A second-week claims adjuster trainee easily can testify to the fact the speed at which a claim is closed is in direct proportion to the end cost of that claim. Speed of task to reduce cycle time has been the driver behind many claims management decisions to adopt mobile solutions. These solutions are valuable, increasing adjuster productivity approximately 20 percent to 30 percent. The current mobility marketplace provides a number of valuable tools that have advanced significantly over the last 18 months vs. their original capabilities. The one constant across all devices is they must be Internet accessible.
Mobile solutions in the claims arena certainly are not a new subject. Over time, carriers have taken steps to arm their claims personnel with various devices for differing purposes, but most initiatives focus on mobile phones for voice access and laptops for e-mail and data gathering. Today, leading claims organizations are seeking ways to enhance operational effectiveness and reach the next level of customer satisfaction for competitive advantage. Mobile solutions can play a very significant role in these goals.
The ubiquitous mobile phone clearly added value for claims adjusters in terms of being able to connect with customers, supervisors, and service providers on a demand basis. In the beginning, battery life of the handheld was an issue, but that has improved significantly so individuals equipped with an up-to-date device can accomplish a day's work, both voice and data, without having to worry about loss of power. Smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and personal communicators rapidly are becoming the standard for voice devices within the insurance industry. These devices are able to bring data, not just voice, into the mix. The big leap in value for these devices is real-time claims assignment. Claims organizations, no longer tied to personal computer communications, are able to dispatch an adjuster to a high-priority claim mid-workday or add new first notices of loss that are in the same geographical area an adjuster is working in. Functionally, voice-only devices facilitate verbal assignment of new claims and allow a conversational exchange of risk information. However, they do require the claims representative to take notes, and the process interrupts workflow on both sides of the transaction.
On the other hand, smart phones, PDAs, and personal communicators can receive new assignments via a data push that contains contact and coverage information. The adjuster is able to access the assignment when it is most convenient in terms of business processes. Additionally, there is a much lower error ratio relative to known factual elements because the data comes electronically and is not subject to transcription mistakes. Fundamentally, voice plus data devices are a major component in today's fully functional claims adjusters' kit bag.
The adoption of laptops as an excellent tool for mobile workers was in lockstep with acceptance of mobile phones for that same work group. Laptops allow claims adjusters to utilize the exact same business applications in the field they use back in the office. While laptops clearly present opportunities for increased claims efficiency, certain laptop characteristics have caused some claims workers to be less than satisfied. They are:
o Battery life inadequate to accommodate a full day's work.
o Poor screen clarity in daylight.
o Size and shape make data entry difficult while standing.
o Out-of-sequence data resulting from lack of connectivity to core systems.
New devices have overcome many of these challenges. Batteries are gaining in capacity, and developments in screen technology have overcome the clarity issues. The new Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) produced by several vendors addresses battery and screen issues as well as the size and shape challenges. UMPCs are midway between a PDA and a laptop or full-size tablet PC.
One of the challenges for the insurance industry is to get fully functional applications on screens that are significantly smaller than a standard-size computer monitor. The UMPCs are bridging that problem without losing their size and weight advantage for an adjuster while standing and walking around a claim site.
Tablet PCs and hybrid laptops that swivel to become a tablet also address the size and shape issues. Touchscreen computers and pen-based computers/tablets and related software facilitate one-handed data gathering, which is a boon for an adjuster who is trying to capture things such as measurements, room configurations, contents lists, or damage type/location on a vehicle. At the end of the day, after being in the field gathering data and assisting customers, mobile devices must be self-synchronizing so events and data do not get out of sequence.
There are several significant technologies–GPS, estimating software, check writing–that mobile devices must contain or work in conjunction with, or they miss the mark in terms of gaining true efficiency and service speed. Today, these technologies are relatively pervasive within the insurance industry but rarely as a full suite. Additionally, the applications frequently are utilized as stand-alones, with little or no integration with other claims applications or service.
