Are claims concierge services the future of claims?

Vol 46: Issue 4 | December 2023

The concept of a white-glove concierge service is usually associated with five-star hotels, offering customers next-level attention to detail and making sure their stay is as comfortable as possible.

It’s a nice add-on if you can afford it. So, what if that kind of service was available to help customers making an insurance claim — as part of a standard offering and at no extra cost?

Rapid technological advancements and the growing availability of data have already expedited the claims process in many ways.

Some insurers are now using technology to introduce their own take on a concierge service by providing better, faster and more customised claims experiences as part of their standard offerings. Others offer a human touch, with a personalised service and access to specialised support if needed.

A claims concierge service is distinct from the traditional claims process in several significant ways. It serves as a single point of contact for the claimant, offering a dedicated service throughout the entire claims process.

It takes a proactive approach, keeping the claimant well informed at each stage of the process, and handles administrative tasks by submitting the required paperwork and documentation on the customer’s behalf. Additionally, concierge services expedite the claims process and are ready to escalate any issues if necessary.

Insurers who offer a claims concierge service may also have an advantage in addressing many of the five key areas of concern highlighted by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in its review of insurance claims handling, released in August this year.

These areas are: improving consumer communications; enhancing project management; recognising and managing dissatisfaction and complaints; identifying vulnerable consumers and handling their complaints; and ensuring there are sufficient resources for claims and complaints handling.

In particular, a claims concierge is an additional resource that can improve customer communications and claims management — which will likely also reduce the incidence of complaints. Even then, the service can escalate problems that may arise to a human claims handler.

Gaining traction

There are already examples of claims concierge services in the global market, handling anything from medical and personal injury claims, through to property damage, vehicle repairs and more. In Australia, insurance provider NTI says introducing a concierge service for its transport customers has sped up the claims process by 60 per cent, with more than half of all customers choosing it as an option.

James Pepplinkhouse, chief technology officer at Wilbur, the tech arm of the Claim Central Group, says a claims concierge service is delivered through human staff, apps, bots or a combination of these, offering specialised support tailored to the specific needs of the policyholder filing a claim.

“The current concierge services have turned customer interactions into a two-way conversation, as opposed to a reply and response process through emails,” he explains.

“It’s about compressing the time it takes to handle each claim, which improves the customer experience by making interactions available 24/7 through an online portal.

Using Claim Central’s concierge service, users can upload videos and photos of damaged property to an online claim file, communicate at any time of the day or night, and upload invoices for repairs as they come in.” 

Customers also have a dedicated human claims consultant on hand to answer any questions that arise.

“It’s a technology-driven concierge service that gives customers a better and faster experience,” says Pepplinkhouse. “For example, through our video streaming service, we can remotely view a damaged property while we are speaking to a customer, instead of booking someone to come out in three days’ time.

“Customers can access the concierge service to get assistance to process feedback or enquiries straight away. It takes away the wait time around communication and paperwork.” 

Bridging gaps

Concierge services also have the potential to help customers beyond claims management. In New Zealand, for instance, Tower Insurance has partnered with real-estate company Ray White to launch Concierge. It’s a service that helps customers purchase their home and contents insurance, book a tradesperson for repairs and improvements, buy discounted art and more.

“It is a unique and innovative example of how the concierge model can be used across industries, by making it even easier for people to insure their home during the house-purchase process and ensuring they have the right insurance for their needs,” says Jonathan Beale, managing director of partnerships at Tower Insurance.

Tower also offers a digital self-service platform called My Tower, which helps to speed up the claims process and guides customers along the way.

“Customers can lodge a claim and check the progress of their claim without having to pick up the phone or email our customer care teams,” says Beale.

Where to next?

Pepplinkhouse predicts that as technology continues to evolve and offer new solutions, the concierge service will likewise become more advanced. 

“We’ve already had a lot of changes in technology this year, and we’ve got all of these great AI [artificial intelligence] products that are available,” he says. “I think the future of the claims concierge will be adding generative AI into the mix, to boost that reasoning ability and handle even more cases.”

Generative AI can draw on large datasets to provide answers to customer questions and anticipate the next steps required.

Despite these advances, Pepplinkhouse says the claims concierge service still requires the human touch.

“The most complex claims will continue to be handled by humans, who can bring empathy and expert judgement,” he says. “Complex claims will always require more nuanced judgement than AI-based tools can provide. Technology is just helping us cover more ground, more quickly.” 

What does a claims concierge service deliver?

A concierge service can provide valuable assistance during the insurance claim process. Here are three ways it can help:

1. Guidance and support: Concierges can help customers understand the steps involved in a claim, the information needed and what to expect at each stage of the process. This can reduce the chance of delay or denial and ensure the information the customer provides is accurate and timely.
2. Document collection and submission: They can advise on what evidence or paperwork is required, help customers fill out claim forms and even collect relevant records from external sources such as government databases and registers.
3. Claim status updates and advocacy: They can keep customers informed about the progress of a claim and act as advocates if there are any delays or issues.

"Customers can access the concierge service to get assistance to process feedback or enquiries straight away. It takes away the wait time around communication and paperwork," says Pepplinkhouse.

“We’ve already had a lot of changes in technology this year, and we’ve got all of these great AI [artificial intelligence] products that are available."

Read this article and all the other articles from the latest issue of the Journal e-magazine.

Read issue 4 of the Journal