Being involved in even a minor car collision or having a burst pipe can be one of the most stressful situations someone can experience. The last thing you want as an Insurance customer in this situation is to enter into a scripted conversation with your insurer that starts with: “What’s your policy number?”

From that first 30-minute ‘cookie-cutter’ call, to the to-and-fro over the repair or compensation decision, an analogue claims process typically handled out of a call centre throws up frictions that serve no one. Not the customer in their time of need, not the insurer who wants to take care of their customer and pay valid claims quickly, and certainly not the highly-trained Claims Handler who becomes beholden to administrative burden rather than being empowered to use their skills and expertise.

In 2018, there is a better way. Our insurer partners using the RightIndem platform report vastly improved Net Promoter Scores, material cost savings and Claims Handlers enabled to spend their time doing their jobs, freed of unnecessary administrative burdens.

How are we doing that?

We understand how to build and deploy great tech. We really understand claims from the insurer viewpoint. And we get customers. RightIndem is re-engineering that friction-filled journey for motor, marine cargo and home claims, and making intelligent electronic First Notification of Loss (eFNOL) work for everyone.

Making the most of the smartphone: image, voice and customer partnership

When an incident occurs, it’s common for customers to do one of two things: frantically search their email Inbox for their policy documents or, if they know who their insurer is, visit the insurer’s website and click on ‘make a claim’. Either way, what will ensue will in most instances be a telephone-led journey. Let’s make the most of this! Claims Handlers supported by RightIndem capabilities don’t have to follow a script. They are empowered to follow their human instincts and have a real conversation, asking first of the customer, “Are you Ok?” When it comes to capturing the details, customers are given a choice of recording what happened using their smartphone, in their own time. When given the option, this is what most people want to do.

They’re then sent a link, via text or email to a responsive web app which asks them to record an account of what happened and send video and photos of the damage. In a motor claim, their registration plate and their date of birth is enough to find their policy number behind the scenes. Rather than a digital journey that is STILL predicated on text entry, we use voice to engage the customer so they can express the details naturally, and they can do it any time of the day or at the weekend. Thirty minutes and a lot of frustration saved for the customer. Thirty minutes and significant OPEX costs saved for the insurer.

Delays are compounded by restricting communications between insurer and customer to phone calls during day time call centre operating hours, even when it comes to requesting a document be sent. Using a platform that lets customers check for updates and upload documents at any time of day, on any channel, takes out more of that friction. We know customers like this, because 32% of people who’ve used the RightIndem platform have done so between 8pm and 8am.

Validation and fraud screening

What’s holding back the adoption of digital claims? A big area of contention is around allowing machines to make decisions instead of humans. RightIndem thinks that the key principle is the augmentation of human capital by machine. Let’s use the example of fraud detection as a prime example. As well as working out how best to reinstate the customer back to a pre-loss position, the Claims Handler is also there to ensure that a customer has provided an accurate statement of fact, as quickly yet comprehensively as possible. RightIndem’s intelligent eFNOL journey delivers this power to the Claims Handler hand-in-hand with a painless and non-intrusive customer experience enabled by sophisticated AIs behind the scenes. The goal is for every Claims Handler to have the best validation and anti-Fraud tools, as standard, every time.

Claims: what’s your ‘flavour’?

Every claims department I’ve spoken to (and I have spoken to a lot!) has different claims processes. They do tend to share the same problems, usually predicated around legacy systems and antiquated technology, but the best claims teams always talk about what makes them special. The customer experience they deliver makes them unique and is something they want to preserve and enhance.

We created RightIndem as an enabler for insurers: we’re not replacing that special claims way but powering it, creating a ‘layer’ from which they can build the digital supply chain THEY want. Say your thing is paying claims faster than anyone. If RightIndem has validated that customer’s accuracy and valued the cost of the claim, you as the insurer could integrate an instant payment system into the platform too, so you don’t send a cheque or make a BACS transfer. And how about plugging in third-party digital services — like linking into repairers and fulfilment providers for low value claims to straight-through process. This can be done now. Similarly in Commercial, RightIndem is enabling digital reporting of marine cargo claims for insurers and their TPAs, today. This is a major break-through for the insurer, the TPA, the Broker and the customer.

Insurance needs to be as a modern retail experience for personal lines and a slick, professional service for commercial — arguably above all in Claims. Intelligent eFNOL is the non-negotiable foundation for this, and for RightIndem’s purpose to make Claims really work, for everyone.