GPS went from "nice to have" to mandatory due to Hurricane Katrina. Adjusters could not locate specific locations because street signs and house numbers were obliterated. Mobile phones and PDAs equipped with GPS that can pinpoint a structure are a must for claims personnel so they can locate appointment targets. Laptops, tablets, and UMPCs with GPS capability not only pinpoint locations but, along with mapping tools, can group appointments so the adjuster can develop a time-efficient route for a day's worth of tasks.
Estimating software for structural losses and automobile physical damage is so pervasive in the industry it would seem it is almost not worth mentioning. However, as with all things, it is how the software is used. Is it fully leveraged within the organization? The mission-critical point for current functionality is the gathered data must be able to be uploaded directly to the carrier and not just printed, mailed, and rekeyed into a centralized claims processing system. Transmitting photographs with the estimates is an additional capability that falls into the "must have" category. Losses requiring on-site adjuster expertise demand speed because of their potentially serious nature. Transmitting estimates and photos that can be directed into the payment process on a same-day basis cuts days, if not weeks, out of a more traditional process.
Mobile check-writing capability is the ultimate time saver. Adjusters who can execute required tasks, largely facilitated by mobile capabilities, and can conclude the transaction with payment to the involved party at that precise time have fulfilled the customer's need for speed. Mobile check-writing technology exists in the market today and is employed by many leading claims organizations. Over the past several years, many carriers have received excellent press because they have been able to respond to catastrophic need by issuing checks for temporary living and repairs right at the site of the damage in real time.
Making these three technologies a part of a fully integrated claims mobility process will be the direction pursued by leading carriers over the next three years and is critical for firms' catastrophe response.
Mobile applications can play a huge role in creating efficiencies in claims operations. Even simple claims transactions are heavily grounded in documents and documentation. Hand-offs within traditional claims operations are numerous. Going back and forth with policyholders and claimants to obtain documentation adds costly weeks to the settlement process. One of the goals for a claims enterprise plan should be getting all appropriate forms and documents that require customer action to the adjuster via a mobile device so they can be acted upon during the meeting. Prefilling the documents with data the carrier already has cuts down on the process time. Prefilled data also creates a positive experience for the customer. A service disconnect occurs when a customer has to supply information the carrier already has. Aggregating customer data is an enormous task for most carriers due to disparate legacy systems, but it is a fundamental step in creating an intimate customer experience and must be a goal for all IT initiatives.
Simply because it is possible to move text to mobile devices does not mean it is appropriate to do so. It is imperative a very critical review of applications and forms be undertaken prior to deployment to a mobile device. A form or a data-gathering application should be utilized on a mobile device only when it can do the following:
o Improve cycle time through elimination of hand-offs.
o Decrease the amount of time an adjuster must spend on a claim through prepopulation of data.
o Improve customer service by handling administrative tasks in one interaction.
o Enhance accuracy through on-site data gathering.
Documents that are entirely text, such as policy forms, are not good candidates for mobile devices. They infrequently add value to a face-to-face interaction and are best dealt with through other delivery mechanisms. The other side of this analysis relates to the size of the device the application or form will reside on. Clearly, complicated forms with a significant number of data gathering points need a screen size that does not challenge vision or manual dexterity. Because of the growing number of devices with varying screen sizes, there is little need to compromise on these decisions, but the decisions must be made with thoughtful purpose.
Many claims forms need signatures. There are e-signature solutions in the marketplace that are a value-added application for a mobile device. Obtaining the signature while meeting with the insured not only cuts days off the settlement process but also eliminates costly back-office hand-offs that go into initiating and processing a paper-based signature requirement.
For the past several years, claims operations have been slowly adopting mobile technology solutions to assist mobile field workers. It has been a sometimes opportunistic but, more generally, amorphous process. Claims management must take hold of the direction and drive mobile strategies to meet the complex business drivers facing claims operations today. Mobile technology vendors have been making significant strides, and the time is right for claims management to reach out to innovative solution providers to partner for service excellence and cost optimization.
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