Waiting for the adjuster's report
A claim needs a loss adjuster to visit, or a repairer to quote, or a replacement supplier to source an item. The handler emails the instruction with the claim details. The supplier replies when they can: a visit date, then a report as a PDF, then an estimate, then photos, then an invoice. Each email lands in the handler's inbox or a shared claims inbox.
The handler reads each one, attaches it to the claim, updates the status and the reserve, and replies. When the customer rings to ask what is happening, the handler searches their inbox for the latest supplier email. Suppliers ring to ask whether their estimate is approved. Across a caseload, a lot of each day is spent as a go-between.
Why supplier updates are so manual
Claims supply chains involve many suppliers, each with their own systems and habits.
- Instructions go out by email with the details retyped.
- Updates come back in free text and attachments.
- There is no shared status, so the supplier, handler and customer each know a different part.
- Estimates and invoices need checking against what was instructed, by hand.
- Chasing is done by the handler, who has to remember who is late.
The cost of being the go-between
Claims take longer, and customers ring for updates the handler has to look up. Handlers spend time copying rather than deciding. Invoices are paid without being checked properly against instructions, or checked slowly, which suppliers dislike. You cannot see which suppliers are slow, because the evidence is in inboxes.
Which suppliers you use and what you approve is your claims team's decision within your agreements. The build makes the exchange with suppliers structured.
A supplier portal linked to your claims
What we build gives suppliers one place to receive work and report back.
- Instructions are created from the claim with the details filled in, and sent to the supplier through the portal with an email notification.
- Suppliers log in to see the jobs you have sent them, with the claim details they need and nothing more.
- They post updates against each job: visit booked, report uploaded, estimate submitted, work complete, invoice.
- Estimates and invoices are checked against the instruction and any limits you set, and differences are flagged for the handler.
- Updates post to the claim in your claims system through its API, and the handler gets a task only when a decision is needed, such as approving an estimate.
- Suppliers who prefer email can reply to the instruction email, and their update is attached to the right job and parsed into the status.
- Reports show each supplier's response and completion times.
| Supplier update | Posts to claim as | Handler action |
|---|---|---|
| Visit booked | Status and date | None |
| Report uploaded | Document and status | Review |
| Estimate submitted | Estimate, checked against limits | Approve or query |
| Work complete | Status, photos | None, or confirm with customer |
| Invoice | Invoice, checked against approved estimate | Approve payment |
A handler's day with the portal
Handlers see a task list of decisions, such as estimates to approve and reports to review, rather than an inbox of updates. The claim shows the supplier's latest status, which the customer can also see if you want them to. Suppliers know where their jobs stand. Slow suppliers are visible in the reports.
Invoices stop being a separate pile. Each one arrives against the job it belongs to, next to the estimate that was approved, so the handler approves payment with both in front of them.
Is your supplier chain run by email?
- Instructions to suppliers are written as emails.
- Handlers copy supplier updates into claims.
- Customers ring for updates the handler has to look up.
- Estimates and invoices are checked by hand.
- You cannot see which suppliers are slow.