How Squaremouth Turned the Travel Insurance Claims Process Inside Out

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May 19, 2017, 14:54 ET

ST. PETERSBURG Fla., May 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Has this happened to you? You file a claim and submit all the necessary documentation, only to find out weeks later the claim was never covered in the first place. Leading travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth, has reinvented the claims process to make sure that doesn't happen.

Before requesting any documentation, Squaremouth's claims team talks directly to every claimant to assess their situation and better understand what coverage they may have.

"The way we do it is significantly more expensive for us as a company, however it provides a much better customer experience," says Squaremouth Co-Founder and CEO Chris Harvey. "We gather all of the necessary information ahead of time to simplify the claims process for our customers."

During the initial claims interview, Squaremouth claims adjusters use their expertise to put together an easy-to-interpret claim form. The customer is able to electronically make additions or changes to the form, and email back a signed copy with supporting documentation.

"The claim interview is the best way to explain to a customer what type of claim they have and what the process will be moving forward," says Squaremouth Claims Director Brandi Morse. "We can also let someone know if they won't be covered, so they don't have to spend the time providing us with documentation."

Building a Custom System to Fit Their Process
Communication between a claimant and their provider is typically through email. Squaremouth uses the upfront interview to talk to each customer and obtain a clear understanding of their claim.

"We aren't going to force someone to provide anything we don't need, and we certainly won't ask them to provide lots of documentation if they won't be approved," Harvey says. "Customer experience is the most important thing for us."

To accommodate its unique claims process, Squaremouth built its own in-house claims system.

"We tweak the system on a constant basis" Harvey says. "My goal was to build a system that could tell the full story of every claim. You should always be able to look back and understand every step of a claim."

Using this system, Squaremouth has been able to dramatically increase customer satisfaction while lowering loss ratios.

"Excellent customer service and lower loss ratios are not usually mutually agreeable," Harvey says. "We had to re-engineer the process. We just turned it on its head."

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH
Squaremouth compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare insurance products side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com

Available Topic Expert:
Steven Benna
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(727) 619-7262

SOURCE Squaremouth