‘Claims is our product’
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Susan Donaldson, head of claims at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, talks to IB about the company's expertise in getting things 'back up and running' after a claim
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IT MAY COME as a surprise, but at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance the claims handling policy is not a prescriptive one. Refreshingly, this group, which is about to celebrate seven years in its Sydney location, recognises that no two claims are the same. The prioritising and processing of claims is at the heart of the business, as well as being a constant driving force.
“Everything we do across the entire routine of our business, it's all building up to the day a customer has a claim. We hope that by placing a constant focus on our claims commitments, should a claim arise it will be handled fairly and swiftly – with no surprises,” says head of claims Susan Donaldson, who describes coming to work as “a joy”.
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Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) Australia provides commercial property, mining and energy, construction, casualty, executive and professional lines, marine, transport and logistics liability, accident and health, healthcare liability, surety, and multinational solutions and risk engineering. BHSI’s wide range of insurance products is expanding; this is combined with financial strength, a yes-oriented culture and great flexibility in customising solutions for clients’ needs. BHSI is customer-first, through and through. It views every claim as an opportunity to strengthen its customer relationships and industry reputation because, as BHSI says, ‘Claims is our product’.
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Australians making claims
Moderate negative impact
38%
Significant negative impact
28%
Little negative impact
12%
The overall percentage of claims paid in Australia was between 92% and 94% in the years 2016 to 2020
94%
“It’s easy to fulfil a promise when you had a hand in making that promise”
Matthew Clarke,
BHSI
The importance of empathy
When it comes to hiring claims professionals, BHSI is on the lookout for two key attributes – character and capability.
“Capability is of course the technical side of things. Do we have professionals who know their way around policy wording? Do they know their way around a claim? Are they technically good at what they do?” says Donaldson.
“But on the character side of things, I look across at all the members of the claims team here in Australia and the several hundred we have around the globe, and the common characteristic is that they are all empathetic problem-solvers. They care that something has happened to the customer, and they look for a way to make it better and a way to put it back together – getting the right supplies in place or getting the right legal assistance to help navigate a negligence claim.
“That's the characteristic that I look for. Are you empathetic? Do you want to solve this problem? Are you going to be prompt and efficient in the way that you do that?
“When things go wrong, the first call should be: ‘How are you? Are you OK? Is your team OK?’
“This sounds really simple, but it’s important to know that when you're speaking to someone in those situations, they're stressed; something's gone wrong and there's very often real fear there.
“So the team approaches every call with empathy first. Further calls might be weeks into the claim when customers aren’t in that high-stress emergency-style situation, but it still starts with: ‘How's everyone going? How's your business going? OK… now let's talk about this’.”
A collaborative process
Customers can certainly be assured that a whole team has their back when it comes to making a claim through the firm.
“For us, that starts internally,” Donaldson explains. “We have claims underwriting, actuarial legal compliance, finance, all working really closely together from the developmental stage so the products meet the needs of the customer.
“This collaborating continues when it comes to building relationships – with our brokers and particularly with our customers. If you know your customer well and something has gone wrong, it's a little bit easier when everybody's on the same page.
Work-related accidents or mishaps
Directors & officers
Legal fees
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Auto liability
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Property damages and bodily injury
“One of our underwriters, Matthew Clarke, puts it really well. He says, ‘It's easy to fulfil a promise when you had a hand in making that promise.’
"That's the way we look at it. The insurance contract itself is a promise to do certain things if certain risks happen. If everybody knows what those words mean, if everybody knows the types of situations that might happen to this customer and what we will do about it, it’s designed for success.
“It can even be down to the point of knowing which loss adjuster we can engage, or which building company or lawyer, or whoever it is that we might need to assist with a particular claim. If you have built on your relationships and have worked collaboratively, you know. We’ve got really good risk transfer going on from the customer to us. And then a really good process designed to help that customer as best we can on the day that they need us.”
“I look across at all the members of the claims team, and the common characteristic is that they are all empathetic problem-solvers”
Susan Donaldson,
BHSI
One point of contact
Though BHSI has grown steadily since its inception, it is regularly expanding its worldwide team and continues to move into new geographies. It has maintained its strong local authority and recognises how crucial and reassuring it is for a customer to have one point of contact.
“We really focus on being open, available, transparent and really efficient in what we do," Donaldson says. "We focus on the customer and their circumstances. We’re open to the customer's
A nurturing culture
BHSI prides itself on having strong core values that have been embedded in its culture from the very beginning. In what is perhaps a rarity in this sector, the company focuses on the empowerment and wellbeing of its team, which then filters through to its customers.
“One of the things that we do talk a lot about here is our culture,” says Donaldson. “We're incredibly proud of it and incredibly invested in building it.
“It starts with respect and integrity. Respect for each other and how we work. That's really what supports the teammates, and where creativity springs from. It's one of the most pertinent things about our business and how we operate.
“I was having a coffee with one of my teammates yesterday, and we were mulling over a couple of questions, and I said, ‘Well, integrity is one of our core values, so what is the right thing to do in this situation?’
“It helps! It guides every decision that we make.”
A compassionate culture
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92–94% claims paid
Sources: ASIC; APRA
In a survey every year since 2017, more than 90% of employees, HR professionals and CEOs said empathy is important
Source: Business Solver 2020 State of Workplay Empathy report
Australians making claims
The overall percentage of claims paid in Australia was between 92% and 94% in the years 2016 to 2020
A compassionate culture
needs. So there is always a key person that the customer will be able to speak to, to ask how their claim is progressing and to articulate their particular requirements.”
needs. So there is always a key person that the customer will be able to speak to, to ask how their claim is progressing and to articulate their particular requirements.”