Purchasing auto insurance should provide peace of mind that if an incident were to occur, a catastrophic weather event, for example, vehicles will be adequately covered and protected. Other implied expectations come alongside that purchase: a timely, accurate and fair assessment of the loss, adequate communication, professional customer service throughout, and eventually, indemnification or return to pre-loss condition — all treated with the urgency it deserves.
Catastrophes can be particularly damaging — both physically and emotionally — as well as disruptive to daily life. The importance, then, of taking care of a policyholder, in what may be the sole auto claim journey of their lifetime, cannot be overstated. The problem comes when those implied policyholder expectations — timeliness, carefulness, professionalism, urgency — are left to fall by the wayside by the professionals handling the loss, infusing additional stress and frustration into a process that is difficult enough as is.
Organizing the chaos
With supply chain and auto parts’ sourcing issues, in addition to labor shortages and the subsequent decrease in repair capacity, auto body shops are already stretched thin; availability wanes and long wait times are common. This issue is exacerbated when an unexpected severe weather event hits, an additional layer of chaos. Hundreds of folks might find their cars dented after a late-night hailstorm, and when 100 car owners simultaneously seek services from the only body shop in town (a first-come-first-serve business), service availability — and quality — tends to bottleneck, cycle times drag out and policyholders experience a frustrating, lengthy and expensive process during which they do not feel cared for.
If a client needs an estimate on a quicker timeline, and urgently wants their vehicle back to pre-loss condition, partnering with the right third party administrator (TPA) can not only ensure expert-level service and an appraisal that will truly indemnify the loss, but also keep catastrophic cycle times in check. Whereas a body shop might take several weeks and incur additional costs, it is reasonable to expect an auto estimate from a TPA like Sedgwick completed within five days — and to receive your vehicle restored to pre-loss condition soon after.
Companies with a sprawling footprint that receive massive claim volumes following a catastrophe are usually the ones that employ the top-tier industry veterans on staff or in network, who can handle it the soonest and most accurately. The organization must be skilled at organizing the chaos. Using a TPA can fill the resource gaps either through field staff who are trained to act as an extension of the specific client, or an independent appraiser. Sedgwick’s auto CAT appraisal team taps into a network more than 1,000 independent appraisers across the U.S., even in hard-to-reach areas — as well as experienced staff field and desk appraisers, and a dedicated CAT management team.
Ensuring quick, equal CAT response
Carriers should routinely assess how difficult it is for their policyholders to access the resources they need, in any possible location, in the event of a catastrophe. A policyholder living in a remote Southern Texas valley prone to flash floods, should have equal access to high-level, timely service as a policyholder living in a Midwestern metropolitan area prone to hail events. Unfortunately, that is often not the case.
The Texas policyholder might experience a hailstorm that breaks their vehicle’s windshield, and be told there are no available appraisers in the area — their vehicle will have to be processed through an auto body shop. The policyholder then might contact various auto body shops, only to be told they do not provide free estimating services. After following up with the insurance company, he might be told an independent appraiser from across the state will contact him.
By the time the appraiser arrives, the process could be delayed more than a week, all while the vehicle sits unusable. Then, the auto body shop that receives the vehicle to provide repairs is swamped with high demand, resulting in long wait times — and the claims process drones on an entire month.
These scenarios occur for a myriad of reasons. An organization may not spread out their on-staff adjusters to sufficiently cover remote locations, or have the bandwidth to handle a high claim volume following a catastrophe. Additionally, most competitive TPA firms do not have physical staff or resources to devote to respond in a timely matter, and those that do may not be equipped with trained experts or leading-edge technology to quicken and legitimize the claims process.
Comprehensive, quality service
It is critical to carriers and clients alike that estimates aren’t being hastily rubber-stamped — each vehicle must be evaluated diligently, and policyholders must feel confident that they’ll receive the most accurate, carefully handled estimate possible for their vehicle.
Each appraiser must have vast knowledge surrounding every aspect of estimating vehicle damage. Each must also be equipped with ample industry experience to back up their technical knowledge. What specific work is truly necessaryto bring the vehicle back to pre-loss condition? How can it be done most cost-effectively, without sacrificing premiere quality?
Each vehicle, loss and policyholder’s circumstances are unique — which calls for greater variance than a cookie cutter response. To that end, robust training methods are integral. Truly effective training does not happen by accident; it happens methodically, and results from a business’s deep understanding of what exactly their clientele wants. It also stems from whether an organization can successfully cultivate an environment where each appraiser is not only eager to grow, but wants to be there. Collectively, specialized technical knowledge, advanced training, leading-edge technology, veteran-level industry experience and genuine professionalism is the recipe for high-quality, white-glove auto appraising services and a consistently smooth claim process — every time.
> Learn more — Read about Sedgwick’s end-to-end auto solutions here.
Tags: appraisal, Auto, CAT Claim, Catastrophe, catastrophe claims, Insurance, Liability, Property, Property claims, Property damage, Restoring property, Vehicle