European insurance network outpaces competition
Centralized claims handling cuts costs up to 30%
Centralized claims handling cuts costs up to 30%
Smaller European insurance companies are struggling to compete with larger, more technically savvy rivals. They don’t have the technology needed to streamline their work. Most rely on email and fax to handle everything from damage assessments to payouts. And without easy access to data, it is difficult for them to monitor claims costs, performance and fraud.
These insurers also tend to have no standard procurement processes or negotiation practices to lock in favorable pricing. And they have little control over when (or at what price) suppliers will provide products and services. As a result, claims costs are rising and customer expectations are not met.
Realizing that there is strength in numbers, a group of small European insurers came together and worked with Accenture to reinvent their claims handling.
Smaller insurers come together to improve customer experiences, reduce costs, and make insightful decisions to drive competitiveness and future growth.
With our help, this insurance network built a shared services center that uses intelligent operations to centralize claims. The new model uses SynOps to connect stakeholders in the insurance ecosystem and covers end-to-end claims management services.
The center administers auto, home, personal and workers compensation claims. For home and auto, it manages provider networks and negotiates pricing.
The center manages provider processes, invoice validation, payment processing and more—surpassing services provided by bigger insurers.
With access to data, technologies and expert talent, smaller insurers can offer personalized, hassle-free customer service. They can also manage claims more cost effectively—claims-related costs for participating insurers have dropped by up to 30%. Some specific outcomes reported by insurers are:
14-17%
drop in glass claims coverage costs.
20-30%
reduction in spare parts costs.
15-25%
drop in home insurance claims costs.
Staying competitive with intelligent operations
Accenture’s center strengthens relationships across the insurance ecosystem. The provider platform brings more than 1,000 inspectors and repair professionals into a single network. In-network suppliers are ensured a steady stream of work. And insurers enjoy a negotiated discount rate of service. Participating insurers have increased the number of claims repairs sent to in-network suppliers by 40 percent.
Finally, the center has freed insurers’ employees to focus on more strategic activities, such as reviewing claims recommendations and focusing on new solutions that can best serve their company and their customers. In all these ways, participating insurers are now able to compete more effectively in the European insurance market.