Claim management is a critical element of a First Notice of Loss (FNOL) system. The efficiency of data entry, quality assurance and information systems help companies save money and adhere to policy requirements. One of the first aspects of claim management is an efficient data entry strategy.
What Is Entered Matters
When call center operators assist consumers with a FNOL report, the information entered during that contact will set the tone for the rest of the claim process. If the operator is able to capture vital information quickly and enter it into the system, the company will be able to continue the next stages of the process efficiently. If, however, the operator fails to answer the right questions, obtain all of the necessary information or properly document the conversation then extra steps will be needed to complete the process.
Software Isn’t the Only Concern
The right software is an important element of claim management. The ability to create customized fields so that operators can ask the right questions will help make the intake process fast and efficient. Organizing the screens so that operators spend less time moving through pages and more time entering information is also important. But operator training and company policies are also vital.
Operator Training
Good customer service skills and empathy are important traits for call center operators who handle first notice of loss contacts. They need to be able to collect information from people who are distraught and may not be thinking straight at the time. The ability to help a person relax and remember details will help the operator obtain a complete report on the situation.
Company Policies
How companies teach operators to enter information into the system will help employees to be thorough and fast while still creating legible notes for quality assurance and claim processing. Medical codes, insurance codes and a company shorthand will help create a consistency to data entry that will increase efficiency.
The data entry strategy for claims management needs to be comprehensive, detailed and enhanced by the latest technology. Efficiency in claim management improves the customer experience and is a better return on investment for businesses. Outsourcing this aspect of the business can help increase efficiency and ROI. For more information about FNOL and 24/7 claim reporting, contact us.
Author: Andrew
Employee Absenteeism Can Undermine Your Business
Absenteeism costs most employers far more than they realize. The problem is two-fold, as employers typically fail to track the extent of the absenteeism, as well as the hard and soft costs related to the incidences of absence. A system is necessary to:
- Track individual employee absences.
- Calculate the cost to the business for unscheduled absences.
- Identify absence fluctuations over different periods
This process can be simple – as long as it’s consistent. Regardless of the simplicity or complexity of your system and policy, you should:
- Define “absence” and “partial absence” so that records are consistent.
- Differentiate between types of absences, particularly between unexcused absences, medical or disability-related absences, and uncontrollable personal emergency.
- Design a notification procedure for employees to report absences.
Depending on size and operational scope, many organizations may benefit from finding an outsourced solution to help manage the process. Click here to learn more.
Top 5: Blogging on Absence Reporting
Unreported or incorrectly reported absences can cost companies millions. And while some organizations choose to set up internal absence reporting solutions, the process is complex, expensive, and time-consuming.
Understanding absence reporting strategies, however, is crucial to fixing the problem – even when outsourcing the intake solution. Here are 5 of our most popular blog posts on absence reporting implementation, outsourcing, and strategizing:
What Is First Notice Of Loss And Why Is It Important Article Surpasses 9,000 Views
Many people and companies don’t fully understand what First Notice of Loss is and why it’s such an important part of the insurance industry. So it’s not too surprising that an article on this topic written by Actec Systems, has recently surpassed 9,000 views. A synopsis of this popular Ezine article follows:
Many are unaware that when they first contact their insurance provider to report theft, loss or damage that they are actually contacting a first notice of loss (FNOL) call center. FNOL call centers typically operate 365 days a year, round the clock, ensuring policy holders can easily report a loss, and further, that the respective insurance companies receive timely and accurate claim loss data.
First notice of loss operations are sometimes staffed internally, but more frequently these days, the operations are outsourced to a specialist. As one can imagine with any 24/7 by 365 day a year operation, staffing, training and accurate claims intake are challenging for any organization. There are different types of vendors which offer solutions for FNOL, some offer software, others offer a comprehensive call center based on a proprietary application, and still others customize their call center operation to accommodate any platform. These are platform agnostic vendors who claim to work with insurance companies’ existing platforms.
Why is first notice of loss important to both policy holders and insurance companies? Obviously the key function of a notice of loss is to alert the responsible insurance entity as to the theft or destruction of something which is covered under the terms of the policy. In some cases, notification will precede the filing of a formal claim. In certain circumstances, the insured may contact a FNOL representative and follow specific rules of engagement relating to the policy parameters. This is happens often when a provider underwrites different types of insurance coverage and uses a specific format for each type of policy offered to consumers. Herein lies the challenge for many insurers, and the frustration for many of those insured, as policy specifics dictate both the necessary information intake, and the resulting claims processing process. In many cases, speed is of the essence. For example, theft relating to jewelry would require very specific loss notification, and further, rapid notification to the authorities and insurance provider can help result in improved odds of recovery.
