Claims Covered - Insider · Services Director Four key claims we can make 1. Fast and expedient claims handling 3. Leading technical expertise and innovation across the claims spectrum

Claims Covered

A closer look at the claims process and how Zurich’s expertise can make the difference.

Zurich Claims is the end product our customers are paying for with their premiums and our ultimate claims goal is to ensure we are there when our customers need us most.

Zurich provide insurance protection to over 100,000 businesses across the UK, through over 2,500 brokers. We are a leading player in this market, backed by the global strength of our parent Group.

We demonstrate excellent technical knowledge to enable customers to lean on us when their world goes wrong - we have a tremendous breadth and depth of expertise across the spectrum of complex and diverse lines of business.

Our claims teams are passionate about delivery - and we strive to provide our customers with a prompt, efficient and responsive service, exceeding their expectations - ensuring our expertise truly does make the difference.

We pride ourselves on our expertise in a variety of industry segments, delivering propositions that go way beyond simple cover; to risk management solutions and specialist services. This is what you initially see when you take out cover with Zurich. But the real heart of the value we provide sits hidden behind this... until you face an issue or crisis.

We don’t forget that our customers often need us most when they have a claim on their policy. We pride ourselves on dealing with all claims quickly and efficiently and believe ‘our expertise makes the difference’ to you as our customers.

Tony EmmsChief Claims Officer Zurich General Insurance

Dave SmithManaging Director, Commercial Broker

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Zurich Claims is the end product our customers are paying for with their premiums and our ultimate claims goal is to ensure we are there when our customers need us most.

Zurich provide insurance protection to over 100,000 businesses across the UK, through over 2,500 brokers. We are a leading player in this market, backed by the global strength of our parent Group.

We demonstrate excellent technical knowledge to enable customers to lean on us when their world goes wrong - we have a tremendous breadth and depth of expertise across the spectrum of complex and diverse lines of business.

Our claims teams are passionate about delivery - and we strive to provide our customers with a prompt, efficient and responsive service, exceeding their expectations - ensuring our expertise truly does make the difference.

We pride ourselves on our expertise in a variety of industry segments, delivering propositions that go way beyond simple cover; to risk management solutions and specialist services. This is what you initially see when you take out cover with Zurich. But the real heart of the value we provide sits hidden behind this... until you face an issue or crisis.

We don’t forget that our customers often need us most when they have a claim on their policy. We pride ourselves on dealing with all claims quickly and efficiently and believe ‘our expertise makes the difference’ to you as our customers.

Tony EmmsChief Claims Officer Zurich General Insurance

Dave SmithManaging Director, Commercial Broker

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In Commercial Broker, some of the most complex businesses and largest brokers look to Zurich to help them safeguard their businesses when circumstances demand.

Over the last few years, we have built on our historical strengths to offer our brokers and customers the best balance of claims skills and services based on four key areas of expertise:

Together, these four key areas of expertise make the unique difference between our claims service and those of our competitors. They are driven by what customers demand rather than dictated by what we supply.

As risk cover and risk management practices continue to broaden and change, you’ll see more of our innovations at the forefront, influencing the market and the law. At Zurich, we place the defence of our customers long-term interests - whether that means keeping them trading or promoting claims defensibility measures.

It is our expertise that truly makes the difference.

Adrian SpencerCommercial Broker & Claims Services Director

Four key claims we can make

1. Fast and expedient claims handling

3. Leading technical expertise and innovation across the claims spectrum

4. In-depth risk knowledge in specific customer markets and industries

2. Specialised knowledge across our key lines of business – Motor, Property and Casualty

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In Commercial Broker, some of the most complex businesses and largest brokers look to Zurich to help them safeguard their businesses when circumstances demand.

Over the last few years, we have built on our historical strengths to offer our brokers and customers the best balance of claims skills and services based on four key areas of expertise:

Together, these four key areas of expertise make the unique difference between our claims service and those of our competitors. They are driven by what customers demand rather than dictated by what we supply.

As risk cover and risk management practices continue to broaden and change, you’ll see more of our innovations at the forefront, influencing the market and the law. At Zurich, we place the defence of our customers long-term interests - whether that means keeping them trading or promoting claims defensibility measures.

It is our expertise that truly makes the difference.

Adrian SpencerCommercial Broker & Claims Services Director

Four key claims we can make

1. Fast and expedient claims handling

3. Leading technical expertise and innovation across the claims spectrum

4. In-depth risk knowledge in specific customer markets and industries

2. Specialised knowledge across our key lines of business – Motor, Property and Casualty

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ims

Cov

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Zurich Claims ExcellenceWe understand that everyone’s approach to business differs. We know that there is a need to view the market from multiple perspectives and having worked closely with you to identify these, we know that you all like to do it in your own way. That is why you will find our claims offering split by Technical Expertise, Lines of Business (LOB), Market Sector and also simply by our Claims Handling excellence.

So whether you talk to customers by LOB or whether you understand claims from an individual market level, we have tailored all this vital information to fit precisely to your needs.

Use the four buttons to the right to move to your exact interest and refer back to this page if you want to explore further.

Contents

Zurich Claims Excellence No.2

Lines of Business


Claims Handling


Technical Claims Expertise


Market Sector Knowledge

Zurich Claims Excellence looking forward

Claims Expertise for Today

Zurich Claims Excellence in action

How to Sell Claims

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Zurich Claims ExcellenceWe understand that everyone’s approach to business differs. We know that there is a need to view the market from multiple perspectives and having worked closely with you to identify these, we know that you all like to do it in your own way. That is why you will find our claims offering split by Technical Expertise, Lines of Business (LOB), Market Sector and also simply by our Claims Handling excellence.

So whether you talk to customers by LOB or whether you understand claims from an individual market level, we have tailored all this vital information to fit precisely to your needs.

Use the four buttons to the right to move to your exact interest and refer back to this page if you want to explore further.

Contents


Lines of Business


Claims Handling





Zurich Claims Excellence looking forward

Claims Expertise for Today

Zurich Claims Excellence in action

How to Sell Claims

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Cov

ered

Fast, expedient claims Claims is the most important part of the insurance process. It’s a process that customers only experience when under the duress of making a claim. Therefore, it is often a defining moment in our relationship with them. Our number one aim in Zurich Claims is to make the process as quick and painless as possible.

Claims Handling Contacts

Contact Details Overview

Expertise in Motor, Property

and Casualty


Claims Handling

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Fast, expedient claims Claims is the most important part of the insurance process. It’s a process that customers only experience when under the duress of making a claim. Therefore, it is often a defining moment in our relationship with them. Our number one aim in Zurich Claims is to make the process as quick and painless as possible.

Claims Handling Contacts

Contact Details Overview

Expertise in Motor, Property

and Casualty


Claims Handling

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Claims Covered / Claims Handling

Claims Handling ContactsClaims Covered / Claims Handling

Expertise in Motor, Property and Casualty

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Brokers and customers want...

...one phone number to report all claims.

So we provide it: 08453 002 055

...to be able to report claims at any time of day.

So we enable it: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

…an online option for reporting claims.

So we offer it: www.zurich.co.uk/commercial

...access to report claims by e-mail.

So we supply it: Motor [email protected]

Property [email protected]

Casualty [email protected]

...a swift response.

So we act fast: Motor First Response Unit • In 2011 we answered 99% of calls offered,

and 94% within 20 seconds

Motor Customer Service Team • In 2011 between May and October we answered

over 40,000 calls, 99% of calls offered and 95% within 20 seconds

Motor Engineers Unit• In 2011 we answered 95% of calls within

20 seconds

• All new claims acknowledged within 24 hours

• In 2011 we settled 50% of total losses within 10 days

Property• For the over 14,000 claims we received

in 2011, we answered 90% of calls within 20 seconds

• In 2011 all new claims were set up and acknowledged within 48 hours

Our speed of response is matched by our efficiency.The Zurich Claims person contacted will understand the nature of the claim, gather all the information in one phone call and offer the relevant level of help and advice. From that moment onwards, we will involve our teams of experts to proactively manage every claim - across all our lines of business:

On Motor:Immediate action will be taken to deal with the incident. For example by providing, as appropriate:

• Access to an approved repairer (further detail is available in the ‘Expertise’ section)

• A class A courtesy car where an approved repairer is used for the vehicle repair

• A motor engineer’s inspection

• Glass repair or replacement

• Replacement of stolen audio equipment

• Discounted hire car arrangements

On Property:We can provide:

• A disaster recovery service provider who can arrange temporary repairs and water removal, temporary power and telephony, data removal and expert cleaning

• A contractor, glazier or locksmith through our managed contractor network

• Electrical goods or computer equipment suppliers

• An independent loss adjuster from our approved panel

• A claim validation service

In the event of a major loss, our Major Loss team will proactively manage the claim, attending on site to make immediate decisions on repairs and funding.

On Casualty:Due to the complexities of casualty claims, we may advise you to send us written notification of the claim to include the following:

• Letter of claim

• Accident documentation

• Confirmation of period of absence

• Details of injury

We have regional claims centres in Glasgow, Leeds and Birmingham and specialist technical areas such as Occupational Disease Unit, Rehabilitation, Construction and Real Estate along with a field force of highly experienced claims inspectors.

However our expertise goes much deeper than that…

Claims Covered / Claims Handling

Claims Handling ContactsClaims Covered / Claims Handling

Expertise in Motor, Property and Casualty

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Brokers and customers want...

...one phone number to report all claims.

So we provide it: 08453 002 055

...to be able to report claims at any time of day.

So we enable it: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

…an online option for reporting claims.

So we offer it: www.zurich.co.uk/commercial

...access to report claims by e-mail.

So we supply it: Motor [email protected]

Property [email protected]

Casualty [email protected]

...a swift response.

So we act fast: Motor First Response Unit • In 2011 we answered 99% of calls offered,

and 94% within 20 seconds

Motor Customer Service Team • In 2011 between May and October we answered

over 40,000 calls, 99% of calls offered and 95% within 20 seconds

Motor Engineers Unit• In 2011 we answered 95% of calls within

20 seconds

• All new claims acknowledged within 24 hours

• In 2011 we settled 50% of total losses within 10 days

Property• For the over 14,000 claims we received

in 2011, we answered 90% of calls within 20 seconds

• In 2011 all new claims were set up and acknowledged within 48 hours

Our speed of response is matched by our efficiency.The Zurich Claims person contacted will understand the nature of the claim, gather all the information in one phone call and offer the relevant level of help and advice. From that moment onwards, we will involve our teams of experts to proactively manage every claim - across all our lines of business:

On Motor:Immediate action will be taken to deal with the incident. For example by providing, as appropriate:

• Access to an approved repairer (further detail is available in the ‘Expertise’ section)

• A class A courtesy car where an approved repairer is used for the vehicle repair

• A motor engineer’s inspection

• Glass repair or replacement

• Replacement of stolen audio equipment

• Discounted hire car arrangements

On Property:We can provide:

• A disaster recovery service provider who can arrange temporary repairs and water removal, temporary power and telephony, data removal and expert cleaning

• A contractor, glazier or locksmith through our managed contractor network

• Electrical goods or computer equipment suppliers

• An independent loss adjuster from our approved panel

• A claim validation service

In the event of a major loss, our Major Loss team will proactively manage the claim, attending on site to make immediate decisions on repairs and funding.

On Casualty:Due to the complexities of casualty claims, we may advise you to send us written notification of the claim to include the following:

• Letter of claim

• Accident documentation

• Confirmation of period of absence

• Details of injury

We have regional claims centres in Glasgow, Leeds and Birmingham and specialist technical areas such as Occupational Disease Unit, Rehabilitation, Construction and Real Estate along with a field force of highly experienced claims inspectors.

However our expertise goes much deeper than that…

Specialised knowledge in our key lines of business

We understand that whatever the risk, whatever the cover, it’s the level of relevant insurance expertise behind it that will ensure the best possible results for our customers. That’s why we pride ourselves on the depth and breadth of our knowledge of claims issues across Motor, Property and Casualty – our key lines of business.


Lines of Business

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Specialised knowledge in our key lines of business

We understand that whatever the risk, whatever the cover, it’s the level of relevant insurance expertise behind it that will ensure the best possible results for our customers. That’s why we pride ourselves on the depth and breadth of our knowledge of claims issues across Motor, Property and Casualty – our key lines of business.


Lines of Business

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EA

S O

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Recovery Team

Key customer benefits:Reduces your claims profile (because recovering more money leads to lower operating costs which we can pass on)

Claims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Motor Liability Investigation, Personal Injury and Recovery Teams

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Liability Investigation Team

• The Motor Liability Investigation Team (MLIT) was set up in response to the recent Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Claims Reforms

• The MLIT’s role is to proactively investigate third-party motor claims, allowing us to make the correct liability decisions within the MOJ timescales and therefore handle claims more quickly and economically

• By working closely with our customers and brokers, we are able to meet the demands of the MOJ Reforms

Personal Injury Team

• We have two Personal Injury Motor teams, one focussing on MOJ cases and one on non-MOJ

• We also have a team in Glasgow to deal with cases that fall under Scottish and Northern Ireland legal jurisdiction. They proactively deal with third-party injury claims by making offers on fault claims and negotiating settlement within the Pre Action Protocol and now the MOJ Claims Reforms Process, thereby containing Claimant solicitors costs

• Reduces the amount spent on litigation and therefore limits the cost of personal injury claims

Recovery Team• When choosing an insurer,

most organisations concentrate on how the insurer pays money out. However, an equally essential part of managing the cost of claims is the recovery of money from third-parties

• That’s why Zurich has a specialist team developed to concentrate on recoveries from third parties. They have access to a variety of operating systems to help them track down third parties in a professional and timely way, backed up by a panel of litigation experts where this is required

Key customer benefits:•Convenience at the time of a loss•Quality guaranteed repairs•Peace of mind


Zurich Approved Repairer Network (ZARN)

At Zurich, we arrange repairs for thousands of vehicles a year. Using the buying power that gives us, we have built up a market leading Approved Repairer Network to make sure that you get a convenient, high quality service which helps manage your costs by reducing time off the road and controlling cost of repair.

So we make the repair as convenient as possible...

