Claims services are central to insurer-customer relationships from day one

In the first 2019 issue of Leaders magazine, Zurich North America Chief Claims Officer Paul Lavelle wrote that the enduring value of a company’s claims services is more than just writing a check. At a time when severe weather and natural disasters are increasingly worrisome for businesses and individuals, the engagement and counsel of claims professionals with customers can encourage long-term trust, collaboration and resilience planning.

“Zurich believes that claims services are at the core of every customer relationship from the beginning, whether or not the customer ever experiences a serious or potentially catastrophic event,” said Lavelle. “Indeed, the ongoing, dedicated engagement of claims professionals can be one of the key factors helping customers to prevent claims from occurring and greatly mitigate those that do occur, once again supporting the ultimate goal of effective business resilience.”

Lavelle also explained how before, during and after a severe weather event, Zurich Catastrophe Operations team members use a variety of tools – including satellite imagery, predictive analytics and even the systematic monitoring of social media posts from impacted areas – to assess customer exposures and to set processes in motion to help customers recover and to drive future resilience.