Karen Campbell, Chief Information Officer, Carpenters Group, looks at what new technology can bring to claims

Technology innovations are determining the growth and evolution of all industry. The past few years have seen mobile devices, cloud technology, and robotic process automation (RPA) impact significantly on the claims experience across both insurers and brokers.

Karen Campbell

In an industry that is increasingly competitive on cost and driven by customer-centric preferences, technology is no longer seen as a ‘nice to have’ add-on but a critical differentiator that sets a company apart from the pack, defining success or failure.

Digitalising the claims process with MyClaim app

At the beginning of 2017, we asked 100 of our customers to take part in our MyClaim web bases portal trial. The trial was to allow us to gain a better understanding of how our clients wanted to interact, communicate and track the progress of their claims in a more convenient manner.

The data captured from the trial allowed us to develop the MyClaim app - designed to streamline the claims handling process and enable customers to access their claims information, anytime and from anywhere. It has produced a centralised claims process that covers all touchpoints as well as a seamless customer experience.

MyClaim app provides visual details about their claim, where the customer can upload documents such as receipts and photos directly from mobile devices. The app also makes documents instantly accessible, allowing customers to provide instructions and information quickly and conveniently.

Customers previously had to complete and submit all paperwork via post or email. With the MyClaim app, users can leave their paper at home and still be able to share documents and images and check the status of their claim.

Another key feature of the app is MyClaim Help/Chatbot that lets users ask for any information or help with understanding the terminologies they find throughout the claims process.

In just 12 months, the app has generated a 60% take-up rate with more than 21,000 accounts created. More than 20,000 users are logging in every month, with each person engaging with the app at least twice during that period. We have noticed that users spend an average of four minutes using the app, a testament to our original aim of making the app easy to use coupled with time-efficient functionality.

Boosting innovation: claims tech should be nimble and relevant

Developing an effective claims strategy has never been more complex. Enhancement of technologies and changing customer expectations have rapidly altered the way business is undertaken, coupled with the pressure to maintain high quality service standards.

At Carpenters, we believe that technology is a critical component of our business, and should be nimble, flexible and relevant to the client’s circumstances. We have invested heavily in technology over the years to ensure that we are leading the market with our digital capabilities. As part of our innovation strategy, we plan to add more functionality into the MyClaim app to create a fully-digitalised claims process for our customers. The MyClaim app will continually evolve and soon users will be able to book medical appointments via the app, obtain a visual of motor repairs, or chat with a medical professional. We also plan to develop voice recognition skills that can be integrated with virtual assistant devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Assistant.

Our in-house IT team comprises more than 40 software developers, digital infrastructure, and security experts who are working to continually develop our systems and solutions using industry insights, technological experience and best practice standards, so that we can tailor our solutions to each of our client’s individual needs.

The industry must keep pace with cutting edge technologies and constantly enhance end user experience to meet industry challenges. For our customers the value is in the speed, convenience and efficiency of the claims process. We give them the reassurance of knowing that our services are always close at hand.