• We’ll collect and redeliver your car or van to a place convenient to you or, in some cases, we can even carry out the repairs at your home or office in one day

• We’ll give you a courtesy car during the repair

• We’ll tell you how long the repair should take, if that changes and you can track the repair progress online

• Our repairers have the capability to repair vans as well as cars and have most manufacturers’ approvals

• If you are a fleet customer, we can arrange to bill your excess and VAT directly

• When the vehicle comes back to you it will have been washed and vacuumed

So we offer a high quality repair service...

• We offer a 3 year guarantee or match the manufacturer’s warranty, whichever is longer

• We only use manufacturers’ parts (where these are still available)

• All garages have the British Standards Institute kitemark PAS 125

• Our network has the most manufacturer’s approvals for bodywork repair

So we make sure that the repair is as speedy as possible...

• Repairers can start work straight away; they don’t have to wait for an engineer to visit

• For some repairs, we can offer a mobile solution, at your premises with repairs completed within the day

• Zurich’s buying power ensures that you take advantage of cost and prioritisation negotiations

• Zurich has a team dedicated to managing our suppliers through detailed performance benchmarks to ensure that we all get great service

“ Car accidents aren’t convenient”

“ My vehicle is precious to me”

“ I want my vehicle off the road for the minimum time”


Key customer benefits:Peace of mind and faster settlement for injured parties

Recovery Team

Key customer benefits:Reduces your claims profile (because recovering more money leads to lower operating costs which we can pass on)


Motor Liability Investigation, Personal Injury and Recovery Teams

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nts

Co

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Liability Investigation Team

• The Motor Liability Investigation Team (MLIT) was set up in response to the recent Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Claims Reforms

• The MLIT’s role is to proactively investigate third-party motor claims, allowing us to make the correct liability decisions within the MOJ timescales and therefore handle claims more quickly and economically

• By working closely with our customers and brokers, we are able to meet the demands of the MOJ Reforms


• We have two Personal Injury Motor teams, one focussing on MOJ cases and one on non-MOJ

• We also have a team in Glasgow to deal with cases that fall under Scottish and Northern Ireland legal jurisdiction. They proactively deal with third-party injury claims by making offers on fault claims and negotiating settlement within the Pre Action Protocol and now the MOJ Claims Reforms Process, thereby containing Claimant solicitors costs

• Reduces the amount spent on litigation and therefore limits the cost of personal injury claims

Recovery Team• When choosing an insurer,

most organisations concentrate on how the insurer pays money out. However, an equally essential part of managing the cost of claims is the recovery of money from third-parties

• That’s why Zurich has a specialist team developed to concentrate on recoveries from third parties. They have access to a variety of operating systems to help them track down third parties in a professional and timely way, backed up by a panel of litigation experts where this is required

Key customer benefits:•Convenience at the time of a loss•Quality guaranteed repairs•Peace of mind


Zurich Approved Repairer Network (ZARN)

At Zurich, we arrange repairs for thousands of vehicles a year. Using the buying power that gives us, we have built up a market leading Approved Repairer Network to make sure that you get a convenient, high quality service which helps manage your costs by reducing time off the road and controlling cost of repair.

So we make the repair as convenient as possible...

• We’ll collect and redeliver your car or van to a place convenient to you or, in some cases, we can even carry out the repairs at your home or office in one day

• We’ll give you a courtesy car during the repair

• We’ll tell you how long the repair should take, if that changes and you can track the repair progress online

• Our repairers have the capability to repair vans as well as cars and have most manufacturers’ approvals

• If you are a fleet customer, we can arrange to bill your excess and VAT directly

• When the vehicle comes back to you it will have been washed and vacuumed

So we offer a high quality repair service...

• We offer a 3 year guarantee or match the manufacturer’s warranty, whichever is longer

• We only use manufacturers’ parts (where these are still available)

• All garages have the British Standards Institute kitemark PAS 125

• Our network has the most manufacturer’s approvals for bodywork repair

So we make sure that the repair is as speedy as possible...

• Repairers can start work straight away; they don’t have to wait for an engineer to visit

• For some repairs, we can offer a mobile solution, at your premises with repairs completed within the day

• Zurich’s buying power ensures that you take advantage of cost and prioritisation negotiations

• Zurich has a team dedicated to managing our suppliers through detailed performance benchmarks to ensure that we all get great service

“ Car accidents aren’t convenient”

“ My vehicle is precious to me”

“ I want my vehicle off the road for the minimum time”


Key customer benefits:Peace of mind and faster settlement for injured parties


Motor Engineering Unit (MEU)Claims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Motor Engineering Unit (MEU)

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When customers’ vehicles are damaged we need to ensure that the claim is dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. When a third-party vehicle is damaged, we need to control the cost of the repair closely, and be able to tackle attempted fraud.

One of the claims areas that makes a substantial contribution to all of this is Zurich’s Motor Engineering Unit (MEU). Unlike many insurers, we believe that we need to be in control of our capacity and technical know how in Motor Engineering and, for that reason, we have an in-house Motor Engineering function. For example in the snow event at the end of December 2010 – early 2011, we were able to directly manage our engineering resource to make sure customer disruption was kept to a minimum, rather than having to rely on an outsourced engineering company.

In total, we have a team of almost 100 people consisting of internal engineers, field engineers, specialist forensic engineers and administrative back up.

In addition, we have made a considerable investment in front line technology to allow remote viewing of repairs and audit of repairs where appropriate.

Our field engineers not only physically examine vehicles for repair to ensure the right repair is done in the right way at the right price, but also undertake post repair audits to ensure that the repairs are of the quality that our customers should expect.

Both our internal and external engineers have extensive experience of commercial vehicles, including a wide range of specialist commercial vehicles. No matter how complicated our customer’s vehicle fleet is, we have the right knowledge to get it repaired or value it properly.

In addition to vehicle repairs, MEU also deal with the total loss process from end to end. This means that if there is a disagreement about the value of a vehicle, the customer or broker can talk directly to an experienced engineer.

This means that we keep the total loss process as simple as possible, which also keeps delays to a minimum. Last year we dealt with 50% of total losses within 10 days and exceeded 70% within 15 days.

Major incident as a result of an arson attack

• 22 tractor units severely damaged, 14 total losses, eight repairable

• Forensic and Accidental Damage inspections arranged as soon as the site was accessible

• Arranged for vehicles needing to be removed to be taken from site by salvage agent/repairers

• Organised for hazardous debris on site to be removed by salvage agent using specialist equipment

• Site cleared and handed back to customer within 10 working days of claim reported

• Vehicles docs requested via broker, meeting arranged with customer and all values agreed in one go

Major incident as a result of a serious fire and explosion

• 12 specialist appliances, nine staff cars and specialist equipment damaged

• Inspected by arrangement with customer after vehicles were released by police

• Engineering team consisted of two Regional Technical Managers, five Field Motor Engineers and a member of the MEU Specialist Inspection auto-forensics team

• Inspection of all vehicles completed in one day

• Joint technical meeting held with customer on conclusion of inspection process, long term reliability and integrity of vehicles/equipment could not be guaranteed so all vehicles deemed a total loss

• All values and salvage categories agreed by conclusion of meeting

• Salvage disposal arranged to ensure equipment was destroyed in accordance with Health and Safety and customer wishes

• Process fully documented and imaged with file presented to customer on conclusion

“ In total, we have a team of almost 100 people”

Zurich in action 1 Zurich in action 2


Motor Engineering Unit (MEU)Claims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Motor Engineering Unit (MEU)

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When customers’ vehicles are damaged we need to ensure that the claim is dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. When a third-party vehicle is damaged, we need to control the cost of the repair closely, and be able to tackle attempted fraud.

One of the claims areas that makes a substantial contribution to all of this is Zurich’s Motor Engineering Unit (MEU). Unlike many insurers, we believe that we need to be in control of our capacity and technical know how in Motor Engineering and, for that reason, we have an in-house Motor Engineering function. For example in the snow event at the end of December 2010 – early 2011, we were able to directly manage our engineering resource to make sure customer disruption was kept to a minimum, rather than having to rely on an outsourced engineering company.

In total, we have a team of almost 100 people consisting of internal engineers, field engineers, specialist forensic engineers and administrative back up.

In addition, we have made a considerable investment in front line technology to allow remote viewing of repairs and audit of repairs where appropriate.

Our field engineers not only physically examine vehicles for repair to ensure the right repair is done in the right way at the right price, but also undertake post repair audits to ensure that the repairs are of the quality that our customers should expect.

Both our internal and external engineers have extensive experience of commercial vehicles, including a wide range of specialist commercial vehicles. No matter how complicated our customer’s vehicle fleet is, we have the right knowledge to get it repaired or value it properly.

In addition to vehicle repairs, MEU also deal with the total loss process from end to end. This means that if there is a disagreement about the value of a vehicle, the customer or broker can talk directly to an experienced engineer.

This means that we keep the total loss process as simple as possible, which also keeps delays to a minimum. Last year we dealt with 50% of total losses within 10 days and exceeded 70% within 15 days.

Major incident as a result of an arson attack

• 22 tractor units severely damaged, 14 total losses, eight repairable

• Forensic and Accidental Damage inspections arranged as soon as the site was accessible

• Arranged for vehicles needing to be removed to be taken from site by salvage agent/repairers

• Organised for hazardous debris on site to be removed by salvage agent using specialist equipment

• Site cleared and handed back to customer within 10 working days of claim reported

• Vehicles docs requested via broker, meeting arranged with customer and all values agreed in one go

Major incident as a result of a serious fire and explosion

• 12 specialist appliances, nine staff cars and specialist equipment damaged

• Inspected by arrangement with customer after vehicles were released by police

• Engineering team consisted of two Regional Technical Managers, five Field Motor Engineers and a member of the MEU Specialist Inspection auto-forensics team

• Inspection of all vehicles completed in one day

• Joint technical meeting held with customer on conclusion of inspection process, long term reliability and integrity of vehicles/equipment could not be guaranteed so all vehicles deemed a total loss

• All values and salvage categories agreed by conclusion of meeting

• Salvage disposal arranged to ensure equipment was destroyed in accordance with Health and Safety and customer wishes

• Process fully documented and imaged with file presented to customer on conclusion

“ In total, we have a team of almost 100 people”



Forensic Motor EngineeringClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Forensic Motor Engineering

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Traditionally, insurers use external independent forensic engineers when needed. However, fees are extremely high and because of this, relatively few vehicles are forensically examined and therefore recoveries are rare.

At Zurich, we have an in-house resource of six trained and qualified forensic experts. They offer a desktop triage at the beginning of a claim so that appropriate cases are more likely to benefit from a full forensic investigation.

Our engineers specialise in Thermal (Fire), Mechanical and Electrical damage. Once a decision has been made to undertake a forensic investigation, the engineer’s priorities are to identify cause, determine liability and establish the prospects and strategy for recovery. Where necessary, our engineers can appear in court as expert witnesses.

The benefit of this to customers is that we are very successful at pursuing and obtaining recoveries, which reduces the customers risk profile. Furthermore we have identified vehicle manufacturing faults that potentially impact whole fleets and, working closely with the manufacturer, have triggered vehicle recalls, which prevent future losses. In 2010, we recovered £2.8m through our forensic work.

The team has also worked with Fire Services around the country to train firemen in vehicle fire investigation to improve the immediate on site investigations in vehicle fires.

MEU’s automotive forensic team was requested to investigate a property fire claim. It was alleged that a fault on a vehicle insured by Zurich caused a fire, which totally destroyed a retailer stock and premises; the claim value was in excess of £2m.

Another insurer held the property/contents insurance. Their fire specialists, supported by police evidence provided by officers in early attendance, contended that the Zurich insured vehicle caught fire due to a fault and the fire spread to the buildings, with a catastrophic result.

Zurich’s thorough investigation proved this was not the case, and within three days produced hard, factual evidence sufficient to totally rule out any liability on Zurich’s customer’s part. The Zurich team’s evidence convinced all parties, including the police, that there was an attempted break-in at the premises immediately before the fire was set.

Conclusion: Arson started by persons unknown.

The result: Buildings liability insurer accepts full liability for the loss.

In one particular instance, we determined that a car had caught fire due to a wiring issue in production. We alerted the manufacturer and they issued a product recall and reviewed their production process across Europe.

We saved £6,000 in that particular case – not a huge amount, but who knows how many future fires may have been prevented as a result of our findings.


“ We have an in-house resource of 6 trained and qualified experts”


Forensic Motor EngineeringClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Forensic Motor Engineering

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Traditionally, insurers use external independent forensic engineers when needed. However, fees are extremely high and because of this, relatively few vehicles are forensically examined and therefore recoveries are rare.

At Zurich, we have an in-house resource of six trained and qualified forensic experts. They offer a desktop triage at the beginning of a claim so that appropriate cases are more likely to benefit from a full forensic investigation.

Our engineers specialise in Thermal (Fire), Mechanical and Electrical damage. Once a decision has been made to undertake a forensic investigation, the engineer’s priorities are to identify cause, determine liability and establish the prospects and strategy for recovery. Where necessary, our engineers can appear in court as expert witnesses.

The benefit of this to customers is that we are very successful at pursuing and obtaining recoveries, which reduces the customers risk profile. Furthermore we have identified vehicle manufacturing faults that potentially impact whole fleets and, working closely with the manufacturer, have triggered vehicle recalls, which prevent future losses. In 2010, we recovered £2.8m through our forensic work.

The team has also worked with Fire Services around the country to train firemen in vehicle fire investigation to improve the immediate on site investigations in vehicle fires.

MEU’s automotive forensic team was requested to investigate a property fire claim. It was alleged that a fault on a vehicle insured by Zurich caused a fire, which totally destroyed a retailer stock and premises; the claim value was in excess of £2m.

Another insurer held the property/contents insurance. Their fire specialists, supported by police evidence provided by officers in early attendance, contended that the Zurich insured vehicle caught fire due to a fault and the fire spread to the buildings, with a catastrophic result.

Zurich’s thorough investigation proved this was not the case, and within three days produced hard, factual evidence sufficient to totally rule out any liability on Zurich’s customer’s part. The Zurich team’s evidence convinced all parties, including the police, that there was an attempted break-in at the premises immediately before the fire was set.

