Claims in The Digital Age - MCK
Claims in The Digital Age - MCK
Claims in The Digital Age - MCK
Pia Brüggemann
Tanguy Catlin
Jonas Chinczewski
Johannes-Tobias Lorenz
Samantha Prymaka
With new attackers on the hunt for customers, incumbents must move quickly to integrate digital
technologies into their operations. For the property and casualty (P&C) industry, digitizing the
claims function holds tremendous potential. To capture the value of digital,1 P&C claims functions
must embark on a transformation to become a customer-centric, digitally enabled organization that
excels in the three foundational areas of claims—customer experience, efficiency, and effectiveness.
In our experience, a digital claims function can boost performance on all three KPIs and generate
significant value (Exhibit 1).
1 In this article, digital refers to an organization’s efforts to use technology to digitize customer journeys and
Effectiveness
Improve claims handling
accuracy2
2 Improving accuracy aims at reducing both overpayments and underpayments of indemnity obligations. Next to
reducing overpayments, also reducing underpayments can lead to an overall reduction of loss costs through
reduced processing times, higher customer satisfaction, and lower incidence of claim disputes and litigation.
2
So where to start? A true digital redesign of claims integrates a relentless focus on the customer
with a value-driven approach. Insurers should adopt a customer-centric mind-set and undertake an
end-to-end reassessment of their customer interactions—starting with the most relevant customer
journeys (see sidebar “The claims customer journey”). For maximum impact, claims functions
should develop a digital value proposition and an aspirational future state for a digital claims
function first and then prioritize into a transformation road map. This article examines the five
essential elements needed to digitize and transform claims.
3 Tanguy Catlin, Johannes-Tobias Lorenz, Bob Sternfels, and Paul Willmott, “A roadmap for a digital transformation,”
3
Exhibit 2 Elements of a successful digital claims transformation
• Value-added services
A
B
AI
4
management the strategy and tools to both transform claims into a digital function and improve
performance on all of the three foundational KPIs.
Insurers should start with an “everything is possible” mind-set to unleash truly transformative
ideas. Satisfaction surveys in claims consistently show that customers desire a fast and intuitive
process as well as transparency on where they are in the process and what happens next.
Accordingly, the digital redesign of a claims journey needs to go much deeper than superficial
process improvements. Adeslas, a Spanish company, has worked to complete an end-to-end
digitization of their claims journey, implementing features such as multichannel FNOL, automated
claims segmentation, and digital claims status tracking.
To determine how digital technologies can unlock value and improve the claims customer journey
from start to finish, managers should examine each step of the journey with the following areas in
mind and start to develop an aspirational future state for claims that is unconstrained by potential
short-term, technological barriers:
Product simplification
Customers want simple and fast digital interactions, but complex coverage details that include many
specific exceptions can create barriers. Large numbers of legacy products with different coverage
4 Ido Segev and Amy Vickers, “What the new world of insurance could look like,” August 2017, McKinsey.com.
5 Paul Sawers, “Lemonade raises $120 million from SoftBank, others to take its chatbot-based insurance service
5
Insurers have the opportunity to shift simple, routine
transactions from claims handlers to intermediaries, such
as agents and brokers, or customers themselves.
details also make it difficult to implement and maintain the technology systems necessary to improve
efficiency. A carrier should find ways to simplify products and reduce product generations to ease the
development of fully digital customer journeys.
6
Back-office automation
Insurers can achieve the greatest efficiency gains by fully automating back-office processes.6
Customers benefit significantly from faster claims processing—for instance, through automated
verification of car repair estimates and invoices as well as automatic reimbursements as soon as the
repair invoice has been verified. In addition, digital tools can support and assist the decisions of claims
handlers, leading to better outcomes.
Communication
Providing customers with the necessary information in digital channels offers customers the sense of
control they desire. The quality of communication can raise customer awareness and usage of digital
self-service tools throughout their journey. One US insurer, for example, implemented a digital case-
tracking tool and reduced the number of status request calls by more than 50 percent.
By examining each of these areas, claims functions can start to rethink the claims customer journey
and back-office processes.7 This approach should be synthesized into an aspirational future state
outlining the digital assets needed to achieve the ideal state (Exhibit 3, on pages 8–10). Claims leaders
should prioritize these digital assets based on the value they can generate. For example, digitizing
invoice reviews and automating payment processing for clear and simple cases often significantly
reduces processing time.
6 Sanjay Kaniyar, Chandresh Kothari, and Brandy Smith, “Automation at scale is driving transformative change across
engine at the core of the next-generation operating model,” March 2017, McKinsey.com.
9 “UK insurer Ageas uses artificial intelligence to manage motor claims,” Insurance Journal, May 19, 2017,
insurancejournal.com.
7
Exhibit 3 Key digital assets along the claims customer journey (1/3)
A
B
Relevant digital assets per customer journey Digital assets for customer journey above
8
Exhibit 3 Key digital assets along the claims customer journey (2/3)
Scott receives a
message from
his insurance carrier
to upload photos of
the damage via an
Scott’s car attached web
automatically app link. Now he is offered a
Scott’s claim is
notifies all relevant cash settlement via
Scott’s smartphone analyzed, fraud- Scott’s damage has
details to his insurer. a push message.
reminds him to checked, and been automatically
keep track of speed identified as only a calculated based on Scott accepts and
limits. minor damage claim. his photos. within minutes
receives the money
in his PayPal
account.
