bodily injury and property damage claims in case one of their drone missions goes awry, particularly if they contract with an outside vendor. Indeed, an entirely new sector of the aviation market could emerge should commercial use of domestic drones expand dramatically, in the insurance industry and beyond.

These are all important matters to address, but the biggest question is whether the expense and risk of using drones can be justified after calculating the value of their potential benefits for claims management.

While drones may sound like a "pie in the sky" idea to some, I have a feeling that in time this technology will be a standard component of claims adjusting, especially in a disaster situation. Given the increasingly ubiquitous presence of surveillance cameras posted on city streets and highways, as well as those attached to stores and other buildings, making such observation capabilities more mobile appears to be a logical next step.

Before long, the next time you look up, your insurer may be looking back at you!

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Drones could be next mobile tech tool in claims management

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