Conclusion: Arson started by persons unknown.

The result: Buildings liability insurer accepts full liability for the loss.

In one particular instance, we determined that a car had caught fire due to a wiring issue in production. We alerted the manufacturer and they issued a product recall and reviewed their production process across Europe.

We saved £6,000 in that particular case – not a huge amount, but who knows how many future fires may have been prevented as a result of our findings.


“ We have an in-house resource of 6 trained and qualified experts”


Third Party TeamsClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Third Party Teams

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Customers with comprehensive insurance can see up to 75% of their claims spend tied up in third-party costs. As such, claims costs and ultimately premium levels can be greatly influenced if we are notified early, allowing us to proactively manage any third-party claim.

With this in mind, our priority is to manage the cost of third-party claims and ensure they are kept to an absolute minimum. Essentially, this means we are in the business of defending all claims on our customers’ behalf, wherever appropriate.

The cost element of a third-party claim is directly linked to the length of time the claim remains open i.e. the longer the claim is outstanding, the more expensive it becomes overall. As such, we attempt to settle appropriate claims as quickly as possible, for as little as possible.

Specialist teams handle third-party property damage or injury claims, with dedicated handlers within those teams who service specified customers.

We focus on establishing legal liability as early as possible, where appropriate, so cases can be settled as quickly and economically. This gives us the time to strongly defend those claims in which liability is not immediately clear, or in which the customer is not to blame.

If agreed that liability rests with our customer, the focus is on proactively handling the third-party claim and driving down the cost of any such claim by managing it appropriately. Again, early notification to us is key in such cases.

This type of proactive work can include us making early cash offers to third parties for ‘total loss’ and ‘loss of use’ claims, arranging hire vehicles at beneficial rates (or courtesy cars through our Approved Repairer Network) and early treatment of injuries facilitated by our Injury Management Occupational Advisers. This is all about driving costs down so premium levels are managed.

As an example, the average cost of a claim for a hire vehicle when we have arranged the hire is approximately 13% less than if we have not.

The industry has seen a dramatic growth in credit-hire claims. For example, in 2007, they totalled over £500m in relation to credit hire and credit repair. Zurich is actively involved in market initiatives and has a multi-pronged strategy. This includes working more closely with other insurers, brokers and the credit hire organisations to reduce the impact of this spend and release the benefit back to the end consumer.

Our Personal Injury Handlers are expert in the valuation of injury claims and they are able to utilise various valuation tools to ensure that the correct amount is paid.

We also manage any solicitors acting for the third party so that their costs are kept to an absolute minimum.

Our handlers liaise closely with uninsured loss providers, so that a consistent approach is taken on any third-party claim where a dispute on liability exists.

Our litigation strategy is to ensure any action received is unavoidable. We do this by proactively managing claims and ensuring evidence is fully collated as early as a possible, to enable the handler to make the correct decisions on liability and quantum.

We also have strategies in place to deal with Claimant law firms who issue proceedings at the earliest opportunity, in an effort to increase their own costs, rather than damages for the third party. In addition, Claimant law firms who deliberately inflate their costs are the subject of co-ordinated strategic action.

We have a specialist legal panel of lawyers (experts in the field of civil law) for motor claims who are appointed to act on customers’ behalf when litigation ensues. It ensures our customers receive the highest quality legal representation when they need it. The lawyers are also experts in criminal prosecution representation, against such charges as ‘driving without due care and attention’ or ‘causing death by reckless driving.’

We work closely with our legal panel on litigation.

“ The average cost of a claim for a hire vehicle when we have arranged the hire is approximately 13% less than if we have not.”

“ The industry has seen a dramatic growth in credit hire claims. For example in 2007, they totalled over £500m in relation to credit hire and credit repair.”


Third Party TeamsClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Third Party Teams

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Customers with comprehensive insurance can see up to 75% of their claims spend tied up in third-party costs. As such, claims costs and ultimately premium levels can be greatly influenced if we are notified early, allowing us to proactively manage any third-party claim.

With this in mind, our priority is to manage the cost of third-party claims and ensure they are kept to an absolute minimum. Essentially, this means we are in the business of defending all claims on our customers’ behalf, wherever appropriate.

The cost element of a third-party claim is directly linked to the length of time the claim remains open i.e. the longer the claim is outstanding, the more expensive it becomes overall. As such, we attempt to settle appropriate claims as quickly as possible, for as little as possible.

Specialist teams handle third-party property damage or injury claims, with dedicated handlers within those teams who service specified customers.

We focus on establishing legal liability as early as possible, where appropriate, so cases can be settled as quickly and economically. This gives us the time to strongly defend those claims in which liability is not immediately clear, or in which the customer is not to blame.

If agreed that liability rests with our customer, the focus is on proactively handling the third-party claim and driving down the cost of any such claim by managing it appropriately. Again, early notification to us is key in such cases.

This type of proactive work can include us making early cash offers to third parties for ‘total loss’ and ‘loss of use’ claims, arranging hire vehicles at beneficial rates (or courtesy cars through our Approved Repairer Network) and early treatment of injuries facilitated by our Injury Management Occupational Advisers. This is all about driving costs down so premium levels are managed.

As an example, the average cost of a claim for a hire vehicle when we have arranged the hire is approximately 13% less than if we have not.

The industry has seen a dramatic growth in credit-hire claims. For example, in 2007, they totalled over £500m in relation to credit hire and credit repair. Zurich is actively involved in market initiatives and has a multi-pronged strategy. This includes working more closely with other insurers, brokers and the credit hire organisations to reduce the impact of this spend and release the benefit back to the end consumer.

Our Personal Injury Handlers are expert in the valuation of injury claims and they are able to utilise various valuation tools to ensure that the correct amount is paid.

We also manage any solicitors acting for the third party so that their costs are kept to an absolute minimum.

Our handlers liaise closely with uninsured loss providers, so that a consistent approach is taken on any third-party claim where a dispute on liability exists.

Our litigation strategy is to ensure any action received is unavoidable. We do this by proactively managing claims and ensuring evidence is fully collated as early as a possible, to enable the handler to make the correct decisions on liability and quantum.

We also have strategies in place to deal with Claimant law firms who issue proceedings at the earliest opportunity, in an effort to increase their own costs, rather than damages for the third party. In addition, Claimant law firms who deliberately inflate their costs are the subject of co-ordinated strategic action.

We have a specialist legal panel of lawyers (experts in the field of civil law) for motor claims who are appointed to act on customers’ behalf when litigation ensues. It ensures our customers receive the highest quality legal representation when they need it. The lawyers are also experts in criminal prosecution representation, against such charges as ‘driving without due care and attention’ or ‘causing death by reckless driving.’

We work closely with our legal panel on litigation.

“ The average cost of a claim for a hire vehicle when we have arranged the hire is approximately 13% less than if we have not.”

“ The industry has seen a dramatic growth in credit hire claims. For example in 2007, they totalled over £500m in relation to credit hire and credit repair.”


Claims Account Managers (CLAMs)Claims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Credit Hire Management (VCASE)

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Our Claims Account Managers (CLAMs) are a team of claims professionals who work closely with our larger customers.

Market leading in Credit Hire Management, VCASE is a credit hire management tool built in-house by Validus. It is fully customisable to individual insurer requirements.

• CLAMs will work closely with the customer to understand their individual requirements and to tailor our claims service to ensure that any special handling instructions are embedded into the handling of their claims

• The CLAM will undertake regular file reviews to ensure the customer is fully aware of the status of their claims

• CLAMs will offer insights into legal developments and, if applicable, ways to improve claims defensibility

• The CLAM will be the liaison point in the unlikely event of any claims service issues

• The CLAM will add value to the customer experience by building a long term relationship which utilises their claims knowledge and expertise to exceed the customer’s expectations

The system handles credit hire management: from the point of notification, through to settlement of the payment pack. Included within the system is the revolutionary Ask Ludo; an anti-fraud capability that identifies duplicate hire periods, not only within the host insurer’s data, but also across all insurers who use the database.

VCASE has the capability to receive data via various methods directly from the Credit Hire Operators (CHO), preventing notifications and payment packs from getting lost or misdirected. This will bring transparency of outstanding volumes, with real-time MI reporting giving the instant position of outstanding critical items; success with reducing hire durations and average credit-hire costs, and savings achieved.

Smart payment functions enable swifter settlements for CHOs that have a proven history of accurate and complete payment packs.

An innovative priority score is given to each and every claim allowing cases that have a higher financial impact to be prioritised over a regular case. Management of these critical items ensures that financial exposure is kept to a minimum.

Key customer benefits:•Strong insurer/broker/customer relationships•Claims management/mitigation for larger

customers = improved claims defensibility

“ Management of these critical items ensures that financial exposure is kept to a minimum”


Claims Account Managers (CLAMs)Claims Covered / Lines of Business / Motor

Credit Hire Management (VCASE)

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Our Claims Account Managers (CLAMs) are a team of claims professionals who work closely with our larger customers.


• CLAMs will work closely with the customer to understand their individual requirements and to tailor our claims service to ensure that any special handling instructions are embedded into the handling of their claims

• The CLAM will undertake regular file reviews to ensure the customer is fully aware of the status of their claims

• CLAMs will offer insights into legal developments and, if applicable, ways to improve claims defensibility

• The CLAM will be the liaison point in the unlikely event of any claims service issues

• The CLAM will add value to the customer experience by building a long term relationship which utilises their claims knowledge and expertise to exceed the customer’s expectations

The system handles credit hire management: from the point of notification, through to settlement of the payment pack. Included within the system is the revolutionary Ask Ludo; an anti-fraud capability that identifies duplicate hire periods, not only within the host insurer’s data, but also across all insurers who use the database.

VCASE has the capability to receive data via various methods directly from the Credit Hire Operators (CHO), preventing notifications and payment packs from getting lost or misdirected. This will bring transparency of outstanding volumes, with real-time MI reporting giving the instant position of outstanding critical items; success with reducing hire durations and average credit-hire costs, and savings achieved.

Smart payment functions enable swifter settlements for CHOs that have a proven history of accurate and complete payment packs.

An innovative priority score is given to each and every claim allowing cases that have a higher financial impact to be prioritised over a regular case. Management of these critical items ensures that financial exposure is kept to a minimum.

Key customer benefits:•Strong insurer/broker/customer relationships•Claims management/mitigation for larger

customers = improved claims defensibility

“ Management of these critical items ensures that financial exposure is kept to a minimum”

Claims Covered / Lines of Business / Property

Subsidence TeamClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Property

Vendor Management

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Claims for subsidence on properties can be complex and require specific experience to be managed effectively. We ensure quick and appropriate decisions to proactively manage the claim to the best conclusion.

We have a Claims Vendor Management team ensuring that we purchase the goods and services of claims suppliers in a controlled and FSA compliant manner. We strive to ensure that claims suppliers comply to the Zurich brand and have been properly selected through due diligence and best practice, whilst we also have a contingency plan in place for each of our key suppliers.

Because of Zurich’s size, we can allocate specific specialised resource to subsidence claims to make sure the right person with the right experience is dealing with the claim.

In complex cases, we implement our Major Loss methodology, visiting the site with loss adjusters and other experts to get to grips with the case. We are the only insurer to do this.

In addition to our in-house resource, we have a partnership with Cunningham Lindsey subsidence experts, who work closely with us within our offices in our subsidence team.

Our expertise also means that we have direct knowledge of the true experts are needed to deal with the technical extremes that sometimes present themselves.

All of this means a joined up approach to settling subsidence claims, resulting in less delay and therefore less impact on the customer’s business.

We have a dedicated Subsidence Hub with nine experts.Dry weather (such as we experienced in 2010) is notorious for causing these types of losses. Fortunately, we only saw a 50% rise in cases in August 2010, as the weather dampened, but in a surge year we could see a 300-400% upturn in cases over a sustained period of two or three months. We have a Surge Plan in place to tackle such instances.

Quick intervention and appropriate mitigation, such as removing or cutting back trees and replacing drains, will make a significant difference to costs and timescale reduction. A timely response also leads to less need for monitoring, and alleviates the requirement for expensive underpinning costs.

“ We are regularly involved in trialing new innovations in monitoring and repair. We also sit on the ‘subs forum’ and the CILA special interest group on subsidence, giving us the latest tools and expertise at our fingertips.”

Our choice of suppliers is based on a total value approach, rating suppliers not only on cost but also on customer service and experience.

In the event of a claim, customers can benefit from our arrangements with suppliers in many disciplines, saving them having to make their own arrangements. These will include: building repair services, temporary modular buildings, IT equipment, rental vehicles, vehicle repairs, glazing services, emergency heating/plumbing/electrical services, underground drainage services, property restoration following fire/flood, uninsured loss recovery, legal representation, and brown/white goods.

We obtain monthly MI, monitor credit ratings, and hold periodic review meetings with each of our key suppliers to discuss performance issues and potential improvements to the arrangements between us.

Sourcing and utilising further expertiseWhile Zurich has extensive in-house capability, capacity and expertise, we also use our expertise in vendor management to source the best service and expertise from external suppliers.

We have a specific Claims Vendor Management team who understand the specific claims issues around sourcing external suppliers.

They source, manage and check our claims suppliers to make sure that we and our customers can call on the right resources at the right time.

Their approach is to look not just at cost, but to look for true value, (a combination of innovation in service, service levels and all of that at the right price), that means not just going for the cheapest option, but for the right option.

We have suppliers in:• Legal services, solicitors and

barristers, cost auditors

• Forensic accountants

• Car repairs, recovery and hire

• Medical investigation and rehabilitation

• Private investigators

• Vehicle salvage

• Property engineering

• Loss adjusters

• Glass replacement - for vehicle and property

• Property mitigation (drying, alternative accommodation, computer and electrical repair etc)


Subsidence TeamClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Property

Vendor Management

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Claims for subsidence on properties can be complex and require specific experience to be managed effectively. We ensure quick and appropriate decisions to proactively manage the claim to the best conclusion.

We have a Claims Vendor Management team ensuring that we purchase the goods and services of claims suppliers in a controlled and FSA compliant manner. We strive to ensure that claims suppliers comply to the Zurich brand and have been properly selected through due diligence and best practice, whilst we also have a contingency plan in place for each of our key suppliers.