A
B
Relevant digital assets per customer journey Digital assets for customer journey above
9
Exhibit 3 Key digital assets along the claims customer journey (3/3)
A
B
Relevant digital assets per customer journey Digital assets for customer journey above
10
significantly improved its fraud detection accuracy implementing an AI-based fraud detection
system resulting in an 18% increase in fraud prevention as well as productivity gains in fraud
investigation. And leading players in automotive can estimate a vehicle’s damage value in real time
at FNOL based on customer pictures or a damage description, using the latest advances in AI and
picture recognition.
Claims segmentation
AI algorithms can help segment claims cases by complexity using factual and predicted claims
characteristics. Based on this segmentation, claims can be assigned to specific downstream
handling processes—either one of the fully digital self-service journeys (such as selecting a direct
repair shop in self-service) or a claims handler for more complex cases (for example, with high
litigation risk).
Defining AI
Artificial Intelligence—that is, intelligence exhibited
by machines—is brought one step closer by recent
advances in algorithms (for example, machine
and deep learning).1 Still, the now-evolving AIs are
exclusively “applied AIs.” In contrast to generalized
AI, they are highly specialized on certain tasks and
can learn and operate only within this predefined
area. Applied AI is also often referred to as advanced Watch the video feature, “What’s
analytics. driving today’s progress in AI?,” on
mckinsey.com.
Possible applications for applied AI range from
uncovering hidden patterns from structured data (for This video is one in a five-part
example, the claims database) to harnessing image Ask the AI Experts series that
recognition (for example, Tractable’s picture-based answers top-of-mind questions
claims segmentation) or natural language processing about the technology.
(such as Amazon Alexa or Rasa’s enterprise AI
platform for chatbots).2
11
Exhibit 4 Artificial-intelligence modules to support a digital customer journey
A
B
AI
+ + + + +
Analysis of IoT Claims event Real-time Automated Real-time
sensor data to prediction based prediction of damage-value invoice analysis
identify high-risk on IoT sensor data claims estimation based for correction
situations (eg, characteristics on picture recog- potential based
safest route or Biometric custo- nition or sensor on past invoices
parking space mer authentication Real-time data in combina- and spare-parts
prediction) segmentation tion with invoice catalogs
Chatbot-based of claims by data
FNOL and digital complexity Subrogation
point of contact Claims assessor and salvage
Supported route optimization opportunity
Processing time claims-handling identification
prediction for optimal case
management
find the best-experienced claims handler for a specific case and this way significantly improves its
claims handling accuracy. (Exhibit 4).10
Integrating real-time customer interactions and insights from AI modules into customer journeys
poses vastly different requirements for the IT architecture.11 While in the past, online interactions
with the customer were only one way (for example, saving the details of an online FNOL into the
claims database), interactive digital customer journeys require real-time, bidirectional interactions.
A new IT architecture concept—generally referred to as two-speed architecture—is required to
complement the stability of the core claims database with responsive features on the front end. A
middle layer connects the traditional, slow claims database with customer-facing interfaces and
10This was achieved by reducing both overpayments and underpayments of indemnity obligations.
11K rish Krishnakanthan, Jens Lansing, Markus Löffler, and Björn Münstermann, “Modernizing IT for a strategic role,”
12
March 2017, McKinsey.com.
runs AI modules. This functionality connects the information a user submits with insights from AI
in real time to populate online forms and offer direct feedback to the customer.
To combine such offers into efficient, digital, self-service journeys, insurance carriers need to digitally
integrate with relevant players in the larger claims ecosystem (Exhibit 5). In addition, a digital
integration can vastly improve efficiency in communication between the ecosystem parties and speed
the claims processing for the customer. As this type of digital integration is currently rare, a carrier can
become the ecosystem integrator, harnessing the best of the ecosystem for its customers.
Given the complexity of this integration, carriers should prioritize pursuing digital interfaces with
the players that are involved in a high number of claims cases. In auto insurance, for example, these
players would be roadside assistance services, claims assessors, and repair-shop networks, as well as
invoice control service providers. Insurers don’t need to start from zero. In many markets, insurtechs
have started to lead the digital integration,12 for example, by digitally connecting car repair shops and
enabling digital cost-estimate and invoice transmission. Insurers should explore partnerships with
existing offerings to further digitize and integrate the claims ecosystem.
The digitization of each customer journey should start with a short design phase. Ideally, design
thinking techniques are used to iteratively develop the best possible end-to-end customer journey.
This process directly integrates consumer feedback on ideas and concepts.
Successful players quickly move from the drawing board to prototype development. Progress
is best made with agile development methods, such as creating and improving a minimal viable
product in ten-day intervals and then quickly evolving the prototype. Early customer testing and
the resulting feedback are continually incorporated into the development of digital channels and
solutions to ensure the customer’s experience of the evolving digital claims journey continually
surpasses expectation.
12Tanguy Catlin, Johannes-Tobias Lorenz, Björn Münstermann, Braad Olesen, and Valentino Ricciardi, “Insurtech—
Claims
14
As this new approach can represent a substantial change, success depends on deeply integrating a
digital way of working into the entire organization.13 For example, Allianz’s Global Digital Factory
launched a digital delivery hub to achieve change through digital projects, such as developing claims
solutions, across its international operations. Successful organizations tap joint cross-functional
management teams to lead the effort, develop experts in all digital methods, and provide intensive
coaching for all relevant employees.
Purely digital industry attackers have raised the bar for performance by showcasing simple and
intuitive customer interfaces, making it imperative for incumbent carriers to radically redesign
their claims customer journeys. Those insurers that move swiftly and decisively to transform the
claims function can equip themselves to deliver against the new, higher customer expectations –
while increasing efficiency and improving claims handling accuracy in the process.
13Tanguy Catlin and Julie Goran, “Building momentum for cultural change,” March 2017, McKinsey.com.
15
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