Quick, what’s in your hand right now? If you’re like most people, it’s probably your mobile phone. In just a few short years, our mobile device has become the one thing we can’t live without. Each day we use it for everything from buying coffee, hailing rides, and taking photos to boarding airplanes, depositing checks – and reading this article.
It seems everyone is getting in on the mobile act these days, and insurance carriers are no exception. It’s not hard to imagine a mobile claims workflow that’s tightly integrated with your claims backend to allow a policyholder to report an accident, take photos, and seamlessly transmit damage information directly into your claims database. This in turn allows you to triage the claim, then recommend the appropriate appraisal channel or dispatch a tow – all in just minutes.
But while this mobile endgame may seem obvious, for many carriers it’s been a daunting task to get there. Mobile technology is ever-changing, and many in-house development teams are challenged when it comes to handling the delicate mix of tech skills and claims know-how. It’s easy to be intimidated by the process, and as a result, many carriers have not yet even entered the mobile space. And others have started in the mobile space with just policy services, instead of a broader self-service vision.
3 Reasons Why You Need Mobile Tech
It’s pretty obvious that mobile tech is here to stay – and that if your brand is not in the game, you’re getting silently dinged by savvy consumers who wonder why they have to dial into a call center and be placed on hold when it’s time to process an insurance claim, rather than file on a tablet or mobile phone.
But beyond your brand’s image, here are three more reasons why it’s time to make a substantial investment in mobile tech:
- Mobile consumers have now been trained in the art of self-service. In many service sectors, they now prefer to complete as much of the “paperwork” themselves as possible, right on their mobile devices. In the insurance space, mobile apps make it possible to easily photograph an accident and fill out electronic forms, which helps you quickly offer an estimate, present shop choices in their vicinity, schedule a repair appointment, send timely repair updates, and manage payments – all without the customer ever speaking to one of your representatives.
- Mobile self-service means time and money saved. Reducing manual processes throughout the claims experience lowers the cost of handling claims by eliminating repetitive steps and human error. This means fewer phone calls, less data entry, fewer redundancies, and a tremendous increase in process efficiencies.
- Consumer expectations have changed. Insurance customers now expect to be able to find policy services, agent info, and request-a-quote capabilities on their mobile devices, in addition to the locations of reputable repair shops in their area. These are not just perks offered by a few insurance companies, but an industry standard that consumers demand. If you’re not offering these services via your mobile app, you’re behind the curve.
Making the Investment: The In-House vs. Outsourced Tradeoff
There’s no doubt that entering the mobile space – and doing it well – can be daunting. Developing an end-to-end mobile strategy that encompasses all aspects of your business can require tremendous cross-departmental collaboration and a mobile tech team that is well-versed in all aspects of the business.
So how do you make a smart investment in mobile technology to get your company where it needs to go? There are two obvious choices: build or buy. And as is generally the case, these choices come with tradeoffs. Often we find that in-house teams don’t have the expertise to fully understand the complexity of creating a claims-based mobile app. So that leaves outsourcing, which can be a drain on your company’s time and resources as you try to educate a developer that is not savvy in the insurance space.
So what’s the answer? CCC Mobile Solutions – the perfect blend of mobile app development and insurance expertise.
CCC Mobile Solutions: An End to Tradeoffs
With CCC Mobile Solutions there’s no ramp-up time while we learn your claims infrastructure, workflow, and processes. In most cases we’ve already worked with you to define them; if not our three decades of claims processing experience all but ensures success. Partnering with us ensures fast, cost-effective development, launch and maintenance. We’ll help integrate mobile claims capabilities in your existing app, or we’ll create an app for you from the ground up reflecting your brand, your colors and style.
We can help you leap-frog the tradeoffs and deliver the mobility that you need quickly, correctly and without taxing your in-house team. Contact us now to take the first step toward giving your customers a truly connected mobile claims experience.
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