Because of Zurich’s size, we can allocate specific specialised resource to subsidence claims to make sure the right person with the right experience is dealing with the claim.

In complex cases, we implement our Major Loss methodology, visiting the site with loss adjusters and other experts to get to grips with the case. We are the only insurer to do this.

In addition to our in-house resource, we have a partnership with Cunningham Lindsey subsidence experts, who work closely with us within our offices in our subsidence team.

Our expertise also means that we have direct knowledge of the true experts are needed to deal with the technical extremes that sometimes present themselves.

All of this means a joined up approach to settling subsidence claims, resulting in less delay and therefore less impact on the customer’s business.

We have a dedicated Subsidence Hub with nine experts.Dry weather (such as we experienced in 2010) is notorious for causing these types of losses. Fortunately, we only saw a 50% rise in cases in August 2010, as the weather dampened, but in a surge year we could see a 300-400% upturn in cases over a sustained period of two or three months. We have a Surge Plan in place to tackle such instances.

Quick intervention and appropriate mitigation, such as removing or cutting back trees and replacing drains, will make a significant difference to costs and timescale reduction. A timely response also leads to less need for monitoring, and alleviates the requirement for expensive underpinning costs.

“ We are regularly involved in trialing new innovations in monitoring and repair. We also sit on the ‘subs forum’ and the CILA special interest group on subsidence, giving us the latest tools and expertise at our fingertips.”

Our choice of suppliers is based on a total value approach, rating suppliers not only on cost but also on customer service and experience.

In the event of a claim, customers can benefit from our arrangements with suppliers in many disciplines, saving them having to make their own arrangements. These will include: building repair services, temporary modular buildings, IT equipment, rental vehicles, vehicle repairs, glazing services, emergency heating/plumbing/electrical services, underground drainage services, property restoration following fire/flood, uninsured loss recovery, legal representation, and brown/white goods.

We obtain monthly MI, monitor credit ratings, and hold periodic review meetings with each of our key suppliers to discuss performance issues and potential improvements to the arrangements between us.

Sourcing and utilising further expertiseWhile Zurich has extensive in-house capability, capacity and expertise, we also use our expertise in vendor management to source the best service and expertise from external suppliers.

We have a specific Claims Vendor Management team who understand the specific claims issues around sourcing external suppliers.

They source, manage and check our claims suppliers to make sure that we and our customers can call on the right resources at the right time.

Their approach is to look not just at cost, but to look for true value, (a combination of innovation in service, service levels and all of that at the right price), that means not just going for the cheapest option, but for the right option.

We have suppliers in:• Legal services, solicitors and

barristers, cost auditors

• Forensic accountants

• Car repairs, recovery and hire

• Medical investigation and rehabilitation

• Private investigators

• Vehicle salvage

• Property engineering

• Loss adjusters

• Glass replacement - for vehicle and property

• Property mitigation (drying, alternative accommodation, computer and electrical repair etc)


Major Loss ApproachClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Property

Major Loss Approach

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Suffering a major property loss could be catastrophic to a business. Most businesses only ever experience a major property loss once in a blue moon, for Zurich Claims; these occur every week.

We take the view that these major losses need a different approach to that of smaller claims, and that is why we have a specialist nationwide Major Loss team (MLT) to handle them, consisting of some of the most experienced Property claims handlers in the business.

Where necessary, the MLT handler will attend on-site from the start, with specialist loss adjusters to make decisions on the spot that both speed up the assistance to the customer and provide a flexible solution-focussed attitude, to help keep the customer in business. The MLT handler deals with the file until completion, ensuring continuity of contact for the customer.

This also enables early decisions, such as speedy interim payments and actions to help get businesses up and running again. We appreciate that no two businesses are the same and so, by getting closely involved, our team understands every customer’s business requirements better.

“ By getting closely involved, our team understands every customer’s business requirements better”

Major Loss Team In November 2005, a retail company suffered a major loss due to a fire at a warehouse. The warehouse was totally destroyed, resulting in a loss of stock in the run up to the busy Christmas season, which could have had a serious impact on the company’s profits.

On the day of the fire, our MLT handler assembled a team of loss adjusters and accountants to meet with the customer and agree an action plan for business recovery. An interim payment of £35m was agreed. We authorised the use of jumbo jets to fly in stock from the far east, rather that the usual route by sea via the Middle East, meaning that they could re-stock and get back to business as quickly as possible.

Zurich in action

Corporate Focus video


Major Loss ApproachClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Property

Major Loss Approach

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“ By getting closely involved, our team understands every customer’s business requirements better”

Major Loss Team In November 2005, a retail company suffered a major loss due to a fire at a warehouse. The warehouse was totally destroyed, resulting in a loss of stock in the run up to the busy Christmas season, which could have had a serious impact on the company’s profits.


Zurich in action


Claims Covered / Lines of Business / Casualty

Occupational Disease ClaimsClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Casualty

Occupational Disease Claims

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Zurich is the largest Occupational Disease claims handler in the UK, responsible for over 10,000 cases per year.

This exposure has allowed us to build up a centre of excellence, ensuring that we have the right expertise to deal with these often technically complex claims.

Our centre has over 60 staff with a high level of disease claims experience. In addition, we have partnerships with specialist solicitors to ensure that litigation is also dealt with in the best possible way.

The team are backed up by a market leading policy archive unit that enable the Occupational Disease Centre (ODC) to confirm cover periods as quickly as possible.

Our ODC sees significant volumes of all of the historic disease types, such as mesothelioma and deafness, and they constantly research potential new areas, such as acoustic shock and mobile telephone tumours, to ensure that we are ready for any potential claims.

Because of our size, we take a robust stance on litigation and have been involved or led most of the leading disease court cases in the last few years, including Baker v Quantum.

In the last year, we have developed an award nominated approach to disease claims fraud detection. This is an industry first, leading to detection of significant levels of OD fraud and we have set up an Industry wide group to share knowledge of OD fraud methods, and further improve detection rates.

All of this means that, at a time of overall claims inflation, we are actively controlling the cost of disease claims.

“ Our centre has over 60 staff with a high level of disease claims experience.”

BackgroundIn 2002, a group of former textile workers started an action to try and change the basis on which compensation is paid for occupational deafness. Alleging they’d suffered deafness caused by noise generated from sewing and packing machines used in the hosiery and textile industry, they felt their employers should have done more to protect them against noise.

The employers had followed official advice given by the Health and Safety Executive at that time and as a result the employers were found not liable. A number of employees failed to show they had been deafened by the factory noise and all claims were dismissed by the High Court.

Exception to the ruleIn one case, however, (Stephanie Baker vs. Quantum Clothing) it was accepted that there was a small element of noise-induced hearing loss. Mrs Baker took her case to the Court of Appeal, which subsequently reversed the High Court decision and applied a retrospective interpretation of legislation stating that employers were required to reduce noise levels below the official HSE guidance of the time.

Providing clarity for employersZurich challenged the Court of Appeal judgment on the basis that an employer’s culpability or duty of care cannot go beyond the acceptable standards of the relevant time. Now the long-awaited clarity we have been pursuing has been restored, to the benefit of employers across the country. The Supreme Court has now dismissed the Court of Appeal’s reversal – meaning the High Court’s original ruling applies and that these employers are not liable.

Victory for common senseAny other decision would have had widespread implications across industry generally, not only in relation to noise, but other exposures where standards of acceptance have changed over the years. This ruling now provides certainty for both employers and insurers.

Zurich in action


Occupational Disease ClaimsClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Casualty

Occupational Disease Claims

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Zurich is the largest Occupational Disease claims handler in the UK, responsible for over 10,000 cases per year.

This exposure has allowed us to build up a centre of excellence, ensuring that we have the right expertise to deal with these often technically complex claims.

Our centre has over 60 staff with a high level of disease claims experience. In addition, we have partnerships with specialist solicitors to ensure that litigation is also dealt with in the best possible way.

The team are backed up by a market leading policy archive unit that enable the Occupational Disease Centre (ODC) to confirm cover periods as quickly as possible.

Our ODC sees significant volumes of all of the historic disease types, such as mesothelioma and deafness, and they constantly research potential new areas, such as acoustic shock and mobile telephone tumours, to ensure that we are ready for any potential claims.

Because of our size, we take a robust stance on litigation and have been involved or led most of the leading disease court cases in the last few years, including Baker v Quantum.

In the last year, we have developed an award nominated approach to disease claims fraud detection. This is an industry first, leading to detection of significant levels of OD fraud and we have set up an Industry wide group to share knowledge of OD fraud methods, and further improve detection rates.

All of this means that, at a time of overall claims inflation, we are actively controlling the cost of disease claims.

“ Our centre has over 60 staff with a high level of disease claims experience.”



Exception to the ruleIn one case, however, (Stephanie Baker vs. Quantum Clothing) it was accepted that there was a small element of noise-induced hearing loss. Mrs Baker took her case to the Court of Appeal, which subsequently reversed the High Court decision and applied a retrospective interpretation of legislation stating that employers were required to reduce noise levels below the official HSE guidance of the time.



Zurich in action


Medical ManagementClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Casualty

Medical Management

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Rehabilitation is a key tool in managing injury claims. At Zurich, we have a team of Occupational Health Advisors (OHAs) who can intervene in injury claims in a number of ways. These OHAs are embedded directly within our claims team.

For the majority of claims where there is a liability, we seek to offer rehabilitation to claimants where this is likely to result in a quicker recovery. This in turn leads to a reduction in potential claim costs and can bring speedier certainty to the claim resolution. This benefit improves the earlier cases that are reported to Zurich. Our OHAs assess the requirements and potential benefit in each case and arrange appropriate medical treatment, ranging from physiotherapy to counselling, speedier MRI scans to private operations.

In addition to arranging medical services, the OHAs provide a:

• Valuable technical function to assess the need for private medical treatment suggested by claimants and their solicitors

• Peer review process for medico legal reports supporting the claims handlers’ technical ability, with detailed medical knowledge to spot anomalies and inaccuracies within the report

The Medical Management team are responsible for approximately 5000 cases per year through which they are able to reduce the cost of third-party claims:

• Physiotherapy intervention on motor claims saves an average of over £200 per case

• Using our buying power for medical treatments means that we can normally source recommended treatment at a lower price than put forward by the claimant’s solicitors

• Peer reviews save an average of over £400 per case

This is another example of Zurich using the right expertise at the right time to control the rising cost of claims.

Zurich RehabilitationFor our largest customers with a significant volume of accidents we can offer Zurich Rehabilitation. This is an innovative approach to injury management which brings together traditional insurance, risk management and injury management to help customers, employees return to work sooner. It’s all about working with customers to help manage the cost of business risk.

Zurich Rehabilitation is suitable for most injuries arising from workplace accidents and offers immediate access to professional medical expertise. As well as demonstrating a commitment to the wellbeing of their employees, this early intervention can help to reduce the cost of accidents to their business. For example, loss of earnings can form a large part of a claim. By reducing the length of time an employee is absent from work Zurich Rehabilitation can have a big effect on the final costs.

“ TRW Automotive has utilised Zurich’s Rehabilitation services since 2003. Rehabilitation is a core element of TRW’s loss prevention and loss mitigation programme. Since the inception of the programme, we estimate costs avoided – through reduction in lost time – of approximately £6m. Zurich’s rehabilitation team has provided excellent service throughout this period and continues to do so.”

A 50 year old factory worker sustained a groin injury while moving heavy machinery. He visited his GP, who diagnosed a left inguinal hernia. The injured employee was unable to remain at work until a surgeon saw him and the hernia was surgically repaired. The local NHS waiting time for this referral and procedure was over 12 months.

The employer referred the case to Zurich and the Rehabilitation Case Manager arranged a private referral to a surgeon. As a result, the operation was successfully performed just two months after the accident and the employee returned to full duties at work two months later.

By reducing the time off work from 14 months to 4 months, Zurich’s intervention resulted in a £12,700 cost saving (saving on sick pay of £14,400, less the treatment costs of £1,700)

Additionally, the employee received treatment 10 months earlier than the NHS could have provided and the employer saved on the considerable hidden costs they would have incurred during that period.

Zurich in action


Medical ManagementClaims Covered / Lines of Business / Casualty

Medical Management

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Rehabilitation is a key tool in managing injury claims. At Zurich, we have a team of Occupational Health Advisors (OHAs) who can intervene in injury claims in a number of ways. These OHAs are embedded directly within our claims team.

For the majority of claims where there is a liability, we seek to offer rehabilitation to claimants where this is likely to result in a quicker recovery. This in turn leads to a reduction in potential claim costs and can bring speedier certainty to the claim resolution. This benefit improves the earlier cases that are reported to Zurich. Our OHAs assess the requirements and potential benefit in each case and arrange appropriate medical treatment, ranging from physiotherapy to counselling, speedier MRI scans to private operations.

In addition to arranging medical services, the OHAs provide a:

• Valuable technical function to assess the need for private medical treatment suggested by claimants and their solicitors

• Peer review process for medico legal reports supporting the claims handlers’ technical ability, with detailed medical knowledge to spot anomalies and inaccuracies within the report

The Medical Management team are responsible for approximately 5000 cases per year through which they are able to reduce the cost of third-party claims:

• Physiotherapy intervention on motor claims saves an average of over £200 per case

• Using our buying power for medical treatments means that we can normally source recommended treatment at a lower price than put forward by the claimant’s solicitors

• Peer reviews save an average of over £400 per case

This is another example of Zurich using the right expertise at the right time to control the rising cost of claims.

Zurich RehabilitationFor our largest customers with a significant volume of accidents we can offer Zurich Rehabilitation. This is an innovative approach to injury management which brings together traditional insurance, risk management and injury management to help customers, employees return to work sooner. It’s all about working with customers to help manage the cost of business risk.

Zurich Rehabilitation is suitable for most injuries arising from workplace accidents and offers immediate access to professional medical expertise. As well as demonstrating a commitment to the wellbeing of their employees, this early intervention can help to reduce the cost of accidents to their business. For example, loss of earnings can form a large part of a claim. By reducing the length of time an employee is absent from work Zurich Rehabilitation can have a big effect on the final costs.

