Plymouth launched Crashbusters in 1990, but it was only recently that it provided the Internet-based link for its field appraisers, who no longer have to mail or fax completed appraisals and photographs to the claims office, Mr. Arment reported.

Plymouth policyholders have several options when it comes to reporting a loss, Mr. Arment noted. However, “we think we offer much better claim service if [policyholders] call us directly,” by way of a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week Crashbusters toll-free number.

He said that the claims process is expedited because Plymouth's employees electronically capture more detailed and accurate information from the insured than an agent typically receives in a telephone call.

At the same time, Plymouth recognizes that many of its agents believe that their “major value” to customers is the “touch and feel during the time of loss.” Therefore, a policyholder can still file a claim the old-fashioned way, through an agent, Mr. Arment said.

Plymouth also is mindful of obtaining an agent's permission before sending literature to the agent's clients about Crashbusters, Mr. Sweeney added.

Plymouth employs the Mitchell e-claims automated appraisal system, he noted. This is a Web-based program that enables the appraiser and the claims office to transmit data about a vehicle–including digital photographs–back and forth, Mr. Arment explained.

An appraiser also can look up prices for auto parts and labor, Mr. Arment noted. Once the appraisal report is issued, the appraiser generally can issue a check to the insured on the spot, he said.

The main exception is when a car is totaled, which calls into play state insurance regulations requiring the insurer to obtain documentation, such as title to the car. But although these types of claims are handled in Plymouth's claim office, the payment process is fast, Mr. Arment indicated.

Crashbusters is a deliberate effort by Plymouth to distinguish itself from other auto insurers in Massachusetts, the company said. As Mr. Sweeney explained, the state insurance commissioner sets the rates for personal auto insurance. The insurance product offered also is indistinguishable because carriers are not allowed to customize the insurance contract, he said.

This leaves service as one of the few ways that a carrier can set itself apart from others, Mr. Sweeney indicated.

“We try to create what we call the 'wow' effect, and Crashbusters is a 'wow' effect for us many times over,” he stated.

He revealed that Plymouth spends some $40,000 for each van and its equipment. This includes a media disc reader for digital images, various dial-up systems and broadband, Mr. Arment stated. He added that Plymouth “absolutely” is seeing a return on its investment, not only in terms of efficiencies, but also customer service.

“The service that the customer van brings is really top of the line,” Mr. Arment stated, adding that because the van goes to the site of the damaged car, the customer is not inconvenienced by the appraisal process.

He also indicated that Plymouth is seeing a steady increase each month in the volume of reports made by way of the toll-free number. At present, approximately 60 percent of the reported losses are processed through Crashbusters, Mr. Arment noted.

Plymouth aims to dispatch a Crashbusters van within 24 hours of the filing of a claim, a goal currently achieved “close to 50 percent of the time,” he said.

Mr. Arment reported that Plymouth has about 14 Crashbusters vans in service in Massachusetts, with plans to add more. He also stressed that Crashbusters is part of a “long-range plan” that includes adding “enhancements” next year. “This is not a stagnant program,” he said.

Nor is Plymouth limiting Crashbusters Claim Services to Massachusetts. “We're expanding as we speak,” Mr. Arment indicated. For example, Palisades Safety & Insurance Association of Summit, N.J., a sister company of Plymouth, has seven or eight Crashbusters vans in service, he revealed.

Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, April 8, 2002. Copyright 2002 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.