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Telematics Claims Management: A Complete Guide for UK Motor Insurers
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Winn Group has been delivering excellent client care in the Telematics sector for over 13 years, and counting.
Focusing on those considering taking steps into the telematics industry, or a change of provider, this page gives an overview of what to expect and, most importantly, how Telematics Claims Management can add real value to your client care.
An Introduction to Telematics Claims Management
Telematics insurance is developing at pace, gathering momentum among insurance policyholders determined to get the best value for money.
Currently, penetration sits around 10-15% of the motor insurance sector, according to a spokesperson from Clearspeed, with the UK driving market one of the earliest telematics implementers.
Initially seen as the option for those who couldn’t get more traditional cover, it has been through many character updates, including helping high-risk young motorists get their premiums down, to a more current, realistic option for those who want to maximise cost efficiencies.
Helping motorists to understand their driving behaviours, telematics driver feedback educates the motorist and helps formulate safer habits; according to data from Aviva, telematics drivers show up to a 50% reduction in collision claims.
As a result, never has excellent telematics claims management provision been more important.
What is Telematics Claims Management?
Telematics claims management is the use of telematics data to assist in the management of a claim following an accident.
Commonly known as a ‘black box’, the aptly named device monitors the patterns and behaviours of the driver, in real time, while they are on the road.
With the assistance of real-time data capture, claims management companies that specialise in telematics harness the accuracy and analytical capabilities of the technology to gain a comprehensive overview of whether an accident has occurred.
Able to record driving speed, braking pressures, and g-forces on the vehicle (among many recorded indicators
of driving), this technology underpins the telematics claims management process, providing much needed evidential information in the form of collision dynamics data that can assist in liability assessment.
This is also utilised in the fraud screening process as part of the wider claims management process.
Ultimately, the process is more objective, as opposed to relying on the witness statements of those involved
and those who saw the accident unfold, which are much more subjective by nature.
Not only that, the constant signal connectivity with a vehicle allows for swift crash detection and automatic
first notification of loss. By engaging with the customer immediately after an accident, effective, relevant, and most importantly, swift action can be taken based on the response of the driver. If needed, emergency services can be alerted and get to the scene quickly.
Giving a clearer picture of the nature of the accident, the client then receives after-accident care in the form of a number of different elements based on liability assessment.
Relevant care can include the swift recovery of a damaged vehicle, and subsequent storage and repair. If required, a replacement vehicle can also be provided to limit the impact of the accident upon the person affected by it.
Collectively, telematics claims management uses the associated technology to assist policyholders and deliver the required support following an accident.
The technology and data flow from device to settlement
In telematics FNOL, the technology involved plays a critical role in the development and progression of the claims process, providing an automatic FNOL offering.
From the outset, it underpins and drives actions and processes that immediately set about helping the affected driver.
In the event of an accident, the crash detection algorithm will be triggered upon impact. That data is uploaded to the telematics platform within seconds of the alleged incident. If that data suggests an accident has occurred, the telematics claims handler will receive a notification and begin reviewing the data capture to assess the potential of an accident taking place.
If sufficient evidence is there, the relevant procedures are activated – including calling the policyholder to check on their current state - to ensure the driver’s safety, primarily, and also to limit the effect on the individual in the aftermath. If needed, the emergency services can be alerted.
The technology and data flow continues throughout the telematics claims processing journey, with the claims handler using the available data from the accident to reconstruct a picture of how it happened, using pre-crash and impact data.
At this stage of the process, liability assessments are conducted and fraud screening implemented to ensure the next steps of the process are both relevant and appropriate, eliminating possible fraudulent activity should matters be exaggerated or fabricated by those involved.
Not only does this make matters more objective, but telematics delivers on efficiency in claims handling through the early identification of potentially fraudulent cases and their subsequent dismissal, as well as assisting with quick, effective, and accurate liability assessments.
The dependence on the telematics data produced by the incident remains throughout a claim, especially when ascertaining who was responsible for the incident - there’s a high degree of importance and reliance on quantifiable evidence when it comes to the settlement decision.
Relying on tangible statistics to paint a picture of the incident, it enhances the supporting evidence as opposed to relying on testimony of customers that can be impacted by time since the accident, difficult-to-recall details, and conflicting statements that cast doubt on versions of events.
"We were really impressed by the results of Winn Group’s 24/7/365 FNOL solution and the high client care standards maintained.
Using the 24-hour working operation to enhance their service offering, Winns is a market-leading accident management company offering a market-leading service."
Insurance provider
"Winns way of handling claims under one roof offers a seamless customer journey, which is invaluable to our policy holders, with customers particularly impressed by the attentive nature of staff and their ability to take the stress out of a difficult time in the aftermath of an accident."
