Delivering Customer Outcomes in a Changing Claims Environment
Mark Kellet | Commercial Claims Manager
In the latest issue of Modern Insurance Magazine, Commercial Claims Manager Mark Kellet shares his perspective on why the foundations of good claims management remain as important as ever, despite rapid changes in customer behaviour and communication preferences.
The fundamentals of delivering good customer outcomes in motor claims haven't changed. For me, the single most effective intervention remains proactive claims management: act early, set clear expectations, maintain ownership and keep the customer informed. What is changing is how customers expect us to deliver it.
The earlier we make the right decisions and establish what needs to happen next, the greater our opportunity to positively shape the journey that follows. Delays, unclear expectations or missed actions early in a claim have a habit of creating further intervention later.
That means establishing the circumstances, making liability decisions where possible, understanding mobility requirements, progressing repairs and identifying potential complications early. Just as importantly, it means telling the customer what is happening, what we need from them and what they can expect from us and the claim progress.
But proactive claims management doesn't mean more contact for the sake of it. Increasingly, interaction itself isn't necessarily what the customer wants, the outcome is. If their vehicle is being repaired, mobility is arranged and their claim is progressing as expected, many customers may be perfectly happy for those things to happen without needing to speak to somebody.
That is where the omnichannel environment creates both an opportunity and a challenge. We can increasingly service customers across telephone, SMS, email, portals and other digital channels, recognising that customer habits and expectations are changing. The challenge is knowing when a customer simply needs visibility that things are happening and when genuine human interaction adds value.
A routine update may be better delivered digitally and immediately. A complex liability discussion, an unexpected delay or a conversation with a vulnerable customer may require the judgement, empathy and reassurance of a claim’s professional. Getting that balance right also allows our people to focus their expertise where it adds the greatest value.
There is a commercial benefit too. Proactively managed claims are less likely to drift, while timely decisions can reduce delays and unnecessary cost. Good customer and commercial outcomes aren't opposing objectives; often they are the result of the same good claims management.
The principles haven't changed. Our challenge is to use the channels and technology now available to deliver them in the way each customer wants, including recognising when the best customer experience may require very little interaction at all.
