As more and more providers turn to remote technology to keep the claims process going we asked Waseem Malik, Executive Managing Director of Claims for AXA Insurance to give us his view and why he thinks greater use of tech and increased digital capability is finally here to stay in insurance.

It’s hard to find positives in a global pandemic but I’m an optimist so hear me out.

The insurance industry isn’t known for its revolutionary tendencies. We prefer to change things incrementally, safely and surely. We get there eventually, but it often takes time.

And it has been no different with the digitisation of the industry. There isn’t an organisation worth its salt that is not going through some kind of digital transformation but if I’m honest, none of us have done it at any great speed.

But this is where the positive in the pandemic comes in. Of course, insurance isn’t alone in this but by being forced to work remotely, we have all had to find new ways of doing that, from managing claims to conducting risk assessments and everything in between. And we’ve had to do it quickly.

The answer to that problem has, almost every time, been tech and I’m glad to say that we have embraced this wholeheartedly at AXA where we have been accelerating our use and deployment of this.

For example, customers can report and submit their claim, complete with damage and incident details, via their phone allowing the claim handler to get moving as soon as the data is in.

And for large losses, particularly in property, we have been able to use tech such as drones, rather than people, to safely assess the damage and get the claim moving.

Neither of these processes are new. The difference now is that rather than seeing tools like these as an option, they are the first port of call and whenever we emerge out of this pandemic, I think they will remain vitally important.

Because it’s not just the industry that has had to adapt to this – customers are also getting used to a new way of doing things. And the feedback we are getting on these tech-led approaches is extremely positive. The smart use of tech speeds the claims process up, it makes our decision making much more transparent and it makes their experience of dealing with us much easier.

They have seen what is possible and how our use of tech positively impacts their experience, so they’ll expect more of the same and we need to deliver it. But I am acutely aware that the conviction of one insurer isn’t going to give our customers the experience they or we want.

All parties need to understand the value of this tech. I can easily imagine an underwriter offering preferential terms to a broker who comes armed with detailed drone data on a risk. Why wouldn’t they? The data doesn’t lie.

And for adjusters, not only does it allow them to assess a site quickly and safely, it is cost effective too and in a sector of the market where margins are wafer thin, that has got to be a benefit they and insurers want to embrace.

It’s not just about drones – they are simply an example to illustrate my point. The pandemic and subsequent lockdown has forced many of us to adopt tech more broadly and with greater speed than we would perhaps have imagined – just look at all our kids using Microsoft Teams, better than us in many cases, for their online lessons!

But for customers and the industry to get the full benefit, we all need to understand and accept the value it offers. This is an opportunity, driven by tragic events, but an opportunity nonetheless and if we don’t take it, we will have let our customers down.

Not only that. We will have let the next generation of insurance professionals down, those people who are looking to us to create the industry of the future, and we will have let them down badly. I for one don’t want to be here in five or ten years’ time saying “I told you so”. I want to be here saying “I was part of the revolution”.

Fatal falling debris accident prompts push for drone inspections

By Amy Yensi

Just days after Erica Tishman, a renowned architect, was killed by falling debris in midtown, some city officials are proposing a new law they say will help prevent similar accidents.

It would require the department of buildings to conduct a drone inspection within 48 hours of a complaint or violation.

“This is not a toy, but it’s a tool. These tools will save millions of dollars. It would save time, but most importantly it could actually save lives,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

The legislation would also authorize the city housing authority to use drones for its building inspections.

The proposal’s goal is to detect problems and possibly hazardous conditions.

Tishman was walking along 49th Street last Tuesday when a piece of facade came crashing down from a building that had been fined back in April.

City Councilmen Justin Brannan and Robert Cornegy said lawmakers must act because drone use currently is only legal inside state parks.

They point to the lack of manpower at the buildings department to keep up with the thousands of structures that have violations, or in need of repair.

“In speaking to them very recently, one of their ideas is that we’re going to add more inspectors. That’s only one part of this and only one component to what’s necessary,” said Cornegy.

The proposal would authorize private companies to offer the inspection services to building owners who would have to pay the bill — a more cost-effective option, according to the Brooklyn borough president.

City officials say the current laws regulating airspace date back to 1948, long before this drone technology existed. They’re hoping to ease those laws, get them up in the air, and inspect city buildings as soon as possible.

Similar Cases

A maintenance company which admitted breaching health and safety laws after Tahnie Martin was killed by debris blown off a roof by Storm Doris was subsequently fined £1.3 million.

Tahnie Martin, who worked at the University of Wolverhampton, died on February 23 2017 after she was struck by wooden debris while walking past a cafe in Wolverhampton city centre.

The 29-year-old, from Stafford, was walking along Dudley Street with colleagues when a large piece of roofing flew from a building.

Mother-of-two killed by stone gargoyle that fell three stories off historic church in Chicago.

Sara Bean, 34, was walking to lunch with her fiancé when she was hit in the head by the falling stone

The mother of two was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

In May last year the RICS published an insight paper ‘Drones: applications and compliance for surveyors’ providing guidance on the issues relating to varied uses UAVs or unmannned aerial systems (UASs).

As the weather starts to turn and the rain starts to pour older properties and historic buildings certainly start to bear the brunt of the bad weather, pre-existing conditions can become a little more serious as the weather takes its toll.

Historically these types of structures pose several access issues and whilst traditional methods have been timely and expensive whilst considering the business interruption of the business in question and potentially surrounding businesses.

It’s no wonder many businesses are turning to new ways of managing their property portfolio and opting to deploy drone technology as they offer a faster and more efficient way of inspecting inaccessible structures. With data collection on site within a matter of hours and costs savings of up to 55% vs traditional methods the ROI is quite compelling.

Iprosurv have been assisting many of our clients with property risk management, enabling annual maintenance of historic, old and high net worth clients to be completed with lessened challenges, reduced costs whilst assisting with targeted scheduled maintenance. By deploying drone technology with advanced software solutions, we deliver digital inspections models of the asset, with our bespoke 3D interactive estate managers can integrate and investigate the structure and assess the state of repair of their asset.

If your looking to reduce annual property maintenance spend or wish to explore our digital inspection services please get in touch with Iprosurv.