Tag: claim outsourcing

5 Signs Your Business Needs a Call Center

Posted on

August 24th, 2021

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Small- to mid-sized businesses may think call centers aren’t something they need to concern themselves with. However, as business begins to flourish, lagging customer service can bring growth to a halt while eroding income potential. Companies that notice the following signs need a call center if they want their company to flourish:

  1. The phone never stops ringing. An uptick in customer calls is great for business unless the company doesn’t have the staff to handle all the calls. If employees are constantly fielding incoming calls, they’re going to struggle to complete their other tasks. A call center lightens employees’ workloads so they can focus on their primary jobs.
  2. Too many voicemails to sift through. Companies without call center support will start each workday listening to voicemails left overnight. Most of these voicemails won’t be emergencies, but companies can’t afford to keep an urgent request waiting as they work their way through the queue. A call center can field these calls and identify which requests need immediate attention.
  3. Delays in replying to business prospects. The world of sales is fast-paced, and companies can’t afford to leave potential clients waiting. Customers aren’t content to wait for an answer and will look elsewhere to find a solution. If another company provides an immediate answer, they will earn that customer’s business. If customer calls reach levels that the company can’t manage promptly, it may be time for a call center to meet customer needs and expectations.
  4. Current customers display increasing levels of frustration. Keeping the current customer base happy is just as important as securing new leads. If existing customers have to leave a voicemail and wait until the next day for a reply, their satisfaction and loyalty will drop accordingly. If a company sees a sustained uptick in frustration from its customer base, it may need a call center to handle the calls.
  5. The expense of more customer service employees limits growth potential. In-house customer service representatives are valuable, but they’re hard to maintain as a company grows. Expansion is exciting, but the company needs to be able to increase its customer service along with its business prospects. Call centers provide a much more cost-effective solution than hiring a slew of in-house employees.

If your business is experiencing any of the above, it’s time to consider a call center. Contact the experts at Actec to learn how our nearshore call center solutions can help your company.

5 Simple Changes to Close Claims Faster

Posted on

November 18th, 2019

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It’s not uncommon to see job postings for insurance adjusters include desired skills such as fast worker or excellent multitasker. With so many boxes to check on any given claim, most adjusters believe they need to complete three tasks at once to stay on track. However, this approach often leads to time-consuming errors that can delay the claim. If adjusters take a single-task approach, they can usually complete their claims faster with fewer mistakes.

What is Singletasking?

Instead of trying to perform several tasks at once, adjusters tend to be more effective if they focus all their efforts on completing one task before starting another. Avoiding distractions is vital as it allows adjusters to seamlessly flow from one step to the next without losing track of where they were in the claims process or forgetting to complete a different task because they began a new one halfway through.

How to Speed Up the Claim Cycle

The following are several ways adjusters can remove distractions for flawless claims workflow:

  1. Turn off all devices that require active listening—no television, no radio, no podcasts or audiobooks, etc. While some tasks may be tedious, active listening distracts adjusters’ attention, which can lead to errors.
  2. Set office hours and stick to them. Otherwise, adjusters should turn off their phones and allow messages to go to voicemail. Stopping to answer the phone every 10-15 minutes can derail progress on a claim.
  3. Do not check emails. Emails are notorious for consuming the workday. Adjusters often start with good intentions—checking for updates and the like—but a five-minute once-over can turn into upward of an hour of clearing out spam or replying to emails out of habit rather than to advance any claims. Set specific times of day for checking emails to avoid the temptation.
  4. Perform work in batches. When following up on claims, stack them in a pile and work through them from top to bottom. Do not take calls or listen to other voicemails at that time. This creates confusion and can result in accidentally overlooking a claim. The same is true for emails or writing estimates.
  5. Put up “Do Not Disturb” signs. This is especially vital when traveling for claims. Housekeeping for hotels coming and going can disrupt workflow, as can well-intentioned friendly coworkers dropping by to chat before heading out to their next claim.

Closing claims faster and with fewer errors improves an insurer’s bottom line while boosting customer satisfaction. To learn more about improving claims processing and management, contact the experts at Actec.

Number One Reason Why Customers Switch Insurance Companies

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November 4th, 2019

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Customer retention is a huge part of the financial stability equation for insurance providers. It costs significantly more money to acquire new customers than it does to retain existing accounts, but many insurers struggle to identify what is important to their current clients as well as pain points that influence them to find a new insurer.

What Do Policyholders Want?

Not much has changed on the playing field regarding what policyholders want from their providers, which leaves many insurers flummoxed on what needs modifying. However, customer expectations are significantly higher than in previous years due to a massive increase in technology. Researching rates, typical settlements, and more are easier than ever. Online reviews and mobile apps also play a critical role in how individuals choose their insurance providers.

However, the single most pivotal influencing factor on a customer’s loyalty is their claims experience. This explains why 30% of customers report they’re considering changing insurance companies in the coming year despite 93% describing themselves as satisfied with their current provider. What’s even more telling is that customers who filed a claim in the preceding two years reported they are twice as likely to switch providers. What’s intriguing is the claim outcome, good or bad, doesn’t play a role in their decision.

6 Key Claim Factors That Cause Customers to Defect

Because customers with positive claims outcomes are still more likely to switch insurance providers, insurers need to know what aspects of the claims process is driving the change. While the perceived fairness of the settlement will always top customers’ lists, insurers need to focus on the following to guarantee customer satisfaction during the claims process:

  1. Speed of settlement
  2. Transparency of the claims process and explanation of the next steps
  3. Ease of communication with the insurer to receive an update at any time
  4. Regular, timely updates without the customer reaching out first
  5. Empathetic insurance representatives
  6. Multiple communication methods to discuss the claim including phone, email, mobile app, etc.

The biggest takeaway is that the final outcome of the claim isn’t always what matters to customers. Even if they receive a settlement that makes them happy, customers will start shopping for new providers is the experience of the claims process is lacking.

If your insurance company is struggling with an outmoded claims process, Actec can help. Contact us to learn more about our full-cycle claim and incident reporting solutions.