Navigating the Claims Process: Insights from our In-house claims team
Being an insurance broker means operating in a crowded market, there are lots of brokers all doing the same thing, and it can be difficult to see the differences, but our clients choose us because we are different, in our approach to buying insurance and in our approach to claims. We have always had an in-house claim team, dealing with all our clients’ claims from start to finish, taking away the stress of dealing with insurers and ensuring they have positive claims experience.
Meet our in-house claims team
We know the importance of being able to manage claims for our clients to ensure they get the very best service, so we don’t outsource any aspect of our claims service.
Our claims team is headed up by Alison Thorne, who transferred to the industry after a long and successful career in criminal law. At Atom Insurance Brokers claims handling is a team sport, and while Alison is keen to share the praise with the wider team Alison role is pivotal, managing the flow of claims from notification to settlement and beyond with a comprehensive diary system Alison works hard to ensure that the claims process is efficient and effective, which involves a lot of time contacting insurers, chasing for updates and making sure client expectations are managed.
The importance of a good claims team for insurance clients
“We win clients based on conversations about claims handling and service.”
We know that when our clients buy insurance, they are buying a promise that if a certain event occurs, they will be put back in the position they were in just before the event, so it follows that our responsibility to those clients extends to helping them navigate the claims process from notification to settlement and beyond. “We are proud to have an in-house claims team, on hand to help our clients when they need us the most” says Clive Thorne, Managing Director of Atom Insurance Brokers.
Making an insurance claim can be stressful and emotional, knowing what to do in the heat of the moment or when you need to think on your feet can feel overwhelming, which is why we are here to provide our customers with the highest levels of support via our fully managed claims service. We will provide you with all the advice and guidance you need throughout the process.
Our in-house claims management service forms the backbone of our operation, and we pride ourselves on our first-class service that involves reporting, processing, and coordinating your claim, and negotiating a speedy, satisfactory settlement. Keeping you informed at every stage and help you recover as quickly as possible.
How our in-house claims team help our clients
Our claims team has extensive experience and expertise to handle all the claims that come into the team. The team review the details of the claim, filling in any gaps with the client before assessing if cover applies and presenting the claim to the insurer, then tracking progress, with regular updates provided to the client until the claim is concluded and settled for the client.
We have a customer-focused approach, working on behalf of our clients to make sure they are treated fairly, that their claim is presented in the best light, and that we reach the best settlement for them. We act as the conduit between the client and the insurer (or loss adjuster) to make sure the claims process is smooth and stress-free as possible. That can mean that we are dealing with third-party insurers, loss adjusters, and solicitors, whatever it is we will assist with every aspect of the claim for you/our clients.
We are committed to finding the best solutions for clients, with our experience in dealing with claims we have built systems that are tried and tested, we have bespoke accident report forms to capture all the pertinent information in one place, and we will be onsite at meetings with insurers and loss adjusters to ensure our client’s interests are protected, we will provide updates on claims when and how or clients chose, so you can be sure that Atom Insurance Brokers will be there to help you when you need to make a claim.
We use our experience and claims data to help shape your ongoing risk management. All our clients also benefit from the claims data we capture, this data builds a picture of their claims history so we can present this back to them, helping them/you identify trends and patterns of claims and making recommendations on how you could manage these risks. We include this in our renewal meetings and then again throughout the policy year, with some clients as frequently as monthly.
We provide help and guidance on claims incidents. We are at the end of the phone for our clients who might be worried a situation could result in a claim, and we are happy to talk them through the situation and offer our help and guidance. This could be an employee issue or an injury where no claim has been made, we’d record the details, advise the client what to do to manage the situation at their end, and notify the insurer. We also deal with historic claims, for example, asbestosis or noise-induced hearing loss.
We believe strongly that the claims service is fundamental to the service we provide our clients and that it is our professional responsibility to explain, support, and manage claims for our clients. Over the years other insurance brokers have looked to cut costs, and many have chosen to reduce/remove claims teams from their businesses and rely on insurers or outsource claims services, both of which significantly reduce the brokers involvement in obtaining the best claims settlement for their clients. We make sure we have full visibility of and direct involvement in all claims so we can achieve the most favourable claims outcome.
Whatever the nature of your claim, please do not hesitate to get in touch. You can rest assured we will be here to help and assist during a potentially difficult time.
As soon as you are aware of an incident (no matter how trivial), please get in touch with us immediately on 01823 442214.