Insurance provider
“We’ve worked with Winns for in over 15 years and found their customer care standards and delivery of service levels to be excellent, consistently delivering for our customers.
Their customer facing teams work quickly and hard for our customers; they’re a benchmark for the rest of the sector."
Insurance provider
Are you ready to rely on significant Telematics experience to enhance client care?
Benefits of Telematics for insurance providers
The benefits to UK insurers are tangible when considering the deployment of telematics to assist policyholders.
A near 40 - 60% reduction in fraud detection time is an industry-wide statistic that demonstrates real-world
improvements to insurance provision, resulting in fewer fraudulent or exaggerated claims, and reducing unnecessary payouts, thanks to objective driving data.
Detecting fraud happens from the moment of impact. Drivers may deny that elements of an incident occurred,
provide inaccurate information, or be genuinely confused.
With proactive FNOL, facts are accurately and professionally established without the need for human interpretation, which is based on opinion, which sometimes can be utilised fraudulently.
Assessing an incident and triaging liability also becomes more secure – the first layer is analysing the data by
reconstructing the sequence of events, understanding what occurred pre-impact, at impact, and post-impact.
The second layer is speaking with the insured, and if the version of events (VOE) does not align with objective
facts (e.g., location or speed), further clarification is sought. Even by knowing the basics - speed, location, direction of travel, and area of damage - circumstances can often be recognised.
This approach facilitates a time-saving of approximately 30% (circumstances dependent) based on our own service analysis. The evidence gathering phase is reduced, quite significantly, as the telematics data provides immediate and detailed information.
Repudiation rates also stay very low due to having the evidence that supports the insurer’s version of events within minutes of the incident taking place.
Enhancing the decision-making process with a time-efficient approach to data and evidence gathering, this has the tangible benefit to insurers of speeding up resolution processes in a claim and reducing credit hire and storage costs through a speedier claims journey. Savings are made across the board.
Not just that, proactive telematics FNOL makes a life-saving difference to policyholders. That has been demonstrated in our own telematics claims management provision.
Of the confirmed true incidents recorded by our Telematics service, 10% required emergency service calls and
the immediate intervention that comes with a blue light request.
Out of our most serious crash alerts, 70-80% take place on rural roads and involve no third party, leaving our policyholders in serious danger and without any support other than their telematics provider.
This is reinforced by our findings that 37% of all crash alerts received by our Telematics experts were raised out of hours and made up 70% of all of our emergency service calls. An insurer providing coverage round the clock is a hugely attractive selling point, especially when other motorists may not be on hand to help during irregular hours of the day.
Making a difference in this respect, helping ensure the safety of drivers, helps to build a solid relationship between insurance provider and policyholder; they feel covered in the eventuality of many scenarios and in all locations, while the insurer can justifiably offer that extensive coverage to current customers and potential new policyholders.
How does this translate into a tangible positive? Customer satisfaction and engagement with their insurer improves, generating further positivity for the brand.
Implementation and operational considerations
There are several implementation and operational considerations when integrating and utilising telematics services.
Arguably one of the most important resources in any business, the staff will need specialist training.
Claims handlers will need extensive training in areas of telematics data, understanding of key indicators, and development in interpretation of incoming data to trigger appropriate responses that affect not only the rest of that claim’s journey but can also be hugely significant in relation to the safety of the client.
Telematics, and the constant recording of data when the vehicle is in motion, has no time period restrictions; day or night, if the vehicle is being driven, the telematics black box is alert to it and monitoring. Should a real-time alert be created in the middle of the night, the telematics operator needs to have the 24/7 monitoring infrastructure in place to initiate fast and effective next steps.
That calls for operational elements to be active across a 24-hour pattern, without coverage dropouts. Staff and office systems, and access, all need to be geared to this requirement. It can’t simply stop when office hours dictate.
Winn Group, with its thriving telematics team and 24-hour working pattern, can facilitate such demands on its service.
But it cannot be a one size fits all approach.
A successful claims management provider will have the ability to integrate its processes with multiple telematics provider platforms to ensure an integration that delivers uninterrupted claims processing coverage that doesn’t falter when moved through the journey.
In a hugely regulated industry, the requirement for GDPR-compliant data handling and robust retention policies is not just a minimum need. It’s vital to excel in these areas.
By doing so, there’s a relationship of trust built swiftly between customer and company, safe in the knowledge that potentially sensitive data is not only used for its specific purpose but is safely stored and dispensed with as agreed and as dictated by law.
With so much to consider and implement, it is a significant task to set this up, roll-out and integrate with external partners, all while promoting yourselves as experts in the field.
