Managing customer expectations and increasing transparency in claims

Attributed to variable factors such as economic uncertainty and shifting life expectations, customers’ needs are ever evolving. 

Whether it’s buying my weekly groceries or contacting my energy provider, I know my own expectations have increased. On the surface this change could be seen as a move towards individual impatience, but the research has proven this shift to be global.  

As the market has evolved, so too have our expectations. And, if most of us could be deemed as more impatient than ever before, then it would make sense that this level of expectation is now the norm (or at least that’s what I am telling myself).  

Through technological advances and improved customer insight, I expect a more efficient level of service, and I expect to receive this service through my preferred channel. 

I expect a better level of customer service today than I ever have before, and I know our customers do too. 

Managing customer expectations 

Through the deployment of technology, the continuous development of training, and regularly reviewing customer journeys, we are committed to finding innovative ways to support our customers both directly and through our brokers. 

As an insurer we know claims are a critical customer touchpoint, and we recognise we can always do more. 

If a customer needs to make an insurance claim, it is important that they are aware of the claim process and that they know what to expect and when to expect it. 

We are constantly working to improve our claims journeys. By introducing eclaims for example, customers can report a claim online and retrieve regular updates from the online portal. Depending on the claim and whether a supplier is involved, this can also connect them directly to that supplier. In doing so, our customers can quickly get the answer they need. 

Increasing transparency and efficiency 

Effective claims management is integral to achieving transparency. We know what we do and why we do it, but we need to ensure our customers know that too. 

We are always focused on delivering the most efficient service for our customers, and whether it’s on the phone or online, we train our claims handlers to anticipate what customers will want and need to know so we can guide them through the claims journey. 

Every claim is different, and every customer has different communication preferences. By having what we call our Home Hub, customers can have a direct chat with one of our handlers regarding a claim or their account in general. 

It will always depend on the nature of the claim, but the technology we use really can add clarity to the process and speed up claim resolution too. For example, if a customer has a damaged television, our handlers can remotely connect to a customer’s phone to view the damage directly through the camera on that phone. This not only moves the process along while the customer is still on their very first call to us, but the handler is more informed and can accurately let the customer know the next steps. 

One of the recent additions for our claims handlers is a generative Artificial Intelligence suite, which includes a Policy Q&A and a Claim Note Summarisation tool. Both tools allow our handlers to retrieve specific information about policy coverage and/or a claim, and our handlers can update customers and answer their questions more accurately and efficiently. 

We also work with key brokers to jointly identify end-to-end opportunities to strengthen information in the customer journey, helping policyholders better understand their cover and enabling them to make a more informed choice on making a claim. 

A ‘new era’ 

As the largest insurance conference and exhibition for brokers in the UK, BIBA’s theme this year is ‘A New Era.  

We’ve seen the shifting market dynamics and evolving customer expectations, alongside rapid technological advancements shaping this ‘era’. So we’ll be there, talking to our brokers about how we are continuing to evolve our support to brokers and their customers to manage expectations, improve transparency and meet the needs of the ‘live for today’ mindset.