Working for our customers in crisis areas

The staff at Ecclesia's claims department were also very concerned about the heavy rainfall in southern Germany. “When the heavy rain started, we sat down with all the claims managers, pooled our resources and coordinated the organization of the event in order to be able to process the expected claims efficiently and quickly,” reports Natalie Liptow, head of the property claims department. In such a situation, which can even occur across departments, there are many reports and inquiries within a very short period of time. The personnel capacities must be planned accordingly so that all customers can be served quickly – and duplicate work is avoided.

Increased order volume for the claims field service

In such situations, the appointments of the claims field service must be coordinated particularly well, also due to the large number of jobs that have to be processed in the shortest possible time. “A good overview is important here, because the claims field service employee has to organize incoming claims inspections quickly and effectively. This includes making appointments with the customer and planning them sensibly into the respective route,” explains Kerstin Schneller. The claims field service serves all customer groups of the Ecclesia Group – for example, customers in the social services and health sectors, church customers, industrial customers of our industrial broker deas and customers of Geerken + Partner. After the claims have been recorded by the office staff, the claims field service meets with all parties involved in the claim – such as insurers, experts and restorers – for an on-site visit. He supports the customer in organizing the damage, coordinates and ensures that the customer's claims against the insurer are safeguarded.

Many church institutions affected in southern Germany

All customer groups are affected by the floods in southern Germany – from hospitals, institutions for the disabled and nursing homes to Protestant, Catholic and New Apostolic churches and industrial companies. “In my estimation, however, the main focus was on the church institutions, where church buildings, parish halls, kindergartens and vicarages were particularly affected. Fortunately, none of our customers suffered any personal injury,” says Oliver Hirschle, claims representative.

A major loss in the millions

The Ecclesia Group has been notified of triple-digit losses in southern Germany as a result of the storms. However, these are only insured losses. “About a third of the reported losses are processed by the claims field service. These are losses in excess of €20,000,” explains Kerstin Schneller, head of the claims field service. Natalie Liptow adds: “Yes, the majority are under €10,000.” But there is also a major claim in the industrial customer segment that is in the millions.

“As expected, the majority of the claims are for building damage. In addition to around a quarter of inventory damage, we have very few claims in the area of technical insurance and business interruption,” says the head of property claims.

Account managers in contact with customers

“Our employees regularly monitor the weather and warning apps so that they have an overview of whether the region they are responsible for is currently at risk. They then check whether an area is located near a river or stream, for example. If facilities or businesses could be affected, they call the managing director or another contact person and ask about the situation on the ground,” explains Kerstin Schneller. During this conversation, they also clarify directly how many buildings are affected, whether a field representative should come by, or whether any other support is needed.

First inspection of the damage by the field representative

The claims field representative Oliver Hirschle has inspected many claims in his area. Most of the time, he only came to the scene when the water had already receded. “If the water is still in the building, I can't do anything. In that case, the water has to be pumped out first, if at all possible, or the affected people have to wait until the water level has dropped,” reports Oliver Hirschle. In his experience, the customer is often unable to estimate the amount of damage correctly when reporting the claim. Even for the experts, it is often difficult to make an estimate based on photos.

Insurer uses new tool for claims processing

A claims adjuster from the insurance company was also directly present at the vast majority of initial appointments. One insurance company in particular handled this in a very customer-friendly manner and processed a large number of claims in full during the initial appointment. The claim was checked in terms of content and amount. The claims adjusters used a tool to help them calculate the exact amount of the claim and make the payment on the spot. The key data, such as the size of the affected area, is entered into the tool. “The claims adjuster did this appropriately, but with a certain reserve for uncertainties,” explains Oliver Hirschle.

The calculated amount was discussed and agreed directly with the customer. The customer then received a compensation calculation and the amount was transferred directly. The insurer did not request any invoices or other supporting documents. If the compensation payment was insufficient, the customer could, of course, contact the insurer. “This method allows us to process many claims in a single appointment. There will probably only be a few customers for whom the money is not enough to settle the claims,” says the field representative. Kerstin Schneller is also convinced by this form of settlement: “This tool helps everyone involved in the process. That's why we will approach the other insurers and promote this type of settlement.” Some insurers still have an expert assess the damage and then set aside a reserve. The customer then has to submit offers and invoices. ‘We would be delighted if more insurers were to use a practical tool like this in the future,’ says Oliver Hirschle. Let's just hope there isn't a next time.