"For most carriers, core systems arethe anchor point around how their claims work, how their processesoperate," says Zawisza. (Credit: Shutterstock)

The COVID-19 pandemic has shut down many aspects oflife we as a society were accustomed to, but it hasnot diminished the public's collective desire to stayinformed and continue learning. In the property & casualtyinsurance industry alone, professionals are using their timeto listen to new podcasts or attend industryevents in order to garner new insights.

Over the last three days, many professionalsattended America's Claims Executive (ACE) VirtualLeadership Forum & Expo. Despite being forced totransition from an in-person event to a completely virtualexperience, the three-day event featured keynote speakers, expertsacross a range of subjects and networking opportunities. Yesterdaymarked the conclusion of ACE, but many of the questions that werediscussed throughout the event will continue to beevergreen — even if and when a cure for COVID-19 isdiscovered.

What will the workforce of the future look like? What new skillswill claims professionals need? Questions like these havebeen top of mind at many organizations for some time, but thepandemic has turned the spotlight on them once more.

Deb Zawisza, vice president, research and consulting atNovarica, focused on such questions during her keynote on Day3.

Day 3 takeaways

The future of work in any industry will revolve aroundtechnology, and this is especially true for the claims industry.According to Zawisza, there are three key areas focused onincreasing the expansion of digital capabilities, which willinfluence how a workforce operates:

• Digital claim payments, especially as claimants expect theirexperience to happen in real-time and be more frictionless
• The overall claim service, especially as calls forgreater transparency increase as digital engagement increases
• The expanded integration of various claims ecosystems (imagery,estimation, analytics) to include broader ecosystems partners tocore system capabilities

"For most carriers, core systems are the anchor point around howtheir claims work, how their processes operate," says Zawisza.

These three areas of expansion will directly impact three majorworks shift already happening in claims organizations:

• A shift from physical to virtual work
• A shift in focused expertise, specifically the transition toanalytic enhanced expertise from adjuster expertise
• Organizations shifting to a customer-centric approach from anadjuster-centric approach

"When we think about the future of work and how claimsorganizations are operating, core systems are really the platformaround everyone in the claim organization and how their processesoperate," says Zawisza.

Limitations on in-person assessments have disrupted normalbusiness operations, but claims organizationshave innovated and found creative ways to continueproviding for claimants.

Although ACE has concluded, you can find summaries from thefirst two days listed below. For more insights on all thingsclaims, turn to PropertyCasualty360 and consider subscribing to our Claims Connectionnewsletter.

We look forward to seeing you at next year's ACE event.

Related:

• ACE Leadership Forum & Expo: Here's what youmissed on Day 2
• ACE Leadership Forum & Expo: Here's what youmissed on Day 1
• Insurance events & conferences: Summer2020