Three ways a claim arrives
A customer's phone is stolen, their pipe bursts, their van is hit. They tell you through the app, by email, or by calling a number that goes to your team or your claims administrator. Each route captures something different. The app form asks for a date and a description. The email says what happened in a paragraph. The phone call gets typed into notes.
The handler picks up the claim and starts asking: which policy is this, when exactly did it happen, was it reported to the police, do you have photos, what is the value, where is the item now. Days pass before the claim has enough information to assess.
Why first notification is so patchy
The first notification is the one moment the customer is motivated to give you everything. Most intake processes waste it.
- Each channel was set up separately and asks different questions.
- Questions are generic rather than specific to the claim type.
- The policy is not checked at the start, so claims arrive for lapsed or wrong policies.
- Photos and documents are asked for later, by email.
- Claims handled by a third-party administrator arrive there in whatever form they were taken.
The cost of a thin first notification
Chasing basic details adds days to every claim and is a major source of customer frustration at a stressful moment. Handlers spend time on admin instead of assessment. Missing details early make later decisions harder. Claims data for your capacity provider and your own analysis is incomplete, because the fields were never captured consistently.
How claims are assessed and settled is your claims team's decision within your agreements. The intake just gives them what they need to start.
One intake for every channel
What we build is a single claims intake that every channel uses.
- The customer, or your team on the phone, starts a claim in the same flow, in the app, on the web or through a staff form.
- The policy is identified and checked first: in force on the date, the cover section that applies, and any excess, from your policy administration system.
- Questions change with the claim type, such as theft, accidental damage, escape of water or third-party injury, using question sets your claims team write.
- Photos, receipts, reports and reference numbers are asked for in the flow, with the option to add them later through a link.
- Where the customer has an urgent need, such as emergency repairs, the flow shows your instructions and contacts.
- The claim is created in your claims system, or sent to your third-party administrator in the format they accept, with everything attached.
- Claims are routed by type and value to the right handler or queue.
| Claim type | Questions specific to it | Documents asked for |
|---|---|---|
| Theft | Where, when, how, police reference | Proof of ownership, police reference |
| Accidental damage | What happened, current condition | Photos, repair quote |
| Escape of water | Source, whether stopped, rooms affected | Photos, any trades' reports |
| Third-party involvement | Other party details, witnesses | Photos, any correspondence |
The first days of a claim, afterwards
Claims reach handlers with the policy checked, the right questions answered and most documents attached. Handlers start assessing on day one. Customers get a clear confirmation of what they told you and what happens next. Your claims data, and therefore your reporting, is consistent from the first field.
Does your claims intake look like this?
- Different channels capture different details.
- Handlers chase basic information for days.
- Photos and documents are requested after the claim is logged.
- Claims arrive for policies that were not in force.
- Your claims administrator receives claims in varying formats.