Leveraging social media to help clients navigate claims

Social media has certainly impacted the personal and business lives of Americans. Moreover, it has changed the way we respond to natural disasters or extreme weather events.

When it comes to insurance, particularly for those events where insureds have suffered a loss and need to file a claim, social media has become an important and valuable tool. During Hurricanes Florence and Michael, social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others were full of videos, comments and micro-blogs showing real-time coverage of damages.

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Today, thanks to a diversity of social media sites, agents and policyholders alike can share knowledge, experiences and insights to help each other better understand the claims process. Facebook and Twitter, for example, allow short interactions, while reddit.com and others allow for more complex discussions.

While there are benefits to using social media to help navigate the complexities of the claims process, it’s important to be aware that resolution for one policyholder is not the same as another. For instance, people who live next door to one another, or in the same neighborhood, may not have like damages or the same exposure to flood water. In adjacent houses, one may have hail damage, the other may not.

Several factors may contribute to differing experiences among policyholders when it comes to claims:

• Different coverages — Policyholders could have different policy limits or deductibles.
• Different payment amounts — Homes are rarely the same; even small differences in the layout or quality of materials could cause significant differences in the evaluation of the claim.
• Coverage decision — Policyholders with denied or partially denied claims share their anecdotal stories but may leave out crucial items or factors that directly affect the insurer’s decision.
• The Messenger — Generally, people providing advice on the Internet are not experts and may not have the facts surrounding an individual claim.

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Here are some practical steps insurers can take to leverage social media as a way of guiding policyholders through the claims journey.

• Reach out early: The onset of the storm is a good time to post updates about the status of the pending event, how to prepare, how to file a claim, and who to contact with specific claims questions.
• Offer contact options: While having a phone contact is essential, be sure to offer social or online options as ways to reach the carrier. For instance, National Flood Services has an online portal where policyholders may go to obtain information specific to their claim.
• Address posted concerns: Responding directly to a policyholder who has posted a comment, question or concern is not only a good customer-centric practice, but it can also help alleviate the potential for an “echo chamber” of unfavorable comments that that tend to follow.

Today, people often turn to social media when they want to share their experiences — good and bad.  Leveraging social media to keep policyholders informed and to help explain the claims process is a way to help build a positive network, boost satisfaction and ensure an improved experience overall — even for those policyholders who end up filing a claim.

Maureen Westling (Maureen.westling@nationalfloodservices.com) is a senior vice president at National Flood Services, leading the claims team. She has more than 20 years of insurance industry experience.