First notice of loss has been undergoing a metamorphosis offering insurers an opportunity to demonstrate their relative professionalism at a time where their policy holders are likely upset and under stress. This is an optimum time, regardless of whether the call center is in house or outsourced to demonstrate a customer centric attitude increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. First notice of loss (FNOL) is a critical component of client satisfaction and customer retention.
Actec is a recognized leader of claim and incident reporting management through Full-Cycle Claim and Incident Reporting solutions. For more information on FNOL, absence management and incident reporting, call Actec at 1.800.862.2832.
Bereavement Absence Benefit in the Workplace
Bereavement in the workplace can be challenging to manage. Employees may need to take time off unexpectedly, find their performance is diminished or they may not be able to perform certain responsibilities. While bereavement leave is not mandated (except in the State of Oregon), a compassionate approach is appreciated and can help build commitment, reduce absence due to illness, and retains the trained professional.
The amount of leave needed may vary according to several variables:
- Distance to the funeral
- Responsibility for funeral and estate arrangements
- Relationship between the employee and the deceased.
Grief can be unpredictable and may be different for different people. It’s important for people to recognize this and try to be as supportive as possible.
Bereavement leave allows an employee to receive paid leave because of the death of a close relative, friend or associate. It generally is treated as a separate benefit from other types of paid leave.
The following bereavement leave regulation updates are important to keep in mind when developing or updating a bereavement policy:
1. Effective Jan. 1, 2014, Oregon will become the first state to require certain private-sector employers to provide bereavement leave to their covered employees. See Oregon Becomes First State to Require Bereavement Leave.
2. The California legislature has passed, but governors have vetoed, several bills requiring employers to grant employee requests for up to three days of bereavement leave.
3. A bill known as the Parental Bereavement Act that would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to allow eligible employees of covered employers up to 12 weeks of leave one year following the death of a child was introduced in Congress in 2012 and reintroduced in 2013.
Coping with the loss of a close family member or associate can be difficult for the employee; having clear guidelines and policies can help make it easier for everyone in the workplace when difficult decisions need to be made.
Claims Process Outsourcing – Business Performance Efficiency
Today’s business organizations are faced with multiple challenges across a multitude of business functions and processes. Business challenges requiring high degrees of specialization, such as first notice of loss insurance claims processing, need to be highly customized to meet the needs of each unique organization and industry.
Optimizing processes such as improving the customer experience, dealing with a growing need for data, driving more business, better connectivity and integration can help all companies. To accomplish this, many organizations leverage an outsourcing model.
Business outsourcing isn’t new. As a matter of fact, it’s widely used – and accepted – by many organizations, of many sizes. Today business success is measured by outcomes and KPIs which help drive business growth, innovation and customer satisfaction. Whether the function is staffed internally, or outsourced to a specialty firm, is determined by efficiency and success metrics.
For example, absence claim reporting processes that are outsourced are typically more efficient and less expensive and, because of the dramatic shift toward internet-based work tools, the economy of scale of an existing, staffed 24/7 call center, and the existing systems and knowledge available from the outsource organization. Outsourced claims reporting services can assist companies in accelerating claims process optimization, ensuring fewer claims related issues, mitigating lost claims and wasted time.
Increasingly efficient processes are a huge advantage for companies, especially larger organization. Specialty outsource business process providers can dramatically improve the efficiency, and bottomline, of a company. And that is what a true business partner is all about. For more information about absence management solutions, first notice of loss (FNOL) and 24/7 claims reporting, contact the experts at Actec.
Best Practices to Manage Disability-Related Absence
Disability-related absences are better managed by building early disability reporting practices and disability duration procedures. In doing so, employers effectively manage and reduce absenteeism.
By setting up the following practices, you can improve how absence due to disability is handled:
- Initial disability reporting: Include facts about an employee’s absence or disability in the claim as soon as possible — it’ll help cut down on the amount of time out of the office and increase the “return-to-work” probability.
- Disability duration strategy: Guidelines help forecast the length of a disability and create a standardized technique for assessing the usefulness of a return-to-work program. Employers can customize their plans accordingly.
Absence Management can help your business lessen short and long term absences due to sickness. To get rid of additional administration pressure, many companies have outsourced this service. For more information on our services, contact us.
Absence Management – How Do You Deal With Long-Term Absence?
Businesses are increasingly recognizing the significant costs associated with managing high levels of employee absence. Managers are often unsure about the level and nature of the problems they may be facing, or about how these problems are most effectively addressed.
Most managers realize that some absence is inevitable. Truthfully, no one wants a genuinely ill employee on the job. Furthermore, most managers recognize that handling individual absence issues is often complex and potentially sensitive.
Organizations need to address their absence management policies directly. A good place to start is with assessment:
- Do you have an absence problem?
- How do you develop an absence strategy?
- How do you deal with short-term absences?
- How do you deal with long-term absences?
If an employee has been absent from work for an extended period, the employer needs to consider questions such as:
- Do you know when the employee is likely to return to work?
