Timing is everything when it comes to satisfactorily resolving a claim.

At least that's what 11,000 recent auto and homeowners' claimants told J.D. Power and Associates when the company conducted its 2007 Insurance Claims Study, which measured auto and homeowner insurance customer satisfaction with the claim process. The key factors addressed in the study included claim settlement, claim servicing, first notice of loss, estimation process, repair process, and rental experience. According to J.D. Power, repair shops and insurers have a time period of 14 days to get a claim settled and the property repaired -- regardless of whether it is an auto or homeowner claim. If that deadline is reached, a majority of claimants will be satisfied. Extend repairs beyond that two-week window, though, and satisfaction begins to plummet. The study also revealed that while timing may be king, other issues can influence satisfaction results. For instance, claimants who were redirected by their agents to call in their claims directly to an insurer or call center tended to be less satisfied with the claim experience, J.D. Power said. This is a result of having to explain the same information over and over again, which can lead to a feeling that unnecessary time is being spent on the process. In fact, study results showed that those who had agents acting as the primary claim contact were much more satisfied than those who did not. Unsurprisingly, the least satisfied claimants were those who had out-of-pocket expenses in addition to their deductible that were not fully reimbursed. Even if those expenses were later reimbursed, J.D. Power said that those claimants still were at the low end of the satisfaction scale.

"It becomes extremely important to manage customer expectations as far as how long it will take for their vehicle or property to be repaired or replaced," said Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power and Associates, in a statement. "Proactively contacting the customer, keeping them informed and explaining the process at each step can soften the impact of a particularly long claim process -- enhancing customer confidence and satisfaction with their insurers." More information, including a management discussion based on the study's findings, is available by HYPERLINK "http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/library/download/?files=9998886" clicking here .