Say hello to better motor claims

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Hello Claims is leveraging its expertise and technology to reduce claims costs, shorten repair times and win fans, from insurers to fleet managers to brokers

WHEN IT COMES to motor assessment and repair, it’s easy for customers to feel like they are hamsters on a wheel. Crash, assess, repair and repeat. But Hello Claims seems to have found the off-ramp from this cycle of inefficiency: it uses its expertise and technology in a smart way not only to help assessors process claims better but also to provide the data and analytics that improve practices in the client’s underlying business. “Our goal is to add value to every single claim we touch through smarter technology,” says managing director Nick Herford. “Processes are set up to ensure predictable and fair repair costs, correct part prices, that manufacturer's specifications are followed to the letter, and that all key stakeholders are updated instantly.” This is true for passenger car claims as well as complex claims for heavy vehicles or machinery where the stakes are higher if equipment is out of action for longer.

Hello Claims is an end-to-end motor assessment and repair solution. It provides award-winning services infused with groundbreaking technology to handle motor vehicle claims on behalf of insurance business and fleet managers. Hello Claims commenced in 2014 as a small business based in Sydney, NSW. Since then, it has expanded to multiple locations across Australia and New Zealand, while partnering with amazing clients. Hello Claims’ service offerings include complex assessing; repairs; remote digital assessing; live video assessing; onsite assessing; towing and car hire.

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A faster process with Hello Claims Repair Plus

Average repair turnaround prior to using Hello Claims Repair Plus

“We’ve achieved significant claim savings and improved operational efficiency across all of our clients who have undertaken proof of concepts with us”

Nick Herford, Hello Claims

A key point is the continual sharing of data with clients through quarterly reports or monthly reports. “What our system and team do is essentially make that data relevant to [the client’s] business and then explain to them how the data affects their business – and we do that for all of our clients,” says Herford. “We explain to them not only the data results but how that data has positively or negatively affected their business … and we are the only ones in the market who really go to that extent.”

When Herford founded the business with Matt Hanson in 2014, some assessing firms seemed to be stuck in a time warp in terms of best practice, with minimal use of technology. “There were still assessors walking into panel shops with a manila folder and making adjustments on a piece of paper, then going back to their office to input the information into a Word document or report, which meant poor workflow and no data capture,” says Herford. Herford and Hanson realised there was a huge opportunity to

use technology to leverage claims data to help clients improve practices and ensure that only required repairs were allowed and approved. As a result, claims costs would drop, and insurers’ loss ratios would improve. The results are impressive. “We've achieved significant claim savings and improved operational efficiency across all of our clients who have undertaken proof of concepts with us,” says Herford. “We worked with one particular client who was able to halve their repair time and reduce their claims cost by 25% just due to using Hello Claims for all of their assessments and allowing our team to assist with fine-tuning other practices inside their business.” Hello Claims’ Repair Plus national network of smash repairers work with estimators to ensure the correct repair method is used from the start – this helps reduce leakage and repair time frames substantially.

Passenger and prestige vehicles

each [complex claim type]; we also have dedicated claims consultants who work within our complex claims division to ensure that we have the right person and skill set on each claim.” Herford sees other companies opting for the convenient solution of sending a passenger vehicle assessor to complex claims for machinery such as harvesters, but this can often result in cost blowouts and a longer assessment process as the assessor is not trained on repair methods for these complex machines. It can also lead to unsatisfied policyholders being unlikely to renew their policies, and can possibly cause damage to the insurer’s reputation. Even worse, incorrect repairs can shorten the life of the vehicle involved. “By ensuring we have the right skill set on every complex claim, we are ensuring a fair repair cost, correct repair method and the ability for our team to be able to talk the talk with the owners of the machines to give them the confidence that the claim has been handled by a professional,” Herford says. One way Hello Claims helps keep costs down for the client is by video streaming to assess the initial repair remotely. “We are able to dial in via live-stream assessing through our technology, look at the damage and give authorisation on the spot for temporary repairs to be completed to enable [the client] to continue to work. The video and audio is recorded and added to the claim instantly for our clients to view with our assessment report.” The longer a machine like a harvester or heavy truck is off the road, the more it costs the business involved. “We understand the disruption it causes the clients and make sure that our solution complements all of that,” says Herford. “Our claims consultants ensure that every time they touch a claim, [it] takes a step forward towards finalisation.”

“Our claims consultants ensure that every time they touch a claim, [it] takes a step forward towards finalisation”

Nick Herford, Hello Claims

COVID was a tough time for the motor claims industry due to scarce labour, difficulty in securing replacement parts, and soaring used-vehicle prices. But a weak assessment process only makes the situation worse. Hello Claims continuously trains its staff to keep their industry knowledge up to date, including on the latest repair methods and equipment that repairers are using, the latest paint techniques and methods, and any updates to policy wordings to reflect changes to policy coverage, part pricing and part interpretation.

It also has self-improvement built into its claims process. “We continually ask our clients what their challenges and pain points are in the motor claims space, and look to tailor our solution to address these problems,” Herford says. The Hello Claims portal has a continuous feedback feature that allows the client or broker to respond throughout the claim process as to how satisfied they are. If one of these running reviews is neutral or negative, then the system flags the claims consultant that something is less than optimal, and the Hello Claims team calls the party to fix the issue. This

Hello Claims caters for any vehicle type, Australia-wide

Mechanic and client talking about vehicle repairs and motor claims

Reducing claims costs

The right skills for each assessment

4WD

Vintage

Performance

Campers

Trailers

Motorhomes

Caravans

Tractors

Irrigators

Conveyors

Farm equipment and machinery

Buses

Cranes

Mobile plant

Heavy motor vehicles

Hull

Transit

Jet skis

Marine

Quads

Scooters

Dirt bikes

Motorcycles

Custom trailers

Loaders and specialised equipment

Headers and balers

Commercial trailers

Mining equipment

Leisure craft

Road bikes

Bicycles

Herford emphasises that the technology Hello Claims uses to improve the claims process is just a tool, and that it wouldn’t be as meaningful in terms of results achieved for the client without the company’s skilled staff. “I think it really does come back to the training and knowledge base of the particular assessors and claims consultants that handle the individual claims,” he says. Again, it’s in assessing the complex claims that correct training makes an outsized difference. “We have dedicated experts for

Word has spread quickly, and Herford estimates that Hello Claims has doubled its customer base over the last three years.

21 days

Average repair turnaround using Hello Claims Repair Plus

9.1 days

Note: Based on data from June to December 2021

Continuous training, continuous improvement

means problems can be addressed before the final stage when the underlying issue can’t be revisited. “You can jump onto those problems quickly and solve them and then push the communication out to ensure everyone is aware, then by the time you get to the end of the claim everyone's happy with the outcome,” says Herford.

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People

Specialty

Best in Insurance

Resources

Risk Management

News