A Document Management Case Study
Insurance Claim Processing: Speed up Claim Settlement payments
Our document management system eliminates paper from the claims handling process – from receipt to settlement – enabling organisations to process claims accurately, quickly and consistently.
Claims produce a lot of paper
Manually processing paper claim forms takes up a huge amount of administrative resource and results in long turn-around times.
Typically, all correspondence and documents relating each claim are located in a single folder. For insurers dealing with tens of thousands of claims a year, this is a huge volume of paper to deal with and eventually store for compliance purposes.
But this is only part of the problem. Recovery and Claims departments need to share claim documents and files. Case handlers can’t view paper documents simultaneously, so files are moved from one department to another for the next process to happen.
It is almost impossible to manually process claims in a timely way
Files are centrally stored, but all too often, files are already on another case handler’s desk, so staff end up running around the office searching for files, which is time consuming and frustrating for everyone – especially the customer, who is having to wait weeks for a claim payment to arrive.
Transform paper documents into electronic versions which are easy to find and can be worked on concurrently
Our technology enables organisations to capture every document as they enter ‘the building’ – paper forms, emails, letters etc – and transform them into electronic images.
These electronic versions are then indexed and stored in a document management system, which is integrated with the incumbent line-of-business system. Every document is centrally ‘filed’ and instantly available to multiple users at the click of a button, from their familiar PC interface.
WK Webster’s Claim Processing Story
A ProcessFlows document management solution has speeded up the claims management process for claim and recovery agent WK Webster.
We have been able to absorb increased claim volumes and improve customer service without having to take on more staff. - Andrew Joannou, Chairman, WK Webster.
Dealing with 25,000 claims a year for 500 marine underwriters
WK Webster act as claim and recovery agents for marine underwriters – dealing with the mass of correspondence between Global Insurance Companies and those making the claims for cargo lost, damaged or highjacked in transit by sea, air, road or rail.
Claim handling was paper based
The process used to be slow and laborious. WK Webster had developed their own Case Registration System (CRS), which records the key aspects of each claim needed to track all related correspondence, but paper still dominated working practices.
Documents and correspondence received by fax or post and printed email communications were manually collated in a manila folder – one per claim.
The process relied on folders being passed from one case handler to another, with filing clerks having to locate the file in the rack, on someone’s desk or in-between departments.
The claims resulting from damage to the MSC Napoli off the coast of Devon in Jan 2007, took two years to process
WK Webster was involved in the cargo claim management of the MSC Napoli, which got into difficulty after gale force winds and huge waves caused serious damage to her hull. Goods came ashore. They had to be recovered, inspected and valued, and a total of up to 70 different insurance companies dealt with.
As business grew, it became harder to maintain response times
In order to better handle cases like the MSC Napoli and the increasing workload, WK Webster had two choices; take on additional staff, or invest in a document management system.
WK Webster decided to invest in OnBase document management
Alan Munro, OnBase Project Manager at WK Webster:
Our key requirement was to find a Document Management solution which would integrate with Outlook and could quickly file, retrieve and present correspondence for viewing.
We chose OnBase for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was the most configurable solution for our needs. Secondly, ProcessFlows totally understood our requirements and made sure these could be achieved when setting up a six month pilot for us.
Seamless integration with incumbent business systems
The OnBase Application Enabler module seamlessly integrates the OnBase document management repository, in which all documents are stored, with the case management system.
A case number search from within the case management system interface will present all the relevant documents stored within OnBase.
The OnBase Outlook Integration module gives users the ability to ‘file’ content, with a simple drag and drop, directly from Outlook, into the OnBase document repositories.
All WK Webster’s correspondence and documents are stored and managed within OnBase
The whole claims handling process has been improved. We now respond to queries as and when they arrive rather than wait for the relevant file to be retrieved – Chris Osman, Director WK Webster
Easy access to all documents has speeded up the entire claims process
Efficiency improves customer experience and delivers a competitive advantage.
- Easy to file and retrieve correspondence
- Multiple users can view documents at the same time
- No more paper files and folders, so nothing gets lost
- Storage space saved
- Clerical time saved
Maximise the OnBase investment
Following on from the success of the UK project, WK Webster are extending the use of OnBase into their New York office. This is currently a stand-alone system, but when the Singapore office is also added as part of the international roll out, plans are to network all sites by expanding their existing Citrix thin client application to web-enable remote access from any location.
In addition to the claim transactional files processed by WK Webster’s Cargo Claims and Recoveries departments, other business units can benefit from the investment. These include the Cargo Casualty Management and Hull Claims Management departments, as well as the wholly owned subsidiaries International Surveyors and Adjustors, Seawise Maritime Services and ITAL International Transit and Liability.
Next Steps
If you want to find out more, click a button on the menu above right, give us a call on 01962 835053, or email sales@processflows.co.uk
