When Manny Acta took on the role of managing the Cleveland Indians, he was faced with a team that, in recent years, perpetually resided in the AL Central basement. But he didn't take his role lightly, seeing the raw talent that could be a contender if only the team could focus on fundamentals.
The Cleveland Indians don't have a lot of household names; at least not yet. Shin-Soo Choo, Fausto Carmona, and Astrubal Carrera continue to shine as they enjoy this year's journey from anonymity to celebrity in front of the crowds now packing Progressive Field.
What the Indians of 2011 are doing is nothing more than following the rules that will take an organization from ordinary to extraordinary. Like a professional baseball team, claims organizations can enjoy the same success by sticking to the basics. In other words, blocking and tackling on the fundamentals to get the job done.
While many pundits critical of the Indians point to their lack of statistical leaders, they seemingly miss the point that the Tribe leads in the most important statistic: games won. By executing on fundamentals, the end result will take care of each and every statistical category.
The same holds true in the claims organization, where a calibrated approach to providing an accurate end result will address every other metric currently measured during the life of a claim.
Far too often, organizations can get hung up on these types of measurements. From timely contacts and inspections to cycle time and subrogation referrals, there are an infinite number of metrics that can potentially be measured.
In some instances, they can be beneficial, in others they have unintended consequences. Consider the example of a carrier requiring 48 hour “inspections” where field adjusters would take pictures over tow yard fences, write incomplete estimates, fail to get agreed prices and face a 30 percent (or higher) supplement rate—yet the metrics showed vehicles consistently inspected within 48 hours.
By focusing on the end result, or the quality of the output, these types of metrics are addressed. During my tenure leading the quality assurance program at a top 10 P&C carrier, we achieved success by shifting the paradigm from piecemeal success to the totality of the results.
As the paradigm of the organization changed, so too did the quality of the work product. In the end, this improved severities, increased customer satisfaction, and drove customer retention.
For the boys of summer, it's called playing Wahoo baseball. For the rest of us, it's focusing on the fundamentals to achieve results.
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