“ TRW Automotive has utilised Zurich’s Rehabilitation services since 2003. Rehabilitation is a core element of TRW’s loss prevention and loss mitigation programme. Since the inception of the programme, we estimate costs avoided – through reduction in lost time – of approximately £6m. Zurich’s rehabilitation team has provided excellent service throughout this period and continues to do so.”

A 50 year old factory worker sustained a groin injury while moving heavy machinery. He visited his GP, who diagnosed a left inguinal hernia. The injured employee was unable to remain at work until a surgeon saw him and the hernia was surgically repaired. The local NHS waiting time for this referral and procedure was over 12 months.

The employer referred the case to Zurich and the Rehabilitation Case Manager arranged a private referral to a surgeon. As a result, the operation was successfully performed just two months after the accident and the employee returned to full duties at work two months later.

By reducing the time off work from 14 months to 4 months, Zurich’s intervention resulted in a £12,700 cost saving (saving on sick pay of £14,400, less the treatment costs of £1,700)

Additionally, the employee received treatment 10 months earlier than the NHS could have provided and the employer saved on the considerable hidden costs they would have incurred during that period.

Zurich in action

Leading technical expertise and innovation across the claims spectrum

As a long established and industry-leading insurer, we have made it our business to leave no stone unturned in understanding, imparting and improving the claims process for our customers. That’s why we dedicate a high level of expert resource into all the relevant spheres of claims.

Strategic Claims

Management

Major Incident

Management

In-house Claims

Inspectors

Credit Hire

Fraud

Complex Injury Team

Major Loss Team

QAT Governance


Technical Claims ExpertiseA

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Legal Panel

Leading technical expertise and innovation across the claims spectrum

As a long established and industry-leading insurer, we have made it our business to leave no stone unturned in understanding, imparting and improving the claims process for our customers. That’s why we dedicate a high level of expert resource into all the relevant spheres of claims.

Strategic Claims

Management

Major Incident

Management

In-house Claims

Inspectors

Credit Hire

Fraud

Complex Injury Team

Major Loss Team

QAT Governance



AR

EA

S O

F C

LA

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Ex

PE

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Legal Panel

Claims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Strategic Claims ManagementClaims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Strategic Claims Management

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nts

Co

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At Zurich, we believe that good claims handling starts before the claims come in. We work closely with government departments and industry bodies to ensure that the voice of our customers is heard when new legislation is on the table.

Our technical specialists, in conjunction with our panel solicitors, actively look for court cases to potentially take to appeal in order to obtain a change in judicial outlook that may assist us and our customers in the future.

Taking litigation to appeal is frighteningly expensive and many organisations are not prepared to invest in this type of litigation. Our experience shows that picking the correct cases to appeal can shape the nature of claims for years to come and therefore has an overall benefit for us and our customers, protecting us from future litigation.

Taking action that reduces future litigation not only reduces Zurich’s claims spend but, as each piece of litigation involves background administrative work or downtime that is not covered by insurance, strategic claims management reduces future costs all round.

Our customers can be reassured that our approach to claims is as proactive as possible and, in Zurich, they have a strong partner who is not afraid to fight their corner in the right cases.

Examples:• Zurich worked closely with the

Ministry of Justice to help shape the recent MOJ motor reforms.

• We have been formative in recent disease litigation.

• We reported to the Commons Transport Select Committee on the Motor Insurance Inquiry in 2011.

• We are playing a key role within industry and are leading ABI activity on the Jackson reforms.



Exception to the ruleIn one case, however, (Stephanie Baker vs. Quantum Clothing) it was accepted that there was a small element of noise-induced hearing loss. Mrs Baker took her case to the Court of Appeal, which subsequently reversed the High Court decision and applied a retrospective interpretation of legislation saying employers were required to reduce noise levels below the official HSE guidance of the time.



Zurich in action

Key customer benefits:•Protection against future clams developments


Strategic Claims ManagementClaims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Strategic Claims Management

Co

nte

nts

Co

nte

nts

At Zurich, we believe that good claims handling starts before the claims come in. We work closely with government departments and industry bodies to ensure that the voice of our customers is heard when new legislation is on the table.

Our technical specialists, in conjunction with our panel solicitors, actively look for court cases to potentially take to appeal in order to obtain a change in judicial outlook that may assist us and our customers in the future.

Taking litigation to appeal is frighteningly expensive and many organisations are not prepared to invest in this type of litigation. Our experience shows that picking the correct cases to appeal can shape the nature of claims for years to come and therefore has an overall benefit for us and our customers, protecting us from future litigation.

Taking action that reduces future litigation not only reduces Zurich’s claims spend but, as each piece of litigation involves background administrative work or downtime that is not covered by insurance, strategic claims management reduces future costs all round.

Our customers can be reassured that our approach to claims is as proactive as possible and, in Zurich, they have a strong partner who is not afraid to fight their corner in the right cases.

Examples:• Zurich worked closely with the

Ministry of Justice to help shape the recent MOJ motor reforms.

• We have been formative in recent disease litigation.

• We reported to the Commons Transport Select Committee on the Motor Insurance Inquiry in 2011.

• We are playing a key role within industry and are leading ABI activity on the Jackson reforms.



Exception to the ruleIn one case, however, (Stephanie Baker vs. Quantum Clothing) it was accepted that there was a small element of noise-induced hearing loss. Mrs Baker took her case to the Court of Appeal, which subsequently reversed the High Court decision and applied a retrospective interpretation of legislation saying employers were required to reduce noise levels below the official HSE guidance of the time.



Zurich in action

Key customer benefits:•Protection against future clams developments


Major Incident ManagementClaims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

In-House Claims Inspectors

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nts

Co

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At Zurich, we like to use our expertise to be proactive in helping our customers during major incidents, rather than just waiting for the claims to roll in.

While we have a powerful team of claims handlers in our offices, certain customers and certain claims need on site investigation. Many competitors outsource this function, but at Zurich we believe there’s a benefit to the claim costs and customer relationships to have an in-house resource.

We have a dedicated Major Incident Manager who takes a holistic view of major incidents (particularly useful when more than one customer is involved in an incident). He co-ordinates our claims teams to provide overarching support following an event that has the potential to cause significant financial or reputational damage to our customers.

This service goes way beyond the conventional remedies offered by insurers following a loss, by putting our full range of global resources and infrastructure at your disposal. The emphasis is very much on resolution in conjunction with your immediate needs following the event.

In a typical case we will, where appropriate, be on site within 24 hours to liaise with the customer and broker impacted. We will:

• What has occurred

• The potential implications e.g., around negligence issues, HSE and police issues

• Reputational issues and the Press

• Internal communications

• Confidentiality issues

• Disruption to the business and what will help them most to continue their business

• Opportunities to use our network of suppliers to help them

• Form an action plan detailing the who, what when and where about what our customer needs to cope with the incident

• Co-ordinate the right resource from Zurich (globally if necessary) to assist our customer

Examples:A large catering firm was accused of poisoning a large number of people at a function and the story was in the press. Zurich’s Major Incident Manager worked with the firm on how to respond to queries and demands in the immediate aftermath of the accusations, including how best to respond to demands for refunds and cancellation. Ultimately the firm was exonerated, but the initial assistance for an unusual and business critical event was well received.

In the recent riots, Zurich’s Major Incident Manager coordinated the Zurich response to make sure that there was a holistic approach to helping our customers. We liaised with the police and the government to get a clear view of current interpretation of the riot legislation and then made sure that early and clear advice (on policy cover, claims processes and recovery issues) was communicated to customers and brokers at a time when advice and commentary in the press was often very confusing. This helped customers to ensure that they met government timescales to submit claims whether the loss was directly insured with us or not.

The Claims Inspectorate team consists of 42 vastly experienced claims inspectors who, together with four Senior Inspectors and the National Field Force Manager, cover the whole country. Their stated aim is to be the ‘the market-leading claims inspectorate in the business.’

The team mainly goes on-site to investigate liability claims, with the aim of protecting our customers from invalid claims. As well as investigating claims, they also feed back relevant customer issues to the claims offices and educate our customers on identifying risk management opportunities and systems issues that help them to improve defensibility.

On average, our claims inspectors are only 14 miles away from an investigation site, showing a commitment to local knowledge and expertise for our customers. This enables them to build close working relationships with larger customers, understanding their businesses as well as their insurance needs. The claims inspectors also have ISO certification, demonstrating their rigour in systems, processes and depth of knowledge.

Where the circumstances of a case demand, we allocate a claims inspector who will attend on site to discuss the situation with you. Completion of investigations face-to-face ensures that an accurate claims profile is created and decisions are taken faster. For our major customers, we guarantee a dedicated claims inspector.

Claims inspectors are appointed to investigate casualty claims - primarily Employers’ Liability cases where there are concerns over liability or quantum. Whilst the investigation service focuses on these cases, claims inspectors endeavor to deliver a quality service tailored to the needs of the customer and the technical aspects of the case.

With the approach of The MOJ reforms in 2012 for liability claims, our in-house team of inspectors will help Zurich and its customers to manage the changes effectively.

Customers benefit from the claims inspector’s technical expertise in protecting them from third-party claims, especially fraudulent claims and from the claims costs savings detailed claims inspector investigations bring to certain claims. Finally, for larger customers with a high number of liability claims, the Claims Inspector builds a knowledge of the customer’s business and consistency which reduces the administrative work required from a liability claim. They are also able to offer insights into the customer’s risk from their experience with press claims.

Key customer benefits:•Protection/support in the event of a

complex incident

Key customer benefits:•Bottom line claims cost savings, protection

and enhanced fraud protection

One of our major customers said:

“ Zurich Claims Inspectors understand our business; not just about insurance claims.”


Major Incident ManagementClaims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

In-House Claims Inspectors

Co

nte

nts

Co

nte

nts

At Zurich, we like to use our expertise to be proactive in helping our customers during major incidents, rather than just waiting for the claims to roll in.

While we have a powerful team of claims handlers in our offices, certain customers and certain claims need on site investigation. Many competitors outsource this function, but at Zurich we believe there’s a benefit to the claim costs and customer relationships to have an in-house resource.

We have a dedicated Major Incident Manager who takes a holistic view of major incidents (particularly useful when more than one customer is involved in an incident). He co-ordinates our claims teams to provide overarching support following an event that has the potential to cause significant financial or reputational damage to our customers.

This service goes way beyond the conventional remedies offered by insurers following a loss, by putting our full range of global resources and infrastructure at your disposal. The emphasis is very much on resolution in conjunction with your immediate needs following the event.

In a typical case we will, where appropriate, be on site within 24 hours to liaise with the customer and broker impacted. We will:

• What has occurred

• The potential implications e.g., around negligence issues, HSE and police issues

• Reputational issues and the Press

• Internal communications

• Confidentiality issues

• Disruption to the business and what will help them most to continue their business

• Opportunities to use our network of suppliers to help them

• Form an action plan detailing the who, what when and where about what our customer needs to cope with the incident

• Co-ordinate the right resource from Zurich (globally if necessary) to assist our customer

Examples:A large catering firm was accused of poisoning a large number of people at a function and the story was in the press. Zurich’s Major Incident Manager worked with the firm on how to respond to queries and demands in the immediate aftermath of the accusations, including how best to respond to demands for refunds and cancellation. Ultimately the firm was exonerated, but the initial assistance for an unusual and business critical event was well received.

In the recent riots, Zurich’s Major Incident Manager coordinated the Zurich response to make sure that there was a holistic approach to helping our customers. We liaised with the police and the government to get a clear view of current interpretation of the riot legislation and then made sure that early and clear advice (on policy cover, claims processes and recovery issues) was communicated to customers and brokers at a time when advice and commentary in the press was often very confusing. This helped customers to ensure that they met government timescales to submit claims whether the loss was directly insured with us or not.

The Claims Inspectorate team consists of 42 vastly experienced claims inspectors who, together with four Senior Inspectors and the National Field Force Manager, cover the whole country. Their stated aim is to be the ‘the market-leading claims inspectorate in the business.’

The team mainly goes on-site to investigate liability claims, with the aim of protecting our customers from invalid claims. As well as investigating claims, they also feed back relevant customer issues to the claims offices and educate our customers on identifying risk management opportunities and systems issues that help them to improve defensibility.

On average, our claims inspectors are only 14 miles away from an investigation site, showing a commitment to local knowledge and expertise for our customers. This enables them to build close working relationships with larger customers, understanding their businesses as well as their insurance needs. The claims inspectors also have ISO certification, demonstrating their rigour in systems, processes and depth of knowledge.

Where the circumstances of a case demand, we allocate a claims inspector who will attend on site to discuss the situation with you. Completion of investigations face-to-face ensures that an accurate claims profile is created and decisions are taken faster. For our major customers, we guarantee a dedicated claims inspector.

Claims inspectors are appointed to investigate casualty claims - primarily Employers’ Liability cases where there are concerns over liability or quantum. Whilst the investigation service focuses on these cases, claims inspectors endeavor to deliver a quality service tailored to the needs of the customer and the technical aspects of the case.

With the approach of The MOJ reforms in 2012 for liability claims, our in-house team of inspectors will help Zurich and its customers to manage the changes effectively.

Customers benefit from the claims inspector’s technical expertise in protecting them from third-party claims, especially fraudulent claims and from the claims costs savings detailed claims inspector investigations bring to certain claims. Finally, for larger customers with a high number of liability claims, the Claims Inspector builds a knowledge of the customer’s business and consistency which reduces the administrative work required from a liability claim. They are also able to offer insights into the customer’s risk from their experience with press claims.

Key customer benefits:•Protection/support in the event of a

complex incident

Key customer benefits:•Bottom line claims cost savings, protection

and enhanced fraud protection

One of our major customers said:

“ Zurich Claims Inspectors understand our business; not just about insurance claims.”


Credit HireClaims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Fraud Team

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Co

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Insurance fraud costs the insurance industry £1.9 billion pounds every year.

The system handles credit hire management from the point of notification through to settlement of the payment pack. Included within the system is the revolutionary Ask Ludo; an anti fraud capability which identifies duplicate hire periods not only within the host insurer’s data but also across all insurers who use the database.

