At an industry roundtable held earlier this year, Karlyn Carnahan, CPCU, principal at Novarica, framed today's claims management situation this way:  "People are stuck in a legacy system, culture, and environment. They read about [innovation] and are interested, but their ability to execute is challenging. How do you stay competitive in an industry where you have to keep up?"

In a more recent interview, Carnahan cited a Novarica report issued in June on claims capability, and also noted some examples of carriers that have been keeping up with the trends in this area, all in the name of both greater competitiveness and greater responsiveness to the consumer, who is accustomed to having so many more ways of accessing information, as well as choosing from among insurers.

For example, Carnahan said Nationwide was the first insurer to offer consumer mobile apps in personal lines beginning with an app for the iPhone, and that Farmers has worked with a scheduling firm to do just-in-time claim scheduling, i.e., to schedule claims at the last minute based on the best available adjustor for the type of claim. "They'll say, 'Who's the guy who knows enough and who is close enough?'" she said. "But obviously you have to have a large policy holder base [to make that work]."