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Category Archives: Customer Service

  1. 5 Business Basics Every Claims Person Should Live By February 14, 2011

    Posted in Customer Service, SPOT on Ops.

    Ideas from successful business can be adopted in claims very easily if one takes the time to look. As we all know, claims folks have little time to look and that is where I hope the Claims SPOT can help. Sometimes claims organizations get so involved in the day-to-day that they have little time do the basics. However, concentrating on doing the write thing from a business perspective is the best way to succeed in claims. Expanding on Donna Flagg’s recent article Five Things They Don’t Teach You In Business School, we explore how those five things apply in the claims world. It’s common sense time in our most recent post.

    5 comments
  2. What are your towing and transport processes costing you? September 14, 2010

    Posted in Best Practices, Claims Technology, Customer Service, SPOT on Costs, SPOT on Issues.

    Claims organizations have long recognize the power of vendor networks. Direct Repair Programs are an easy example. New technology and new providers allow those same benefits to be applied to vehicle transport management, where a primary goal is to reduce vehicle storage costs. In fact vehicle storage costs can be a major component when evaluating the overall costs of non-drivable vehicles. This article highlights what to look for in evaluating your current process and how you can hone in with almost pin-point accuracy on this previously less-managed area of cost expenditure.

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  3. Why Can’t We All Get Along? Making The Agent A Partner In The Claims Process July 27, 2010

    Posted in Customer Service, SPOT on Issues, SPOT on Ops.

    Creating a strategic advantage through improved agent carrier relations

    The relationship between claim adjusters and agents can be an adversarial one. Each side often finds itself correcting issues created by the other side. Agents may set the wrong coverage expectation for a customer, leaving the adjuster to deliver the bad news. Adjusters may get overloaded and not return phone calls in a timely manner, resulting in a complaint to the agent’s office. In the worst case scenario, adjusters and agents may badmouth each other to customers, putting customers in the middle. Clearly, agencies have a role to play in the claim process. Enabling agents and their staff to perform their role efficiently with empathy and professionalism can benefit customers, agents, and the claims department. Read more this week from Melissa Loew.

    2 comments
  4. Increasing Claims Satisfaction Doesn’t Mean Increasing Staff July 21, 2010

    Posted in Customer Service, SPOT on Ops.

    Is it possible to increase claim satisfaction and decrease cost at the same time? Many claim representatives say no. Some view that satisfaction is driven by the ratio of adjusters to claims – having more people to handle claims means higher satisfaction, although also higher loss adjustment expense. Some believe that higher settlement amounts result in higher satisfaction and higher loss costs.

    As the Claims SPOT welcomes new contributing author, Melissa Loew, see how customer satisfaction can be addressed in tight staffing markets.

    5 comments
  5. Encounters of the Best Kind Can Create The Strongest Claims Organizations July 20, 2010

    Posted in Best Practices, Customer Service, SPOT on Issues, SPOT on Ops.

    Companies cannot define their core “brand” through brute marketing and advertising. Rather, customers define what that brand is in their individual interactions with the company. Those interactions can either be transactions or encounters. Encounters make the relationship stronger while transactions result in a worse relationship or one that stays the same. This is no different in the claims professional’s world. How can claims professionals create encounters, and avoid transactions, in their interactions with their customers?

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  6. Better claim reports can help improve producer/carrier communications (take our poll) January 29, 2010

    Posted in Customer Service, SPOT on Ops.

    Improved producer carrier relationships can be a competitive advantage to help increase profitability in tough economic times. According to the survey, a key differentiator for carriers to attract more business from their producers is in the areas of claims handling and technology. Most modern claims systems can create automated customized reports. Producers should be able to ask for specific reports and have them electronically scheduled for delivery. Better reporting will go a long way to improving relationships, and can only help increase profitability and enhance service to the policy holders.

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