How banks beat the insurance industry on client communication 

Restoration contractors are flagging their inability to reach customers during catastrophe response as an industry-wide problem — but there are a few simple fixes, one of which is already being used by banks, experts tell last Friday’s Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association (CIAA) Canadian Claims Summit.  

Isabelle Babineau, VP of strategic accounts at Paul Davis Restoration, says only 30% of customer files contain more than one method of communication — and that’s usually a home phone number. 

In some Cat situations, having only one communication method on hand — especially a landline — may not be enough.  

“During the most recent Ontario ice storm that happened earlier this year…we found…there were a lot of remote properties, a lot of cottages. People either weren’t there, or their [phone] towers were down,” she says during a panel discussion on climate change and NatCats. 

“There was no power and some of them didn’t even have cell phones. So we found that the communication was a little bit difficult,” she says. “We actually even had to go a bit old-school, depending on the property, to knock on doors and leave a business card, because we couldn’t get in touch with anybody.” 

Babineau adds…“One of our asks is [for] more information. 

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“Homeowners are expecting us to communicate with them very quickly after they’ve contacted their insurance company,” she says. “It’s setting expectations, especially in a Cat situation, where we’re likely not going to get on site within an hour.” 

Lessons from the banks  

Beyond capturing multiple methods of communication from insureds, there’s a customer communication approach that’s already being used by banks.

A callback service, deployed by banks when customers phone for help, lets customers register a request to speak to a representative at a later, convenient time, instead of having to wait on hold for someone to answer. 

“I recently called a bank for something routine, and it was interesting — [selecting] something as simple as when you want to be called back,” says Javier Ibanez, director of sales and marketing at Accomsure.  

“I’m not thinking that’s radical technology, but the idea is radical of someone saying to you, ‘We’ll call you back at your convenience.’ Something as simple as that could be embraced by our industry,” he says. 

And since many insureds work 9-to-5 hours, they may not always be available during the industry’s working hours. Giving insureds multiple communication options can make them more satisfied with response times during Cats. 

“We have to be consistent with our message to the insureds,” adds Roger Leclerc, Cat manager at Laurin Adjusters.  

“We fail to set that expectation correctly. During the Cat, maybe you won’t be able to get back to the person for two hours. Maybe you won’t be able to get back to them for a week. Maybe they won’t hear from their contractor for another two weeks. If we set [communication] expectations every single time, we limit the amount of complaints that we’re going to get back to the insurer…and us as managers.” 

Alyssa DiSabatino

Alyssa Di Sabatino has been a reporter for Canadian Underwriter since 2021, covering industry trends, market developments, and emerging risks.