form that provided very little to
them—both in terms of the customer experience, and from us
from an efficiency standpoint. So,
we felt that we could absorb more
first-notice-of-loss (FNOL) claims
online as opposed to having them
call in, all the while providing that
same level of service as the call center but with an online application.”
It was at this time that Esurance
turned to Innovation Group,
Newton, Mass., for help with implementing their new plan. Esurance
chose the services and solutions
provider for its FNOL technology,
which is embedded in the Web site
design, and allows Esurance to
maintain a consistent experience
across its entire Web site. Innovation
Group’s solution provides flexibility
for a range of different customer
interactions due to its business rules
capabilities, scripting engine and its
ability to integrate with third parties. For example, Chicago-based
CCC Information Services Inc., was
also synergized with the insurer’s
loss reporting unit application, as
well as Esurance’s own E-star repair
network.
“Their mentality was, ‘Let’s not
just build something that will be a
placeholder for 24 months until the
insurance industry catches up with
other vertical markets where self-
service expectations are very high,
like they are with Amazon.com,’
says Greg Powers, Innovation
Group’s CMO and VP of sales. “‘Let’s
do it right the first time.’”
Once all the technology was in
place, Holcombe worked with the
marketing group to develop the
front-end look and feel of the Web
site. In the end, the entire
process—from the loss reporting
unit application to the online
application—took two years to get
up and running.
ROADBLOCKS
As with any project of this magni-
tude, there were numerous imped-
iments along the way. In addition
to the usual worries about project
management, getting buy-in from
all parties involved, timelines,
delivery dates and ensuring con-
so we capture just the right
amount of data while still provid-
ing that ‘wow’ experience, and it
doesn’t have to take 30 minutes.”
Another challenge, according
to Powers, was usability. Because
Esurance was introducing first-of-
a-kind functionality, they wanted
to ensure the system would be
intuitive enough so that first-time
users could utilize it without any
outside support.
Insurance Networking News would
like to congratulate the following select
number of nominees, whose innovation
deserves special recognition. Watch for
their stories in upcoming issues of
Insurance Networking News and online
at www.insurancenetworking.com.
2009 INNovators
Top 10 Finalists
“We’ve eliminated the step
of the claim going to the
loss reporting unit before
it goes to the claims office.”
-Chris Holcombe, Esurance
✓ First Place
Farmers…IdeaPoint Program…
Nominated by Farmers
✓ Second Place
Esurance…Online Self-Service
Claims…Nominated by Innovation Group
Third Place
Allstate Insurance Co.…Online
Channel Application…Nominated by
Allstate
structive communication, the
biggest concern, according to
Powers, was devising a customer
experience that would satisfy the
masses. He says the tolerance level
of policyholders reporting a claim
online is lower than it would be
through an alternative channel,
such as a call center. With call centers, he says, people are more apt
to remain on the phone longer to
answer questions about their
claims. So they asked: How do you
combine outstanding customer
experience with a certain level of
brevity?
“Because of the conditional
reflexive questioning in the appli-
cation, we’ve done it really well,”
Powers says. “Depending on their
answers to specific questions, the
business logic will suppress any
seemingly non-relevant questions.
This way, we can tailor the process
“Even though we provide users
with a live capability to reach out
online to a call center, we wanted
it to be like an Amazon experience
where you’d never need to,” he
says. “And so far we haven’t had
anyone reach out to the call center
during that experience.”
There also were improvements
to be made on the carrier side.
Holcombe notes that they had to
completely realign their field
operation’s claims handling
process to support the online
claim-reporting model. Because
the new system automatically
captures more information than
before, reps need additional train-
ing to help them recognize what
holes require filling prior to
pushing claims down the line.
Runners Up
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.…IT
Innovation Program…Nominated by
MetLife
The Phoenix Cos.…Customer Service
Representative System…Nominated by
CSC
The following entries make up
the rest of 2009’s Top 10:
REAPING THE BENEFITS
Alfa Life Insurance Co.…Systems
Integration…Nominated by StoneRiver
APPQ - The Association for the members
of the Quebec Provincial Police
Force...Claims System
Solution…Nominated by Xpertdoc
Farmers Insurance…Agent Inquiry
Solution…Nominated by Farmers
Kemper - a Unitrin Inc. Co.… Book Roll
Solution…Nominated by AgencyPort
Shelter Mutual Insurance Co.…Claims
Processing Platform…Nominated by
StoneRiver
