November 11, 2024
Dave Bertolin—Managing Director & Principal Broker, Brokers Trust Insurance Group
Steven Cameron—Head of Claims Services, Brokers Trust Insurance Group
In 2015, Brokers Trust noticed an uptick in the number of complaints from clients specifically generated by the claims process. After brainstorming solutions, they decided to partner with an adjusting firm to help deal with claims and resolve them more efficiently to create a better experience for their clients.
“This is the most important interaction we have with the client, because that’s why they buy our products and services,” said Dave Bertolin, Managing Director & Principal Broker. “We saw a lot of good feedback from it—clients were happier with how they were getting treated and with the level of communication throughout the process.”
In early 2023, Brokers Trust went a step further, setting up a new internal Claims Services Department. Soon after, they hired Steven Cameron to head up the department.
“When Brokers Trust pioneered this idea, there were less than a handful of brokerages that dipped their toes into claims,” said Steven. “And not at the scale Brokers Trust did.”
Elevating Service
By bringing the claims process in house, Brokers Trust has been able to reshape the claims experience for their clients. In the case of an auto claim, rather than the client having to deal with the tow truck operator, the adjuster, the AB adjuster, the rental car company—they can just contact the brokerage. And their Claims team is available by phone or email 24/7.
“We’ve removed many of the touchpoints a customer has to go through in the journey,” said Steven. “We’ve absorbed a lot of that and been able to make those customers extremely happy by the end of the claims process.
“When it comes to claims reporting and complex claims inquiry—things a broker isn’t necessarily equipped or ready to answer on a dime—the team can quickly get that customer an answer.”
“We can fully control the entire process, the branding, the messaging, how we wanted it done,” said Dave. “It allows us to give a lot more personalized, soft messaging to the client, which creates a warmer experience.
“I’ve noticed on our loss runs, claims are getting closed out a lot faster, which then leads to better customer experience. We’ve generally had decent retention as a brokerage overall, but this was kind of the missing piece to delivering the customer service levels we wanted.”
The Internal Effect
Improving client experience was the primary reason behind bringing claims in house, but the knock-on effects with staff have been significant in their own right.
“Because claims issues are coming directly to our dedicated team, our process has lightened the load on our internal staff and Producers,” said Steven.
“When we’re having discussions around claims, the overall morale of the office seems to be a lot higher,” said Dave. “There’s also the confidence it’s given our staff and sales people to say, don’t worry, we have internal people for this—they’ll handle it. That’s huge.”
Getting Set Up
Not all brokerages will have the size and resources to set up an internal claims department, but for those looking to do so, Brokers Trust serves as a great example of the possibilities.
“I think if any brokerage, no matter the size, has the ability to stomach the resources required to do it, they’ll see a big payoff in client and employee satisfaction,” said Dave.
“What we’ve built is fantastic and I’m sure other brokerages are in the process of trying something similar. Talent is key. You’re going to need the right people with the right demeanor to work through claims,” said Steven. “It’s not an easy job. Every day is a lot of yelling and a lot of calming people down to get them where they need to be. Then all of that turns into thanks and praise.
“When selling an intangible product, we have to show our clients that they’re getting something tangible in return. I think that’s the service we provide. That service isn’t intangible at all. It’s a great value add.”