Going with the flow

Stop fighting the tide

Over the last 23 years MA Assist has fulfilled over 250,000 property claims ranging from £50 to £500,000 using its  Pulse claims management system.

Our extensive experience of managing property claims means that we have been able to design claims management systems and train staff to deal with the unpredictable. Property repairs are complicated and often don’t go to plan, no matter how good the original plan.

Unpredictable findings and events during a property claim mean that the plan often has to change. Examples of unpredictability include:

• Positive asbestos tests.
• Drying being needed.
• Alternative accommodation requirements.
• Hidden challenges behind partitions or under floors.

These events alter the initial planned outcome and create new tasks and work schedules. In these circumstances there is no point trying to fight the tide with pre-determined workflows and plans.

Good claims management systems, people and processes should be able to go with the flow, adapting plans and workflows to accommodate changing circumstances.

No system constraints

The vast majority of claims management systems and processes used in our industry are designed for a “typical” claim, varying only with the type of peril.

As a result, these claims management systems and processes cannot cope with changing circumstances and create delays, miscommunication and inefficiencies.

Pre-defined workflows are usually set at the start of a claim and cannot be adapted when unforeseen issues arise.

This leads to challenges for claim managers as they struggle to identify the best course of action, appoint additional suppliers and communicate with all parties involved. Work arounds to the established workflows, often outside of the claims management system, create miscommunication, encourage working in silos and ultimately deliver a poor service to the customer.

The MA Assist Pulse claims management system does not create system constraints. It is able to adapt workflows as circumstances change. And the workflow can be changed multiple times as the claim progresses.

The initial workflow is set according to the circumstances surrounding the claim and the customer’s own individual requirements. This workflow is communicated to all parties involved in the claim. If circumstances change, the workflow changes and all the parties are automatically notified.

Dynamic intelligence

The property claims process usually involves several suppliers. Some of them are appointed at the start of the claim and some are appointed later as a result of changing circumstances. For example a positive asbestos test means that an asbestos removal supplier has to be appointed and the required workflow changes.

All of our suppliers, whether appointed at the start or later in the claim, can see at what stage the claim is. They can also see the planned start and finish dates for other suppliers, allowing them to plan their works more effectively. 

In the example where an asbestos test is needed, the system will change the workflow to ensure that the test results are received before any work starts on site. If the test is positive the system will appoint an asbestos removal supplier and update the workflows. Everyone involved in the claim will, at a glance, be able to see who has been appointed and how the plan has changed.

Not only does this create a more efficient claims process, but it also improves the management of risks on site.

The Pulse claims management system also has the intelligence to automate certain activities if they meet certain parameters. For example, it can automatically assign work to the most appropriate supplier based on the information input by the claims team.

Also, by analysing our 23 years of data we have been able to create a system that identifies claims that can be automatically validated, within certain parameters. This frees up our skilled staff so they can focus on claims which are less straight forward and which need a greater level of human intervention – such as claims that involve vulnerable people or complicated schedules of works that need to be overseen and monitored.

Benefits to everyone involved

Our dynamic, adaptable system brings the following benefits:

• Improved risk management such as waiting for asbestos test results as part of the workflow.
• Reducing claim durations by enabling suppliers to see who else is working on a claim and how they are progressing. This opens up lines of communication so suppliers can co-ordinate with each other.
• Automation creates more time for claims staff to focus on claims and or processes where more human intervention is needed.
• Improved customer satisfaction as efficiencies and co-ordination increase, and claim durations fall.
• Improved cost control as automatic validation of straightforward claims frees up our technical and audit staff to focus on more challenging claim validations.

Reinstating properties is a complicated business involving many stakeholders, so good communication and co-ordination is vitally important.

Our dynamic and flexible systems ensure that we can go with the flow, no matter how complicated the claim. We avoid dangerous workarounds that occur in less flexible systems creating activities outside of the system which are often unseen and mis-communicated.