At a time of climate change, our team in France is seeing a high volume of potential drought-related claims. The number of regions in which the authorities have issued decrees on natural disasters is increasing and droughts are no longer restricted to the South alone.
However, upon investigation, we are also seeing that drought cannot be considered the primary cause of damage to buildings in more than 50% of the cases received. So our question became, how can we optimize the identification of these claims?
The challenge
Determining the true cause of damage for drought claims is a challenge, but it holds the prospect of an advantage for both carriers and insured property owners. For the insured who has suffered a drought-related loss, it is a guarantee that they will receive the right assistance quickly. For the insured who has not suffered a loss due to drought, they also receive a faster explanation of the origin of the problem that has affected their property. Inexplicable cracks are often a source of anxiety. For a carrier, indentifying the true source of a claim in an efficient manner not only ensures the right action is taken for their customer, but when done quickly, it saves time and cost for everyone.
The process
Our experts in France began seeking answers. We started from a simple observation: a site visit by a field expert takes a long time and involves certain costs for our clients. If, in addition, the claim is not related to drought, there is a a knock-on effect with an increased cost for the claim.
Video blended with intelligent review – ‘visio-expertise’ – however, enables quick analysis of the claim we are dealing with and allows for immediate classification. And what if a loss occurrs in an area lacking a reliable network to support video streaming? Field photography shared with specialist adjusters can act as a first filter in the identification of possible damage caused by drought.
Remote review may also become a tool that proves even more useful in the time of COVID-19. With the application of a selfcare service, an insured could theoretically begin the claims evaluation process at any time without relying on an outside party to access the property.
The solution
Our investigation determined that implementing a technology-enabled visio-expertise solution, blended with field photography, would meet clients’ needs and the needs of their policyholders. As the start of the customer pathway, it offers intelligent review of the claim as soon as notification is received, taking a real step forward in easily identifying specific causes of damage and classifying those that are not related to drought.
Currently, more than 50% of the files handled by the drought department are handled via visio-expertise. Of these, 70% are files without a link to drought. While these findings are sometimes a surprise to the insurer and the policyholder, they giveour drought experts a chance to respond seamlessly, accurately and quickly to meet the precise needs of the impacted individuals and organizations.