VCASE has the capability to receive data via various methods directly from the Credit Hire Operator (CHO) preventing notifications and payment packs from getting lost or misdirected. This will bring transparency of outstanding volumes, with real-time MI reporting giving the instant position of outstanding critical items; success with reducing hire- and average credit-hire costs, and savings achieved. Smart payment functions enable swifter settlements for CHOs that have a proven history of accurate and complete payment packs.

An innovative priority score is given to each and every claim, allowing cases that have a higher financial impact to be prioritised over a regular case. Management of these critical items ensures that financial exposure is kept to a minimum.

A comprehensive data cube is provided, enabling accurate and instant reports to be produced not only for Zurich’s performance, but also against an anonymous benchmark measured from other insurers within the data set.

The CHOs have the ability to communicate directly with the system, preventing a disparity in position. The CHO will have the same claims view of their data and settlement performance as Zurich, resulting in ‘debtor’ spreadsheets becoming obsolete, bringing with it a change in the CHO culture and expectation.

Zurich Credit Hire Approach – key features and benefits:•Proactivecredithirehandling

•Cross-marketfraudchecks

•StrategicapproachtotacklingCredit Hire Organisation (CHO) behaviour and performance

•RealtimeMItospotanddeal with targeted CHO activity

•Rapidfeedbackmechanismtomaximise the knowledge among specialist staff of the latest credit hire developments

While the vast majority of claims are genuine, claims fraud is regrettably a feature of most insurance products. Fraudulent claims against our customers represent a serious financial threat and result in wasted labour in dealing with the cases.

Zurich therefore has an obligation to all of its customers to ensure that we have processes in place to identify and investigate suspicious claims. That’s why we take a robust, market-leading approach to fraud. We know that, aside from just dealing with the cases presented to us, it’s important to have a strong anti-fraud reputation to actively discourage fraudulent activity against Zurich and our customers.

Our zero tolerance approach to fraud• We do not knowingly pay fraudulent claims

• We do not negotiate with fraudsters

• We always look to prosecute where evidence exists

• We take a firm line against those attempting to defraud us

Maximum detection ensures that all staff are aware of the fraud risks and that processes are aligned to identify and refer all suspicious claims.

Thorough investigation means that experienced anti-fraud professionals are instructed to use a variety of investigative tools in a timely manner.

Prevention seeks to stop fraud from maturing through interaction with underwriters and using media to influence public perception.

Leading edge tools aim to keep ahead of the fraudsters and their ever-evolving capabilities.

It’s this expertise that keeps Zurich at the forefront of fraud detection and industry initiatives. Our people are key to our success.

Our fraud team brings its expertise to all our claims units

• Awareness training and red flag tools for every claims handler, bespoke where necessary (e.g. Occupational Disease Centre)

• Embedded fraud co-ordinators/ handlers within claims units

• Back up from a dedicated Claims Investigation Unit staffed by professionals, whose sole role is to investigate suspicious claims, raise awareness among staff and customers, gather and share intelligence

• Further back up from a panel of suppliers and solicitors who complement the work we do in-house

• We use the latest technology and databases to spot fraud, in particular organised fraud networks with which we have had significant recent success

• We contribute to and instigate industry initiatives such as the Insurance Fraud Bureau to ensure Zurich and our customers are strongly represented

Specific recent developments:• We have implemented a system to automatically check

every single Credit Hire claim for routine fraud such as identity of vehicle hired, length of hire etc

• We have launched a system for detecting occupational disease fraud. This is an industry first and has detected an extra £2.5m in the first 12 months of operation

• We have installed a new data–mining system to spot networks of fraudulent activity, and invested in extra staff to form a team dedicated to dealing with the leads generated by the new system

Key customer benefits:•Claims costs are controlled through

avoidance of paying fraudulent claims


Credit HireClaims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Fraud Team

Co

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nts

Co

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Insurance fraud costs the insurance industry £1.9 billion pounds every year.

The system handles credit hire management from the point of notification through to settlement of the payment pack. Included within the system is the revolutionary Ask Ludo; an anti fraud capability which identifies duplicate hire periods not only within the host insurer’s data but also across all insurers who use the database.

VCASE has the capability to receive data via various methods directly from the Credit Hire Operator (CHO) preventing notifications and payment packs from getting lost or misdirected. This will bring transparency of outstanding volumes, with real-time MI reporting giving the instant position of outstanding critical items; success with reducing hire- and average credit-hire costs, and savings achieved. Smart payment functions enable swifter settlements for CHOs that have a proven history of accurate and complete payment packs.

An innovative priority score is given to each and every claim, allowing cases that have a higher financial impact to be prioritised over a regular case. Management of these critical items ensures that financial exposure is kept to a minimum.

A comprehensive data cube is provided, enabling accurate and instant reports to be produced not only for Zurich’s performance, but also against an anonymous benchmark measured from other insurers within the data set.

The CHOs have the ability to communicate directly with the system, preventing a disparity in position. The CHO will have the same claims view of their data and settlement performance as Zurich, resulting in ‘debtor’ spreadsheets becoming obsolete, bringing with it a change in the CHO culture and expectation.

Zurich Credit Hire Approach – key features and benefits:•Proactivecredithirehandling

•Cross-marketfraudchecks

•StrategicapproachtotacklingCredit Hire Organisation (CHO) behaviour and performance

•RealtimeMItospotanddeal with targeted CHO activity

•Rapidfeedbackmechanismtomaximise the knowledge among specialist staff of the latest credit hire developments

While the vast majority of claims are genuine, claims fraud is regrettably a feature of most insurance products. Fraudulent claims against our customers represent a serious financial threat and result in wasted labour in dealing with the cases.

Zurich therefore has an obligation to all of its customers to ensure that we have processes in place to identify and investigate suspicious claims. That’s why we take a robust, market-leading approach to fraud. We know that, aside from just dealing with the cases presented to us, it’s important to have a strong anti-fraud reputation to actively discourage fraudulent activity against Zurich and our customers.

Our zero tolerance approach to fraud• We do not knowingly pay fraudulent claims

• We do not negotiate with fraudsters

• We always look to prosecute where evidence exists

• We take a firm line against those attempting to defraud us

Maximum detection ensures that all staff are aware of the fraud risks and that processes are aligned to identify and refer all suspicious claims.

Thorough investigation means that experienced anti-fraud professionals are instructed to use a variety of investigative tools in a timely manner.

Prevention seeks to stop fraud from maturing through interaction with underwriters and using media to influence public perception.

Leading edge tools aim to keep ahead of the fraudsters and their ever-evolving capabilities.

It’s this expertise that keeps Zurich at the forefront of fraud detection and industry initiatives. Our people are key to our success.

Our fraud team brings its expertise to all our claims units

• Awareness training and red flag tools for every claims handler, bespoke where necessary (e.g. Occupational Disease Centre)

• Embedded fraud co-ordinators/ handlers within claims units

• Back up from a dedicated Claims Investigation Unit staffed by professionals, whose sole role is to investigate suspicious claims, raise awareness among staff and customers, gather and share intelligence

• Further back up from a panel of suppliers and solicitors who complement the work we do in-house

• We use the latest technology and databases to spot fraud, in particular organised fraud networks with which we have had significant recent success

• We contribute to and instigate industry initiatives such as the Insurance Fraud Bureau to ensure Zurich and our customers are strongly represented

Specific recent developments:• We have implemented a system to automatically check

every single Credit Hire claim for routine fraud such as identity of vehicle hired, length of hire etc

• We have launched a system for detecting occupational disease fraud. This is an industry first and has detected an extra £2.5m in the first 12 months of operation

• We have installed a new data–mining system to spot networks of fraudulent activity, and invested in extra staff to form a team dedicated to dealing with the leads generated by the new system

Key customer benefits:•Claims costs are controlled through

avoidance of paying fraudulent claims


Complex Injury TeamClaims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Major Loss Team

Co

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nts

Co

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nts

All injury claims of utmost severity are handled by our Complex Injury team.

To maximise customer benefit, they take a proactive approach, including early contact with the injured party and/or their solicitor, seeking to build a trusted relationship. This enables both parties to agree a strategy for the case, which places the claimant at the centre of the process, and enables early rehabilitation to be utilised.

When the team receives a new claim, they work with our experts, such as occupational therapists and employment consultants, who will assess the injured person’s needs and establish the level and type of help required.

At the same time, they work with our legal counsel, consultant engineers, forensic accountants and employment consultants to assist in containing costs. Each care plan is tailored to meet the needs of the individual person.

Where liability exists, we aim to achieve a negotiated settlement, where possible, by way of a face-to-face meeting with the injured party and their legal advisors. Better still, early decisions, and early settlement, can lead to a significant saving in cost.

We also have a special experienced Cat PI team dealing solely with the largest motor and liability injury claims, and work with a specialised panel of counsel with extensive experience in complex injuries.

We believe in building strong, transparent, long-term relationships with both customers and brokers, as well as with the claimant community. Such relationships ensure that we manage the claim in the most effective way.

Overall, this gives peace of mind that we have the expertise and resources and a dedicated team of experienced claims handlers.

Key customer benefits:•Effective reputation management. •Cost control to fastest possible settlement•Awareness of progress and involvement in

decision making





Major Loss TeamIn November 2005, a retail company suffered a major loss due to a fire at a warehouse. The warehouse was totally destroyed, resulting in a loss of stock in the run up to the busy Christmas season, which could have had a serious impact on the company’s profits.


Zurich in action



Complex Injury TeamClaims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Major Loss Team

Co

nte

nts

Co

nte

nts

All injury claims of utmost severity are handled by our Complex Injury team.

To maximise customer benefit, they take a proactive approach, including early contact with the injured party and/or their solicitor, seeking to build a trusted relationship. This enables both parties to agree a strategy for the case, which places the claimant at the centre of the process, and enables early rehabilitation to be utilised.

When the team receives a new claim, they work with our experts, such as occupational therapists and employment consultants, who will assess the injured person’s needs and establish the level and type of help required.

At the same time, they work with our legal counsel, consultant engineers, forensic accountants and employment consultants to assist in containing costs. Each care plan is tailored to meet the needs of the individual person.

Where liability exists, we aim to achieve a negotiated settlement, where possible, by way of a face-to-face meeting with the injured party and their legal advisors. Better still, early decisions, and early settlement, can lead to a significant saving in cost.

We also have a special experienced Cat PI team dealing solely with the largest motor and liability injury claims, and work with a specialised panel of counsel with extensive experience in complex injuries.

We believe in building strong, transparent, long-term relationships with both customers and brokers, as well as with the claimant community. Such relationships ensure that we manage the claim in the most effective way.

Overall, this gives peace of mind that we have the expertise and resources and a dedicated team of experienced claims handlers.

Key customer benefits:•Effective reputation management. •Cost control to fastest possible settlement•Awareness of progress and involvement in

decision making





Major Loss TeamIn November 2005, a retail company suffered a major loss due to a fire at a warehouse. The warehouse was totally destroyed, resulting in a loss of stock in the run up to the busy Christmas season, which could have had a serious impact on the company’s profits.


Zurich in action



Governance & Quality Assurance Team (QAT)Claims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Legal Panel

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nts

Co

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nts

To ensure that our claims teams meet all internal and external regulatory compliance requirements, we have a best practice approach to establishing systems of compliance and maintaining them.

This consists of several components:

GovernanceTo provide our customers with confidence that we adhere to a framework prescribed by our regulatory bodies.

Claims Audit Programme

This internal self-audit programme is designed to ensure that we are operationally efficient, manage performance and excel technically.

Quality Assurance Team

This is a permanent full time unit of claims experts covering all internal claims; and all external and outsourced claims activity, such as delegated schemes, adjusters, panel lawyers and vendors.

In addition to our detailed annual plan of QA reviews , we conducted a total of 54 separate QA reviews in 2010, for both internal claims handling and also external/delegated suppliers.

Continuous Quality Review (self auditing)In addition, each claims office has a robust ongoing Continuous Quality Review (CQR) process, which involves a thorough review of a selection of claims, per handler per month. These are analysed at individual, team, office and Line of Business level, to ensure the handler is adhering to best practice. Feedback from QATs and CQRs feed into unit and individual improvement plans.

Key customer benefits:•That their insurer is operating within

regulatory guidelines

Zurich works closely with a panel of solicitors who are experts in the defence of civil litigation.

We have agreed levels of service and fee scales with our solicitors to enable us to oversee the quality of their work.

Our solicitors will work closely with customers to manage their litigation.

An up-to-date list of our approved panel of solicitors in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is available on our website at www.zurich.co.uk/commercial under the Claims section.

Key customer benefits:•Customers gain the benefit of using Zurich’s

buying power to get the best rates and service

“ Our solicitors will work closely with customers to manage their litigation.”


Governance & Quality Assurance Team (QAT)Claims Covered / Technical Claims Expertise

Legal Panel

Co

nte

nts

Co

nte

nts

To ensure that our claims teams meet all internal and external regulatory compliance requirements, we have a best practice approach to establishing systems of compliance and maintaining them.

This consists of several components:

GovernanceTo provide our customers with confidence that we adhere to a framework prescribed by our regulatory bodies.

Claims Audit Programme

This internal self-audit programme is designed to ensure that we are operationally efficient, manage performance and excel technically.

Quality Assurance Team

This is a permanent full time unit of claims experts covering all internal claims; and all external and outsourced claims activity, such as delegated schemes, adjusters, panel lawyers and vendors.

In addition to our detailed annual plan of QA reviews , we conducted a total of 54 separate QA reviews in 2010, for both internal claims handling and also external/delegated suppliers.

Continuous Quality Review (self auditing)In addition, each claims office has a robust ongoing Continuous Quality Review (CQR) process, which involves a thorough review of a selection of claims, per handler per month. These are analysed at individual, team, office and Line of Business level, to ensure the handler is adhering to best practice. Feedback from QATs and CQRs feed into unit and individual improvement plans.

Key customer benefits:•That their insurer is operating within

regulatory guidelines

Zurich works closely with a panel of solicitors who are experts in the defence of civil litigation.

We have agreed levels of service and fee scales with our solicitors to enable us to oversee the quality of their work.