A much easier way to do this is to outsource this service to an expert telematics provider.
Building these processes and departments is expensive, slow, and rarely cost-effective unless dealing in significant volumes of telematics policyholders.
By outsourcing, you rely on an established company that has dedicated years to implementation and effective delivery.
With experienced and specially trained staff ready to assist with expertise and diligence, adhering to specific industry regulations that are embedded in daily operations, outsourcing is often the most cost-effective solution when considering the ramifications of offering telematics to your policyholders.
The Winn Group operational model
Winn Group has operated in the telematics arena for a number of years, garnering real-time experience in instant data analysis. Working with large insurance providers to provide insurance telematics services that third-party stakeholders can trust to deliver outstanding service for their policyholders, it's a service that works constructively with business partners but is founded on a rock-solid, industry compliant operation that spans a 24-hour working pattern.
Built up over 13 years, our teams have developed extensive experience of interpreting data, actioning appropriately, and ensuring outstanding coverage for our clients.
There may be other telematics providers out there able to offer accident management assistance, but there aren’t many with a 4.8 out of 5 Trustpilot rating based on over 15,000 genuine client reviews.
We’re always on the lookout for more providers to support and work with, so you can provide a market-leading, dynamic telematics offering.
Our teams are ready to work for your policyholders. So why wait to find out more?
Give us a call today.
Business Development Team
Associate Director - Head of Business Development
Mark Pallas
Head of Strategic Partnerships
Lorna Turner
Head of Insurance Relations
Mike Wall
Business Development Executive
Hugo Scott-Stuart
Data Analyst & Implementation Executive
Ed Carvell
Frequently Asked Questions
What is telematics claims management?
Telematics claims management is the provision of assistance to telematics policyholders following an accident, providing the relevant services and support required to get them back to a similar situation they were in prior to the incident. Initially alerted by a telematics black box, the use of the data guides the claim, ensuring tangible statistical evidence to paint a picture of the incident.
How does telematics data prove fault in a claim?
Feeding immediate data into a team of experts, the use of statistics denoting speed, direction of travel, area of damage, and location all help create a landscape in terms of what happened and how it happened.
Often in claims, the evidence gathering is based on the recollections of those involved, which can be subjective. However, telematics data takes out any subjective uncertainty and areas that could be open to interpretation.
It provides exact statistical input, real-time information of the accident, and a definitive view of the circumstances.
Can telematics detect insurance fraud?
Yes, telematics is an effective way to filter out fraudulent cases, providing data that can clearly highlight inconsistencies with witness statements.
The certainty of the latter can be vulnerable to delays causing confusion and hazy recollections; statements can be subjective and possibly at the behest of the motive of the individual.
What telematics does is provide a solid foundation of fact in which to establish a structure in relation to circumstances, something that helps to magnify inconsistencies and identify them quickly in the process.
Should insurers outsource telematics claims processing?
For the most cost-effective provision of telematics, outsourcing is a viable and attractive option. Using the established technological processes of a telematics claims processing provider, along with experienced and dedicated employees, insurers can get the best possible service for their clients without needing to invest in the permanent IT and employee infrastructure required to deliver telematics claims processing in-house.
How long has the UK had telematics insurance claims?
The UK telematics insurance claims market has been working for over two decades. Some of the biggest insurers unveiled telematics insurance products back in the mid-2000’s with widespread commercial rollout around the start of the 2010’s. Now an established option when deciding upon what insurance product suits a client, telematics has become a staple in the motor insurance industry.
What's the cost benefit of telematics claims management?
Lower administrative costs, shorter claim cycles, fewer fraudulent claims, thus reducing payouts, lower repair and hire costs; all of these add significant cost benefits for companies utilising telematics claims management. The reliance on accurate, statistical accident data brings greater opportunities for efficiencies and less claims wastage, enhancing the benefits of using telematics to underpin the process.
Conclusion
With extensive experience in the Telematics sector, Winn Group not only has the technological capacity to facilitate and integrate the service on behalf of insurers as an outsourcing option, but it is also delivered by a team of experts that have built a deep-rooted skill set based on data interpretation across many years of active learning in real world scenarios.
Working with established insurers, our partnerships have been hugely beneficial to the policyholders of those insurers, benefiting from our skills and expertise when they need us most.
Winn Group simply doesn’t settle for being part of the pack; we lead the way with our development, with our innovative approach, and with our desire to maintain a market-leading position in the sector.
Considering a telematics provider that can deliver results for your customers? Give us a call and let’s start a discussion on how we can help you provide fantastic telematics customer service to your policyholders.
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