5 Strategies to Resolve Claim Complaints

Posted on

December 3rd, 2018

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When a customer has a complaint about their claim, there is usually a legitimate reason for it. However, upset customers can become irate and difficult to deal with for insurance representatives. Even so, insurance companies can’t afford to overlook dissatisfied customers. It costs much more to attain a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. The following are several methods insurance providers can use to address claim complaints to improve the customer’s satisfaction.

  1. Remain calm. This can be hard if the customer is angry, but it’s important to remember their anger isn’t personal. They are frustrated with the situation, not the person they are speaking to on the phone. Engaging in verbal sparring in an attempt to win the argument does nothing to improve the situation. By remaining calm, representatives maintain a professional demeanor and don’t provide further fuel to the customer’s fury.
  2. Use active listening. Sitting silently through a customer’s complaint can backfire. While representatives shouldn’t interrupt, there are key moments to indicate they are listening to the customer. Phrases such as “Tell me more” or “I see, please continue” let the customer know the representative hears them and it taking their complaint seriously.
  3. Recognize the issue. It is not enough to allow customers to vent themselves into silence. They need to have their insurer recognize the problem at hand. If the company made an error, they need to admit to it. If they didn’t make a mistake, they still need to acknowledge why the customer is upset. Compassion goes a long way toward resolving the customer’s complaint.
  4. Ask questions. Once the customer calms down and the representative understands the problem, he or she can start gathering facts. The representative will need as many relevant details as possible to be able to address the customer’s complaint.
  5. Provide a solution. Not every claim complaint has a neat and tidy solution. Company policies limit representatives to certain resolutions. However, the representative should still let the customer know what he or she is going to do to address their problem.

Following up with the customer after some time has passed can improve their perception about their insurer as well. Even if the representative couldn’t provide the exact solution the customer wanted, following up shows the provider cares about the customer. While insurers can’t avoid all complaints, making sure their claims management processes are airtight can help reduce their frequency. Contact Actec to learn how we can help your company improve its claims process.