One of my least favorite phrases is, “That's the way we've always done it.”

I used to work with a colleague who failed to understand that there might be more than one way to reach a desired resolution. Every time I deviated from what she thought was the correct way to do something, her response to me was, “Well, that's the way we've always done it!”

Now when I hear those words coming out of my mouth, I try to stop and almost pull them back. To me they signify an unwillingness to change, broaden my horizons and even consider that there is a different or possibly better way in which to achieve a goal.

Change is hard, and adapting to it constantly can be even more challenging. The insurance industry has probably changed more in the last 10 years than it had in the previous 75. Technology has changed how we adjust claims, how our policyholders report and track them, and improved our ability to gather critical data or identify fraud. Disrupters like Lemonade, are changing the entire face of the insurance process. Policyholders are able to pay significantly lower rates, purchase their policies and file their claims from their mobile devices, and have their claims closed in mere seconds.

Today's insureds also have different needs and significantly different expectations. In our instantaneous world, they expect to be able to contact anyone at almost any time to get a resolution to an issue or have a question answered. This means insurers must change the way they communicate with people.

Autonomous cars will have a tremendous impact on the insurance industry with lower premiums due to fewer accidents, and insurers need to develop new products to offset a forecasted drop in income.

Further changes will come as more millennials enter the workforce. Their needs, priorities and goals are different from previous generations, as are their skill sets. They use many different types of technology, but they may not know how to take vehicles or buildings apart and put them back together.

All of these changes and so many more mean that we cannot continue to operate as we always have. Change is coming and probably at a much faster pace than any of us want. We will have to broaden our horizons and develop a realistic plan to capitalize on the opportunities it brings because we will never be doing things the way we've always done them again.

Patricia L. Harman is the editor-in-chief of Claims Magazine. Opinions expressed are the author's own.

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But that's the way we've always done it!

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