Since July 2004, Actec has provided all after-hours, overflow, holiday and unanticipated closure coverage for a large national insurance company. We currently have nearly 40 phone lines coming in for this client, for each of their claims offices, their primary care center and several large accounts with custom requirements. Calls range from 50 to 500 daily (primarily after-hours). When unexpected volume is directed to Actec, an additional several hundred calls can be offered during a 2-3 hour timeframe with short notice (if any). Our Intake Specialists enter claims real-time via Internet directly into the client’s claim system and take inquiry messages in our own application, which are automatically emailed to the appropriate recipients for prompt handling.
Category: Claim Management
FRED system creates efficiencies in FNOL
Recently Actec unveiled FRED version 1 in our contact center. The Fred system was designed to allow for the following enhancements to our contact center specialists:
- Improved client customization
- Reduction of paper
- Enhancement of best practices
By administering help content and other recources with an integrated maintenance tool, FRED refines claims management and organization. This creates a frendlier and cost-efficient caller experience.
Top 3 FNOL Blogs
We’ve been blogging for a while now here at Actec, and we thought it was time to share with you a few of our most popular blogs on first notice of loss, outsourcing, claims management, and other related issues.
- Full-Cycle Claim Reporting
- 7 Key Terms in the Field of First Notice of Loss
- What is FNOL and Why Is It Important?
For other insights on FNOL, outsourcing, claims handling, overflow, and other resource management, visit our website or check back soon here on our blog!
Claims Management, Organization, and Customization
Claim intakeis not a one-size-fits-all service. Starting with an in-depth analysis of your goals and current process ensures development of a custom workflow that is right for you. It’s critical to use your business rules to ensure accuracy, minimize call times, and reduce follow-up calls.• Utilize a best practices workflow for a complete, logically organized report.
• Give customers a variety of reporting options like telephone, e-mail, fax, Internet, and even electronic file submission.
• Enter notices directly into your in-house claims management application, seamlessly launched from our contact tracking module, allowing for additional reporting, tracking, forms management, and dissemination capabilities.
• Respond quickly to critical incidents. Your customized plan specifies the data collected, format of reports, detailed recipient notification, and escalation procedures.
• Ensure correct routing of claims – even verify coverage upfront – with rules-driven policy and claim office assignment.
• Increase accuracy, consistency, and efficiency by providing policyholder, location, distribution, carrier, and employee demographic data to populate notices at intake.
• Customize list options with job titles, department codes, medical coding, PPO providers, and more.
• Send data in any file layout, at any frequency – we handle the rest to minimize your IT resource needs.
• Give customers a variety of reporting options like telephone, e-mail, fax, Internet, and even electronic file submission.
• Enter notices directly into your in-house claims management application, seamlessly launched from our contact tracking module, allowing for additional reporting, tracking, forms management, and dissemination capabilities.
• Respond quickly to critical incidents. Your customized plan specifies the data collected, format of reports, detailed recipient notification, and escalation procedures.
• Ensure correct routing of claims – even verify coverage upfront – with rules-driven policy and claim office assignment.
• Increase accuracy, consistency, and efficiency by providing policyholder, location, distribution, carrier, and employee demographic data to populate notices at intake.
• Customize list options with job titles, department codes, medical coding, PPO providers, and more.
• Send data in any file layout, at any frequency – we handle the rest to minimize your IT resource needs.
Three Articles on Understanding and Leveraging FNOL
First Notice of Loss can be crucial to smooth business operation. Understanding the various aspects of FNOL and how to leverage it by different means (such as outsourcing) is crucial to maintaining visibility into company operational and organizational success. Here are three of our recent articles that explore the matter:
Custom Reporting, Inquiries, and FNOL Outsourcing
Not all incidents require a claim to be filed. Actec is a primary source for collecting and disseminating any type of critical information, including custom reports, such as sprinkler impairment notices, product recall reports, questionnaires and surveys. Actec also takes care of a variety of inquires and information requests including referrals to PPOs or other vendors or claim office contact information. Routing these high-volume, but low-yield, calls to a dedicated contact center greatly increases the efficiency of your claim management staff. Many different types of claim management, call reception, issue resolution, and resource management can be outsourced to a companies like Actec. And outsourcing claim management, first notice of loss (FNOL) or even just process reports and questionnaires can substantially increase profitability and decrease strain on a company’s central organizational structure.
Large-Scale Catastrophe Claims Management
Actec handled a large-scale catastrophic event for a multinational oil company. Total call volume was above 147,000 (in the first few days calls came on a general claims line until a dedicated 800 number was published) – over 60% received the first month, a daily average of more than 3000, peaking at over 8000. We captured more than 90,000 claim reports, 66% reported telephonically, the remaining 34% captured via a custom Internet report we developed and rolled out about eight hours after notification to proceed. We also participated in daily conference calls and supplied the client with detailed management reports four to five times daily, seven days a week, over a period of four months. Companies large and small require a resource that can organize and deploy adeptly in times of crisis. Don’t leave claim management to chance.
Top 3 Actec FNOL Blogs
Our informational blog on first notice of loss has been running strong for a while now, so we figured it was a good time to check back on some of our most popular content. These are our top 3 blogs on FNOL issues and strategies:
- Actec Claim Management Operating in Inclement Conditions
- What Is Full-Cycle Claim and Incident Reporting?
- 7 Key Terms in the Field of First Notice of Loss
We hope that they provide insightful information, and look forward to producing more informative content about these highly relevant topics.
7 Key Terms in the Field of First Notice of Loss
There several important terms when discussing first notice – they may seem esoteric, but their meaning and execution have enhance many businesses and improved the quality of many lives. A positive FNOL interaction is key to successful business operation, but also makes the difference between brightening someone’s day and besmirching it.
- First Notice of Loss – The initial report of a claim or incident resulting in loss of an insured product. A crucial element of insurance coverage.
- FNOL – Abbreviation for First Notice of Loss
- First Report of Injury – The initial report of a claim or incident resulting in injury to an employee. A employer practice required by law.
- FROI – Abbreviation for First Report of Injury
- Claim Management – The conveyance of an insurance-related claim through a system of communication and investigation to ascertain the appropriate compensation. The more adept and timely the claim management, the less shrink for insurers and the higher satisfaction for clients.
- Incident Reporting – A system of documentation for FNOL in which specific details must be thoroughly recorded to ensure proper claim management. Well-trained personnel and a modern, sophisticated incident reporting medium significantly reduce costs due to slow resolution, shrink, and other organizational issues.
- Claim Intake Specialist – Personnel cross-trained in claim management and incident reporting to deliver maximized resolution for client and insurer with minimized investment of time and resources.
There are other component of FNOL , but familiarity with these 7 key terms will illuminate much of our industry and its purpose.
Actec’s FNOL (First Notice of Loss) Claim Management Operating in Inclement Conditions
Although most of Atlanta, including schools, had been shut down for 3 days, Actec’s FNOL was open for business and maintaining top level first notice of loss. Though uncommon for the Atlanta area, strong snowstorms do sometimes occur, crippling the region. Lack of snow removal equipment combined with a storm that dumped nearly 6 inches in less than 3 hours created numerous problems. Here is a breakdown of our claim reporting statistics for Tuesday 1/11/2011. In the face of these conditions, we managed an average answer speed of 33 seconds and an abandon rate of only 2.7%!
Through careful planning by Actec staff, hotel rooms were secured near the FNOL Call Center in Atlanta. Most of the staff had stayed at the hotel since Sunday night and were within shuttle or walking distance. Additionally, we utilized remote employees to ensure maximum customer call reception. Thank you to all our employees who took time away from family to make sure our customers were taken care of.