Our solicitors will work closely with customers to manage their litigation.

An up-to-date list of our approved panel of solicitors in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is available on our website at www.zurich.co.uk/commercial under the Claims section.

Key customer benefits:•Customers gain the benefit of using Zurich’s

buying power to get the best rates and service

“ Our solicitors will work closely with customers to manage their litigation.”

In-depth risk knowledge in specific customer markets and industries

To be of maximum benefit to the customer, any claim service needs to reflect the customer’s point of view. That’s why we ensure Zurich claims people understand the different types of customers they are dealing with. We also make sure that our various areas of expertise are aligned to all the different business types we deal with during the claims process.

Major Customers

SME Corporate Real

Estate

Financial Lines

Construction Engineering



CU

ST

OM

ER

Ty

PE

S

Co

nte

nts

In-depth risk knowledge in specific customer markets and industries

To be of maximum benefit to the customer, any claim service needs to reflect the customer’s point of view. That’s why we ensure Zurich claims people understand the different types of customers they are dealing with. We also make sure that our various areas of expertise are aligned to all the different business types we deal with during the claims process.

Major Customers

SME Corporate Real

Estate

Financial Lines

Construction Engineering



CU

ST

OM

ER

Ty

PE

S

Co

nte

nts

Claims Covered / Market Sector Knowledge

Major Customers Claims Covered / Market Sector Knowledge

SME

Co

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In recognition of their importance to us, we offer our largest customers added claims service benefits, in addition to the specialist expertise we offer as standard:

At the time of a claim, SME customers want their business back up and running quickly and efficiently to minimise any threat to their livelihood. Our SME claims teams are set up to minimise disruption to day-to-day business.

A dedicated Claims Account Manager (CLAM) The dedicated CLAM will oversee claims, and work with the customer and broker to improve the claims experience, provide a claims review process to keep everyone up to date and smooth out any claims issues that crop up.

RehabilitationReducing costs by reducing time off work from accidents at work. Many businesses seriously underestimate the costs of day-to-day accidents and injuries. In addition to increased insurance premiums and compensation payments, there are hidden costs such as loss of production, retraining, overtime or recruiting additional staff. Whilst an employer’s liability policy covers compensation and legal costs, your business has to pay the rest. Zurich Rehabilitation helps you reduce the costs of injuries and accidents at work by helping employees return to work sooner.

Special Handling InstructionsBecause our largest customers are often also the most complex, we are able to tailor parts of our claims service to ensure it complements the customer’s operations.

Nominated handlersWhere appropriate, we can provide nominated handlers to smooth the claims process.

That’s why we have: • A single claim reporting number

• UK based claims teams

• A specialist SME Property claims team

• Speedy telephone answering rates

• Where possible we seek to resolve small property claims in the first phone call

• Approved repairers who can start repairs straight away

However, SME customers may have more significant incidents or claims made against them that risk severely damaging their business. They can rest assured that these daunting incidents, whilst once in a blue moon for them, are regular occurrences for the specialist claims teams at Zurich.

For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are onsite early when needed, not just to assess damage costs, but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.

Defending claims can also be a big deal for a small business. That’s why we have specialist teams to help defend them, providing:

• A nationwide team of field claims inspectors

• A Complex Injury team to deal with the worst injury claims

• A dedicated Credit Hire team with award nominated systems

• A market leading fraud detection and prevention team

• Hand picked expert legal partners

Major customer claim

Reason

A big retail chain suffers a factory fire.

Claims handling expertise

One number called and answered in 20 seconds by someone who understands the situation sets all the necessary expert teams and processes in motion.

Customer knowledge

Their personal Claims Account Manager (CLAM) takes ownership of the claim and manages the process, keeping constantly in touch.

Claims expertise

The Major Loss team are in immediately to assess damage and advise on fast solutions to minimize disruption and enable continuity.

LOB expertise

Some staff are injured and Zurich’s medical management team can speed their recovery and rehabilitation from day one.

SME customer claim

Reason

A small engineering company suffers a fire at their factory.


One number called and answered by someone from SME Property Claims who understands the situation and sets all the necessary expert teams in motion.

Customer knowledge

The SME team arrange for the right experts to be used.

Claims expertise

The Major Loss team attend quickly and arrange for an interim payment.

LOB expertise

The whole claim is overseen by property claims experts.

Zurich in action Zurich in action


Major Customers Claims Covered / Market Sector Knowledge

SME

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In recognition of their importance to us, we offer our largest customers added claims service benefits, in addition to the specialist expertise we offer as standard:


A dedicated Claims Account Manager (CLAM) The dedicated CLAM will oversee claims, and work with the customer and broker to improve the claims experience, provide a claims review process to keep everyone up to date and smooth out any claims issues that crop up.

RehabilitationReducing costs by reducing time off work from accidents at work. Many businesses seriously underestimate the costs of day-to-day accidents and injuries. In addition to increased insurance premiums and compensation payments, there are hidden costs such as loss of production, retraining, overtime or recruiting additional staff. Whilst an employer’s liability policy covers compensation and legal costs, your business has to pay the rest. Zurich Rehabilitation helps you reduce the costs of injuries and accidents at work by helping employees return to work sooner.

Special Handling InstructionsBecause our largest customers are often also the most complex, we are able to tailor parts of our claims service to ensure it complements the customer’s operations.




• A specialist SME Property claims team





For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are onsite early when needed, not just to assess damage costs, but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.







Major customer claim

Reason

A big retail chain suffers a factory fire.


One number called and answered in 20 seconds by someone who understands the situation sets all the necessary expert teams and processes in motion.

Customer knowledge

Their personal Claims Account Manager (CLAM) takes ownership of the claim and manages the process, keeping constantly in touch.

Claims expertise

The Major Loss team are in immediately to assess damage and advise on fast solutions to minimize disruption and enable continuity.

LOB expertise

Some staff are injured and Zurich’s medical management team can speed their recovery and rehabilitation from day one.

SME customer claim

Reason

A small engineering company suffers a fire at their factory.


One number called and answered by someone from SME Property Claims who understands the situation and sets all the necessary expert teams in motion.

Customer knowledge

The SME team arrange for the right experts to be used.

Claims expertise

The Major Loss team attend quickly and arrange for an interim payment.

LOB expertise

The whole claim is overseen by property claims experts.



Corporate Claims Covered / Market Sector Knowledge

Real Estate

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Corporate customers have complex organisations and need a partner who will take all types of claims in their stride and work with them to find solutions. As experts who deal with these complexities every day, our specialist Corporate claims team is perfectly placed to help.

Because property owners/investors present unique challenges in claims, we have a claims proposition that supports our brokers and customers.

For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are on site straight away not just to assess damage costs but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.

Defending claims can also be a difficult and costly business. That’s why we have we have specialist teams to help by providing:




• Advanced and appropriate technical expertise



Thinking beyond simply reacting to claims, we also look to the future through our proactive claims approach; to lobby government if necessary and have an influence on the legal environment.

For our largest customers we also have Claims Account Managers (CLAMs) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolio and post-accident rehabilitation to manage claims costs down before they even become claims.

And when claims are simple, we make sure we keep it simple for brokers and customers through:

• A single claim reporting number




• Slick processes and partner solutions

Property claimsAt its heart, for Property and Casualty claims we have an expert, dedicated UK team to handle those claims, backed up by our other specialist technical teams.

For the largest customers, we also have a dedicated Real Estate insurance Claims Account Manager to ensure that the claims relationship runs smoothly and we can offer bespoke claims solutions.

For brokers and customers, our expertise shows through in times of need.

• A single experienced claims team with specific areas of expertise

• One phone number

• A single handler from end to end

• Guaranteed 48–hour turnaround of new claims

• Major Loss team to proactively manage large property claims

• Specialist subsidence team to proactively manage subsidence claims

• Access to a wide range of suppliers including a dedicated property owners’ unit at our partner loss adjuster

• Expertise in handling non-standard property claims and legal indemnity claims

Defending claimsIn addition, defending claims can be a difficult and costly business. That’s why we have specialist solutions to give a proactive and robust service:

• In-house claims inspectors with a particular focus on casualty incidents

• A complex injury team to deal with the worst injury claims

• A dedicated credit hire team with award-nominated systems

• A wide and deep technical expertise

• A market leading fraud detection and prevention team, all backed up by hand chosen expert legal partners

All of this means that overall we aim to minimise disruption and loss to our customers and ensure each and every claim is dealt with proactively at the earliest stage.

Corporate customer claim

Reason

A large IT products warehouse is looted by rioters.


From one claims call at 3am, all relevant personnel are alerted and dispatched to start the process of restoring business continuity.

Customer knowledge

A specialist IT loss adjuster is brought in by Zurich to be on site by first thing the next morning.

Claims expertise

As company cars are damaged, our supply partners are contacted to organize repairs and replacement vehicles right away.

LOB expertise

Using the vast experience and best working practices, our property Major Loss team can quickly establish the extent of the claim.

Zurich in action


Corporate Claims Covered / Market Sector Knowledge

Real Estate

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Corporate customers have complex organisations and need a partner who will take all types of claims in their stride and work with them to find solutions. As experts who deal with these complexities every day, our specialist Corporate claims team is perfectly placed to help.


For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are on site straight away not just to assess damage costs but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.

Defending claims can also be a difficult and costly business. That’s why we have we have specialist teams to help by providing:







Thinking beyond simply reacting to claims, we also look to the future through our proactive claims approach; to lobby government if necessary and have an influence on the legal environment.

For our largest customers we also have Claims Account Managers (CLAMs) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolio and post-accident rehabilitation to manage claims costs down before they even become claims.













• Guaranteed 48–hour turnaround of new claims








• A dedicated credit hire team with award-nominated systems


• A market leading fraud detection and prevention team, all backed up by hand chosen expert legal partners

All of this means that overall we aim to minimise disruption and loss to our customers and ensure each and every claim is dealt with proactively at the earliest stage.

Corporate customer claim

Reason

A large IT products warehouse is looted by rioters.


From one claims call at 3am, all relevant personnel are alerted and dispatched to start the process of restoring business continuity.

Customer knowledge

A specialist IT loss adjuster is brought in by Zurich to be on site by first thing the next morning.

Claims expertise

As company cars are damaged, our supply partners are contacted to organize repairs and replacement vehicles right away.

LOB expertise

Using the vast experience and best working practices, our property Major Loss team can quickly establish the extent of the claim.

Zurich in action


Financial Lines Claims Covered / Market Sector Knowledge

Construction

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To rise to the unique claims challenges of Financial Lines, we have the largest and most knowledgeable UK claims team in this sector.

Construction covers a wide range of business sizes and consequently a huge variety of claims.

We operate a 24 hour helpline in conjunction with our partner law firms to enable your customers to get advice when they need it.

When we are notified of a claim we use our expertise to proactively deal with the claim whether it is UK or multi jurisdiction.

We understand how important communication during the claim is and we maintain close links during the lifecycle of the claim. Where appropriate, we can arrange a customer dedicated claims handler and arrange bespoke processes to ensure that the claim runs in the most efficient manner possible.

For the majority of simple straightforward cases, we make it equally simple and straightforward for your customers, through:


• A specialist UK based Construction claims team with dedicated customer handlers


However, Construction customers may suffer more significant incidents or claims made against them that risk severely damaging their business. They can rest assured that these daunting incidents, whilst once in a blue moon for them, are regular occurrence for our specialist claims teams.

Our Construction claims team are expert in the specific issues that arise from Construction claims, particularly interpreting often complex contractual networks.

For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are onsite straight away not just to assess damage costs, but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.

Defending claims can also be a big deal for a construction business. That’s why we have specialist teams to help defend them, providing:






Thinking beyond simply reacting to claims, we also look to the future through our proactive claims approach to lobby government if necessary and having an influence on the legal environment.

For our largest customers, we also have CLAMs (Claims Account Managers) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolios; and post accident rehabilitation to manage claims costs down before they even become claims.

Financial Lines customer claim

Reason

A company director is held liable for a decision made five years ago.


A single call puts the whole of Zurich’s financial claims expertise at the customer’s disposal.

Customer knowledge

The customer’s dedicated claims handler – with relevant expertise – manages the whole process from the word go.

Claims expertise

The process is dealt with by Zurich’s Financial Lines experts who are well versed in litigation and reputational issues in business.

LOB expertise

Zurich’s team includes specialist lawyers who understand the complexities of contractual law and can help make a case for the customer.

Construction customer claim

Reason

A defective heating part fitted by sub contractors causes escape of water claims on a self-build homes site.


A single call brings all the relevant elements of Zurich’s construction clams experts together.

Customer knowledge

The customer’s Claims Account Manager – with relevant expertise – helps to manage the whole process.

Claims expertise

Zurich’s liability team immediately begins their investigation to ensure an expedient settlement and minimise the financial impact on the company.

LOB expertise

Our specialist Property Recovery team is trained to minimise claims recovery, which helps to keep future premium costs down.



Financial Lines Claims Covered / Market Sector Knowledge

Construction

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We operate a 24 hour helpline in conjunction with our partner law firms to enable your customers to get advice when they need it.

When we are notified of a claim we use our expertise to proactively deal with the claim whether it is UK or multi jurisdiction.

We understand how important communication during the claim is and we maintain close links during the lifecycle of the claim. Where appropriate, we can arrange a customer dedicated claims handler and arrange bespoke processes to ensure that the claim runs in the most efficient manner possible.






Our Construction claims team are expert in the specific issues that arise from Construction claims, particularly interpreting often complex contractual networks.

For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are onsite straight away not just to assess damage costs, but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.







Thinking beyond simply reacting to claims, we also look to the future through our proactive claims approach to lobby government if necessary and having an influence on the legal environment.

For our largest customers, we also have CLAMs (Claims Account Managers) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolios; and post accident rehabilitation to manage claims costs down before they even become claims.

Financial Lines customer claim

Reason

A company director is held liable for a decision made five years ago.


A single call puts the whole of Zurich’s financial claims expertise at the customer’s disposal.

Customer knowledge

The customer’s dedicated claims handler – with relevant expertise – manages the whole process from the word go.

Claims expertise

The process is dealt with by Zurich’s Financial Lines experts who are well versed in litigation and reputational issues in business.

