This week we’re celebrating National Customer Service Week across Davies. We’ll be sharing three insights over the next three days on how our claims teams have worked to ensure we continue to deliver the customer service levels we expect through the changing environment the pandemic has brought. In our first insight, we’re exploring why it’s important to appreciate that every customer is different.

Our claims teams across the UK manage more than 500,000 claims per year, so it’s crucial that our claims handlers appreciate that every customer is different and that their needs are specific to their circumstances. Submitting a claim for most policyholders is unfamiliar territory and can be a very daunting experience. By taking the time to find out what a customer needs at the point they report a claim we strive to tailor our approach to meet these expectations throughout the claims process.

Why & when we identify vulnerable customers

Vulnerabilities can occur at any point in a claims journey so it’s vital to try to identify these policyholders at day one and consider this throughout the whole claim journey. It enables claims handlers to adapt their approach.

During the pandemic, we were facing a new set of vulnerabilities, so it was important to be able to identify them at any stage throughout the claim. We had to learn to be mindful of shielding policyholders and looking for ways to resolve claims with minimum impact. Many people remain worried about external visitors, so looking for different ways to settle losses and support policyholders has been and continues to be a key focus for us.

Supporting each other through the pandemic 

At the height of the pandemic, we adapted quickly to meet the changing environment around us whilst still delivering the right claims service. This meant progressing claims via alternative methods, preventing avoidable delays and allowing claims to progress despite the challenges presented.

Many of our people stepped up and supported colleagues with tasks that were outside of their day-to-day responsibilities. We felt a great deal of empathy around the business, for fellow colleagues and for customers. Everyone was in a similar place, customers and staff alike and working with unusual circumstances that saw some great, proactive, out of the box thinking to do things differently and to support the customer to resolve their claims swiftly.

Check out some recent customer feedback below and stay tuned for tomorrow’s customer service insight, when we’re looking into how technology and customer service go hand in hand.

“I just wanted to write in to let you know about the exceptional customer service I’ve received from Katie. She’s incredibly professional but has a really warm human touch that is very reassuring. I called to report a flood in my kitchen that had damaged the floor. She was not only very professional in taking the details, she also seemed to really care about how I was feeling as a result of this. She explained timescales, what I could expect to happen next, what she needed from me, and when I could expect to hear from her. And, no surprise – she did exactly what she said she would do and contacted me again within the agreed timescale.” – Customer