- If not, what steps can you take to investigate and obtain a clearer prognosis?
- If so, are there any practical steps that can be taken to help the individual return to work sooner?
- What support and contact is appropriate while the individual is absent?
- What actions should you and/or the employer take to prepare for the return to work at the appropriate time?
- What support might the individual require following his or her return to work?
Research shows that long-term absence is generally handled most effectively through early intervention and action – the longer the period of absence, the less likely the employee is going to be able to return to work. Although most absence is attributable to genuine medical factors, the precise nature, extent and potential implications of a given medical condition may be difficult to determine.
The American Institute of Stress reports that job stress is the number cause of workplace absenteeism. Acute medical conditions rate the second highest cause, ahead of mental illness. For all of these conditions, it is difficult to obtain a precise prognosis of the individual’s expected return date.
Actec Systems has been the leader of Day 1 Absence Management since 1989. We are here to help commercial and personal insurance carriers, self-insured companies, third-party administrators and managed-care organizations with their absence management needs. Contact us at 1-800-862-2832 today – we’d love to hear from you!
Top 6 Features of a Workflow Management System
Workflow management systems are quickly becoming an integral part of the internal infrastructure of a work team. Workflow systems are used to setup, execute and monitor the documents and tasks of a business process. Workflow can refer to the progressive sequence of work objectives and activities, or a complex set of processes that take place concurrently. Work flow activities have a direct impact on the rules, routines and roles of the work group.
Workflow systems provide First Notice of Loss (FNOL) service providers with the opportunity to define and control the various activities that are needed to efficiently and successfully execute claim and incident reporting systems. In addition, quality workflow systems allow FNOL providers the opportunity to measure and analyze the workflow process so that continuous improvements can be made.
Here are the top 6 features of a workflow management system to consider when researching your application.
- Process design tool. A process design tool enables the administrator to define what activities need to be done, by whom and by when. It may also designate specialized tools and/or equipment that might be needed and any budgetary constraints that should be considered.
- Test process capability. A quality workflow system will include the ability to test or pilot a version of a workflow to see how it works before it goes into use. This gives users the chance to fine tune and work out the bugs of a process before it is finalized.
- Cloud-based application. As work teams become more mobile, the ability for team members to access workflows from home or anywhere on the go is an essential feature for today’s applications.
- Document and media integration. There are many different applications in use across various operating systems in today’s workplace. It is important that your workflow management system have the capability to share and integrate various types of documents created in different formats such as forms, documents, spreadsheets, videos, audio files and more.
- Email notifications. It is very important that team members are able to be notified of new tasks and service-level agreement (SLA) violations.
- Customized reports. It is essential that evaluation feedback loop is completed at the end of each process to ensure the process and participation flows as planned or adjustments are made. A quality workflow system will enable administrators the opportunity to set up reports that indicate how well the process was executed and enables fine-tuning.
A workflow management tool is an opportunity for FNOL providers to improve both the underlying business process as well as the organizational structure of the work team. Workflow management systems that are designed and implemented using best practices will unify team members with diverse skills into a cohesive, high-functioning work unit.
Workplace Measures that Call Centers Can Take to Reduce Absenteeism and Turnover
Call centers are notorious for high levels of absenteeism and turnover. Lack of job stability, irregular and changing schedules and high levels of burnout are all significant factors that affect employee attendance and long-term job tenure.
Call center agents (employees) are the heart of the call center. They work directly with customers through telephone interactions. The success of the call center operations are dependent on how the advanced technology is linked with a client-centered attitude among management and agents.
Call center staffing growth is estimated at about 40-50 percent (Kleeman and Matuschek, 2002.) Call centers mostly use standardized procedures and processes based on standardized information technology software. Voice Response Units (VRUs), Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems and speech recognition systems are common.
Call center work is perceived as knowledge-intensive and requires skilled employees. They are a competitive advantage for insurance agencies because they ensure better service to, and maintain direct contact with, clients and customers, resulting in greater workplace efficiency and a reduction of costs.
Typically, call centers have a relatively high number of short-term workers with flexible employment arrangements. Non-traditional employment agreements (temporary, part-time, flexible) are needed due to the unpredictable nature of call volume. The work tends to be highly repetitious and is often analyzed by electronic performance monitoring systems.
Taking measures to address the uncertainty of work schedules and giving employees the opportunity to become involved in the work development have been shown to be effective measures for reducing worker absenteeism and turnover. Examples of these measures include:
- Encouraging employees to be involved in the training and coaching of new employees.
- Encouraging employees to participate in special projects.
- Implementation of employee recognition programs
- Acknowledgement of success
By creating an environment where the employee is “highly involved” and that fosters a focus on customer satisfaction, your agency will increase retention rates, reduce absenteeism and nurture an environment where customer service is refined and perfected.