LOB expertise

Zurich’s team includes specialist lawyers who understand the complexities of contractual law and can help make a case for the customer.

Construction customer claim

Reason

A defective heating part fitted by sub contractors causes escape of water claims on a self-build homes site.


A single call brings all the relevant elements of Zurich’s construction clams experts together.

Customer knowledge


Claims expertise


LOB expertise

Our specialist Property Recovery team is trained to minimise claims recovery, which helps to keep future premium costs down.



Engineering

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Engineering insurance claims present unusual challenges that require specific claims knowledge.



• A specialist UK based Engineering Claims team with dedicated customer handlers


However, Engineering customers may suffer more significant incidents or claims made against them that risk severely damaging their business. They can rest assured that these daunting incidents, whilst once in a blue moon for them, are regular occurrences for our specialist claims teams.

Our Engineering claims team are experts in the specific issues that arise from Engineering risk claims, particularly working with the police to recover stolen plant and the impact of plant failure claims.

In addition, we offer:

• Access to a wide range of specialist supplies

• Expertise in handling claims arising from non-standard risks

• A Major Incident Manager to help manage high profile incidents



• Access to in-house specialist engineers and risk surveyors

Thinking beyond simply reacting to claims, we also look to the future through our proactive claims approach to have an influence the legal environment. We also work closely with the police to facilitate the recovery of stolen plant.

Whilst for our largest customers we also have CLAMs (Claims Account Managers) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolio.

Engineering customer claim

Reason

A depot has been broken into leading to the theft of several JCBs.


A single call brings all the relevant elements of Zurich’s Engineering claims experts together and specialist loss adjusters are bought in.

Customer knowledge


Claims expertise


LOB expertise

Our specialist property recovery team is trained to minimise claims recovery, which helps to keep future premiums down.

Zurich in action


Engineering

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Engineering customer claim

Reason

A depot has been broken into leading to the theft of several JCBs.


A single call brings all the relevant elements of Zurich’s Engineering claims experts together and specialist loss adjusters are bought in.

Customer knowledge


Claims expertise


LOB expertise

Our specialist property recovery team is trained to minimise claims recovery, which helps to keep future premiums down.

Zurich in action

Your 5 minute guide to selling our claims expertise by customer type

Zurich, like other leading insurance companies offers:

•Fastresponseandexpedient claims handling

•Claimsspecialistsrelevanttoour lines of business

•Technicalandspecificexpertise in claims

While these are all important, most brokers would then ask:

“ So, how does that make Zurich claims better for the type of customers I deal with?”

And the answer is:

“ Because we understand the different types of claims benefits that will appeal to different types of customer.”

And that can often be a clincher. Because it’s where our expertise really makes the difference.

Major Customers SME Corporate Real

EstateFinancial

Lines Construction Engineering

Zurich Claims Excellence How to Sell Claims

CU

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Ty

PE

S

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Your 5 minute guide to selling our claims expertise by customer type

Zurich, like other leading insurance companies offers:

•Fastresponseandexpedient claims handling

•Claimsspecialistsrelevanttoour lines of business

•Technicalandspecificexpertise in claims

While these are all important, most brokers would then ask:

“ So, how does that make Zurich claims better for the type of customers I deal with?”

And the answer is:

“ Because we understand the different types of claims benefits that will appeal to different types of customer.”

And that can often be a clincher. Because it’s where our expertise really makes the difference.

Major Customers SME Corporate Real

EstateFinancial

Lines Construction Engineering

Zurich Claims Excellence How to Sell Claims

CU

ST

OM

ER

Ty

PE

S

Co

nte

nts

Claims Covered / How to sell claims

Major Customers Claims Covered / How to sell claims

SME

Co

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Co

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In recognition of their importance to us, we offer our largest customers added claims service benefits, in addition to the specialist expertise we offer as standard.

Dedicated Claims Account Manager (CLAM)The dedicated CLAM will oversee claims, and work with the customer and broker to improve the claims experience, provide a claims review process to keep everyone up to date and smooth out any claims issues that crop up.

Claim Rehabilitation

As an additional service option, we can help to manage absence arising from accidents in the workplace, before they turn into claims. This can help improve employee absence levels, reduce business costs and help to positively manage claims costs.

Special handling instructions

Because our largest customers are often also the most complex and need things done their way, we are able to tailor parts of our claims service to fit in with them.





• A specialist SME Property Claims Team





For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss Team to ensure experts are onsite early when needed not just to assess damage costs but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.



• A Complex Injury Team to deal with the worst injury claims

• A dedicated Credit Hire Team with award nominated systems




Major Customers Claims Covered / How to sell claims

SME

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Co

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In recognition of their importance to us, we offer our largest customers added claims service benefits, in addition to the specialist expertise we offer as standard.

Dedicated Claims Account Manager (CLAM)The dedicated CLAM will oversee claims, and work with the customer and broker to improve the claims experience, provide a claims review process to keep everyone up to date and smooth out any claims issues that crop up.

Claim Rehabilitation

As an additional service option, we can help to manage absence arising from accidents in the workplace, before they turn into claims. This can help improve employee absence levels, reduce business costs and help to positively manage claims costs.

Special handling instructions

Because our largest customers are often also the most complex and need things done their way, we are able to tailor parts of our claims service to fit in with them.





• A specialist SME Property Claims Team





For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss Team to ensure experts are onsite early when needed not just to assess damage costs but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.



• A Complex Injury Team to deal with the worst injury claims

• A dedicated Credit Hire Team with award nominated systems




Corporate Claims Covered / How to sell claims

Real Estate

Co

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nts

Co

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Corporate customers have complex organisations and need a partner who will take all types of claims in their stride and work with them to find solutions.

Comprised of experts who deal with these complexities every day, our specialist Corporate claims team is perfectly placed to help.

For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are on site straight away, not just to assess damage costs, but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.

Defending claims can also be a difficult and costly business. That’s why we have specialist teams to help by providing:







Thinking beyond simply reacting to claims, we also look to the future through our proactive claims approach, to lobby government if necessary and have an influence on the legal environment.

For our largest customers, we also have Claims Account Managers (CLAMs) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolios; and post accident rehabilitation to manage claims costs down before they even become claims.














• Guaranteed 48 hour turnaround of new claims








• A dedicated credit hire team with award nominated systems


• A market-leading fraud detection and prevention team, all backed up by hand chosen expert legal partners

All of this means that we aim to minimise disruption and loss to our customers and ensure each and every claim is dealt with proactively at the earliest stage.


Corporate Claims Covered / How to sell claims

Real Estate

Co

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Co

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Corporate customers have complex organisations and need a partner who will take all types of claims in their stride and work with them to find solutions.

Comprised of experts who deal with these complexities every day, our specialist Corporate claims team is perfectly placed to help.

For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are on site straight away, not just to assess damage costs, but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.

Defending claims can also be a difficult and costly business. That’s why we have specialist teams to help by providing:








For our largest customers, we also have Claims Account Managers (CLAMs) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolios; and post accident rehabilitation to manage claims costs down before they even become claims.














• Guaranteed 48 hour turnaround of new claims








• A dedicated credit hire team with award nominated systems


• A market-leading fraud detection and prevention team, all backed up by hand chosen expert legal partners

All of this means that we aim to minimise disruption and loss to our customers and ensure each and every claim is dealt with proactively at the earliest stage.


Financial Lines Claims Covered / How to sell claims

Construction

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• We operate a 24 hour helpline in conjunction with our partner law firms to enable your customers to get advice when you need it.

• When we are notified of a claim we use our expertise to proactively deal with the claim whether it is UK or multi jurisdiction.

• We understand how important communication during the claim is and we maintain close links during the claim, where appropriate, we can arrange a customer dedicated claims handler and arrange bespoke processes to make the claims run in the best way.







Our Construction claims team are expert in the specific issues that arise from Construction claims, particularly interpeting often complex contractual networks.

For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are onsite straight away not just to assess damage costs but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.








For our largest customers, we also have CLAMs (Claims Account Managers) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolios; post accident rehabilitation to manage claims costs down before they even become claims.


Financial Lines Claims Covered / How to sell claims

Construction

Co

nte

nts

Co

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nts


• We operate a 24 hour helpline in conjunction with our partner law firms to enable your customers to get advice when you need it.

• When we are notified of a claim we use our expertise to proactively deal with the claim whether it is UK or multi jurisdiction.

• We understand how important communication during the claim is and we maintain close links during the claim, where appropriate, we can arrange a customer dedicated claims handler and arrange bespoke processes to make the claims run in the best way.







Our Construction claims team are expert in the specific issues that arise from Construction claims, particularly interpeting often complex contractual networks.

For large property damage claims, we have a Major Loss team to ensure experts are onsite straight away not just to assess damage costs but also to look at ways of keeping the customer’s business going.








For our largest customers, we also have CLAMs (Claims Account Managers) to help them manage their intricate claims portfolios; post accident rehabilitation to manage claims costs down before they even become claims.


Engineering

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Engineering

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Claims expertise for today.

... and foresight for tomorrow.

When it comes to claims, no insurer can claim to be miles ahead of the rest.

But when you look at all the areas of Zurich’s claims expertise, they combine to offer an incredibly robust and compelling case:

•We’reexpertclaimshandlers

•We’reclaimsexpertsinourkeylinesofbusiness

•We’reexpertsacrosstheclaimsspectrum

•Weunderstandthekeyclaimsissuesinallourcustomer markets

Zurich Claims Excellence Looking forward

Co

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Claims Covered / Looking forward

Zurich at the forefront

Co

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Zurich Claims is also about recognising and anticipating change. We know that the claims environment doesn’t stay the same and we want to continue to be the leading claims function in the UK.

To remain at the forefront we are:• Developing a new UK claims

operating system to add value to the claims process. It will ensure that we do what we’ve agreed to do for our customers every time; simplify claims and give us a more complex understanding of them

• Keeping an eye on the future legal landscape, getting deeply involved in the shaping of legislation by working directly with the government and industry groups; directly shaping the look of the forthcoming MOJ liability and Jackson reforms; along with constantly looking to fight for litigation that will positively change the claims environment

• Developing new innovative methods of settling property damage claims, to move to simple settlements within hours, rather than days, with more customer choice

• Continuing to develop our market leading Claims Quality Assurance methodology to ensure that the quality of our claims handling is first class

• Developing our people, supporting the CII and professional study, along with award entered License to handle training and certification programmes

• Building cutting-edge methods of tackling fraud and third party claims. In fraud, we are investing heavily in new technology to dig out hidden linkages and spot criminal activity links in occupational disease claims. We have also developed the industry’s first ever fraud red flag process and launched a market sharing group which has been shortlisted for the Insurance Times and Post Magazine awards. To tackle third-party credit hire claims, we are rolling out a new end-to-end system, which will manage the time frames and spot systemic abuse of the credit hire rules

These aren’t just blue-sky visions. They are real world projects we’re already investing in. Because whatever we do, we want our expertise to make the difference.

Claims expertise for today.

... and foresight for tomorrow.

When it comes to claims, no insurer can claim to be miles ahead of the rest.

But when you look at all the areas of Zurich’s claims expertise, they combine to offer an incredibly robust and compelling case:

•We’reexpertclaimshandlers

•We’reclaimsexpertsinourkeylinesofbusiness

•We’reexpertsacrosstheclaimsspectrum

•Weunderstandthekeyclaimsissuesinallourcustomer markets

Zurich Claims Excellence Looking forward

Co

nte

nts

Claims Covered / Looking forward

Zurich at the forefront

Co

nte

nts

Zurich Claims is also about recognising and anticipating change. We know that the claims environment doesn’t stay the same and we want to continue to be the leading claims function in the UK.

To remain at the forefront we are:• Developing a new UK claims

operating system to add value to the claims process. It will ensure that we do what we’ve agreed to do for our customers every time; simplify claims and give us a more complex understanding of them

• Keeping an eye on the future legal landscape, getting deeply involved in the shaping of legislation by working directly with the government and industry groups; directly shaping the look of the forthcoming MOJ liability and Jackson reforms; along with constantly looking to fight for litigation that will positively change the claims environment

• Developing new innovative methods of settling property damage claims, to move to simple settlements within hours, rather than days, with more customer choice

• Continuing to develop our market leading Claims Quality Assurance methodology to ensure that the quality of our claims handling is first class

• Developing our people, supporting the CII and professional study, along with award entered License to handle training and certification programmes

• Building cutting-edge methods of tackling fraud and third party claims. In fraud, we are investing heavily in new technology to dig out hidden linkages and spot criminal activity links in occupational disease claims. We have also developed the industry’s first ever fraud red flag process and launched a market sharing group which has been shortlisted for the Insurance Times and Post Magazine awards. To tackle third-party credit hire claims, we are rolling out a new end-to-end system, which will manage the time frames and spot systemic abuse of the credit hire rules

These aren’t just blue-sky visions. They are real world projects we’re already investing in. Because whatever we do, we want our expertise to make the difference.

Zurich Insurance plc

A public limited company incorporated in Ireland. Registration No. 13460. Registered Office: Zurich House, Ballsbridge Park, Dublin 4,

Ireland. UK Branch registered in England and Wales Registration No. BR7985. UK Branch Head Office: The Zurich Centre, 3000 Parkway,

Whiteley, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 7JZ. Authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and subject to limited regulation by the Financial

Services Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Financial Services Authority are available from us on request.

FSA Registration No. 203093. These details can be checked on the FSA’s register by visiting their website www.fsa.gov.uk/register

or by contacting them on 0845 606 1234. Communications may be monitored or recorded to improve our service and for security

and regulatory purposes. © Copyright Zurich Insurance plc 2011. All rights reserved. Reproduction, adaptation, or translation

without prior written permission is prohibited except as allowed under copyright laws. Zurich shall not be liable for any advice, views,

services or products offered by these third parties and when agreeing to receive these services you will be contracting directly with

the third party service provider and not Zurich. Zurich does not make any representation or give any warranty, either express or implied,

as to the quality or suitability of the advice or services offered by these third parties. UK

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Claims Covered - Insider · Services Director Four key claims we can make 1. Fast and expedient claims handling 3. Leading technical expertise and innovation across the claims spectrum

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