Rural Community Insurance Company issued the following announcement on Sept. 11.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that when producers file claims, they want payment as soon as possible.
It's also true that nothing makes time move as slowly as waiting for a check to come in the mail – or to be deposited in one's account.
RCIS emphasizes responsive claims handling to move claims through the process faster. When the premier claims services are combined, RCIS is able to move a claim nearly twice as fast, depending on the complexity of the claim.
Responsive claims service is one way RCIS prioritizes our support for crop insurance agents as they strive to provide excellent service to their clients. Our goal is to give policyholders the best possible crop insurance experience.
The Claims Care Center
When a claim is filed, the RCIS team goes into action. The Claims Care Center contacts producers as soon as the Notice of Loss is received. This allows the claims process to begin immediately.
“We contact you as soon as a claim is turned in,” says Carroll, Area Claims Manager for Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and part of Florida. “The Claims Care team is devoted just to making calls and getting the bottom line on what's going on with the claims as soon as they're reported.”
Communication is important to RCIS and to our customers. “Sometimes a claim's turned in and within an hour's time, we already have someone on it,” he says.
Adjusters deployed to the field
The claim goes next to an adjuster, who contacts the farmer to inspect the basis for the claim.
“Our area supervisor will send me claims within the area that I work,” says Aaron, an RCIS Adjuster based in Perham, Minn.
“From there, it's my job to contact the farmer and line up appointments and gather all the information needed to accurately determine the loss and transmit the loss information to our claim processors,” he says.
According to Carroll, who has more than 30 years of crop insurance industry experience, RCIS adjusters are known for being particularly well-trained.
“Training is a big plus,” he says. “RCIS offers excellent training online and we do classroom training once a year, although with COVID we offered it online.”
Technology tools, such as digital signature and direct deposit – two of the RCIS premier claims services—help streamline claims handling and make a difference in how fast the claim is completed. Speed is important, but Aaron notes that accuracy is equally critical. Adjusters check and recheck the claim to make certain there are no inaccuracies.
Adjusters work in groups
While adjusters typically serve their local geographic areas, they're ready at all times to team up for the purpose of getting the claim processed and paid as soon as possible.
“If we have larger claims, we will work together,” says Aaron. “For example, if we have a lot of field appraisals we need to do, we will get a group of us together on our team and get it done more quickly. Just so the farmer isn't having to wait on one person out there doing a bunch of appraisals.”
“And likewise with crop hail claims, if we have a heavily hit hail-damaged area, we will get as many adjusters together as we can just to get the claims worked as quickly as possible,” he says.
RCIS also provides national catastrophic (CAT) claims adjusting teams that support local adjusters in the event of a weather event affecting a broad area.
“Their whole purpose is to get claims worked as quickly as possible,” Aaron says. “And they do that very well. They're mobile and ready to go at the drop of a hat. So they'll get a notice, for example, that we need help in this area for two weeks or a month and they pack their bags, they're on the road and are camped out working and getting things done.”
Claims Completion Process Team
RCIS claims adjusters working in the field can depend on the dedicated Claims Completion Process Team, another aspect of premier claims services RCIS relies on to move claims more quickly. These experienced adjusters assist with data entry, so the field claims adjusters aren't slowed down.
The system speeds up the process, but also provides higher data quality and accuracy, which helps prevent delays down the road.
Aaron is a fan of the system, which was implemented in response to severe weather events that impact a large area.
“For example, if we have a heavy hit area right here in my home location, field adjusters within this area can just go out and keep meeting with as many farmers as possible, collecting all the information needed to work the claim, and then transmit that data to a completion adjuster,” he says.
“They don't go out in the field. They key claims, getting it worked as fast as possible. Then they're sending it to the farmers for their digital signature,” Aaron says.
Teamwork and communication
The RCIS claims handling system depends on a structure defined by teamwork.
“It's just really easy for me if there are any issues on claims or anything, I know I can talk to the people in the processing department,” says Carroll. “I can shoot an email up the line and I can get an answer back.”
“We just do our best in the field to work the claims quick and as accurately as possible,” Carroll says.
Aaron understands the power of teamwork. “I came to RCIS out of the military. And it was a good fit because of the regulations, rules and then the teamwork,” he says. “You're not just out here by yourself, trying to get things done. There's always help available.”
Providing excellent customer service
Offering responsive claims service is a key piece of focusing on outstanding service to both agents and policyholders.
“I really enjoy working with farmers,” says Aaron. “I grew up on a farm and I'm still involved in our family's farming operation.”
“The majority of the time we're dealing with farmers they're in a time of need,” he says. “If they have a loss, it's normally a bad time that they're going through. So being able to help and get these claims paid, I really enjoy that.”
Carroll also stresses service excellence. “What we really like to do is deliver really great customer service,” he says.
RCIS surveys policyholders to learn directly from customers how we are doing. And our premier claims services were developed for the specific purpose of reducing claims turnaround time so that our customers receive payment as soon as possible.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Rural Community Insurance Company
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