People first, process second: A winning formula for COVID-19 response

Though the response varies in approach and severity for every industry and location, the insurance industry hosted the eyes of the globe as the one to watch – if any industry ought to know how to manage a crisis event, it was insurance.

Knowing the need for compassion and care for what their carriers and customers were facing at both professional and personal levels, from the get-go, Gallagher Bassett encompassed a people first, process second approach to pandemic response. This approach led to a solid strategy for response and recovery which was rolled out across Australia, the UK and New Zealand, seeing Gallagher Bassett as one of the first insurance entities to publicly respond to the crisis.

In fact, the 2021 Insurance Times Claims Excellence Awards recently shone a light on the industry’s best and awarded Gallagher Bassett with Claims Team of the Year – COVID Response award, for this People First, Then Process strategy.

Leading the strategy development and implementation was Executive Vice President, Gallagher Bassett - International, Jon Winsbury who attributed the strategy’s success to the team’s quick-moving approach.

“When the pandemic struck, we had to not only change the way we did business but how we helped the industry navigate an intense and challenging time to provide stability to our people. With this thought process, we made a decision to dig deeper and support our customers and people to shape new ways of working,” Jon said.  

“By being one of the very first insurers to accept the pandemic for what it was, we were able to move beyond this into action-mode, meaning we were as prepared as possible to ensure our business continuity and growth and provide increased support for our carriers and customers.”

Through peer engagement and ongoing information-sharing, the Gallagher Bassett team not only served as an industry example for client engagement and updated claims handling systems but provided a roadmap to other insurers for managing the pandemic.  

“Once we had our strategy solidified throughout Gallagher Bassett, we wanted to share this approach with our industry peers to ensure the industry as a whole would continue to serve those in need. We held industry client webinars about resilience intended to provide a roadmap for managing through the pandemic with a growth mindset.”

Backed by a newly-established team of 20 business interruption specialists, lawyers and customer care experts, the People First, Then Process strategy brought a clear focus on providing exceptional, empathetic support at a time when clarity on policy claiming due to COVID-19 was lacking.  

“This team enabled us to deploy the right resource at the right time in the claims lifecycle, to protect and defend our client’s reputation and – most importantly – help those who needed support the most.

“We are now at a point where 70% of claims received in the first lockdown have been settled with any remaining claims to be closed in due time, and most importantly, we have been able to help clients and claimants feel reassured, supported and protected.”

For more information on Gallagher Bassett’s award-winning strategy and to hear how GB can put your customers first, connect with our team today.