Gordon Vater, Managing Direct for Gallagher Bassett Technical recently shared his insights on building the claims workforce of the future at the Insurance Network, London Market Claims Event. Read on to find out what Gordon talked about on the day. 

We need to be clear on what skills and people we are looking for and for that we have to be clear where we see the role of the Claims adjuster / handler in the future. I sometimes think we have a lack of clarity with regard to this question - we know we want to give the customer the best journey they can have but at the same time ensuring we pay the right cost.

There is a vast amount of information available today putting handlers in what is already a very busy role, often under huge pressure and we are asking handlers to assimilate more and more. The danger with this is that this detracts from the fundamental role of the adjuster / handler.

As a sector we like new shiny things and can be distracted very easily no more so when faced with new technology and change. We need our claims professionals of the future to have a diverse skillset so they are able to cope with the vast amounts of information needed.

However, in my view they also need good communication skills, real levels of empathy as they have to get customers who are often suffering a traumatic event for which in the main they have no experience of - to trust them. That hasn't changed since insurance came into to existence and I believe it never will. When we interview adjusters that's what we look for - if you can get a complete stranger to open up to you then you can do claims. The technical elements we can teach if you are prepared to learn and work hard.

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The next question is who and where are we looking for these future handlers. Well in my view the first place to look is internally. We have vast amounts of experience in our claims operations and we cannot afford to lose this experience any time soon. At the same time we need this group to be comfortable with the emerging technologies and risks that we are all seeing. We need this "institutional memory" to help support the  claims handlers of the future. .

We do need new blood. Now this can be seen as a challenge. Nobody will have woken up one morning lept out of bed and decided they were going to be a claims professional. It is a hard sell. But it has got better and we have started to get better in telling our stories. There are not many roles where you can be a counsellor / an accountant / a lawyer / a detective or a surveyor all in one day. Loss adjusters have to be. There are not many sectors where we are going on a journey with leading edge technology and you could influence that at a relatively young age. Claims has a positive impact on people's lives we put lives back together in the main - surely that is something people would like to do? 

My final point. What of the balance between technological advancement and people. I have a very clear view tech is not the panacea it is an enabler to let our people have the right information to progress the claim and to stop them wasting time on frictional matters. It is not the overall solution. Technology enhancements have transformed and will continue to transform the Claims world. We must be careful that we don't get distracted by this and forget that empathy and communication are key in building trust with customers. Future professionals must embrace technology as a tool to enhance capabilities rather than as a replacement of skills. By Leveraging technology effectively we can reduce admin burdens allowing more time to build relationships and deliver exceptional service. I call the whole piece and I bore people on this Collective Expertise - the coming together of Tech : Process and People. The balance can change in the definition when dealing with different aspects but fundamentally we must not forget it is a mix of abilities that we need in the future.

In conclusion building the work force of the future needs us to be clear on what we want : have clear talent management strategies including professional growth. Empathy - communication and the ability to build trust are the fundamentals we need. 

Gordon Vater  Managing Director - GB Technical  Gordon_Vater@gbtpa.com