HARTFORD, Conn. (May 17, 2004) — Rapidly submitting a timely First Notice of Loss (FNOL) report for a commercial auto or property insurance claim leads to faster settlements and satisfied claimants. The Hartford Financial Services Group (NYSE: HIG) now enables its independent insurance agents to electronically initiate the claim process for their clients.
The Hartford, which boasts a strong record of deploying advanced technology for improved agency interaction, is again breaking new ground by enabling independent agents to electronically submit a commercial auto or property FNOL, with attachments, from their Applied agency management system. It does this using IVANS Transformation Station, a managed data exchange using Web services and ACORD XML for real-time transactions between agency and carrier systems.
“We challenged ourselves to offer agents more choice when they report claims to The Hartford,” said John Chu, senior vice president of The Hartford’s eBusiness & Technology Department. “Although agents can continue to use the phone or fax for their First Notice of Loss reports, we’re providing a more streamlined option to submit that information. We’re also the first insurer to enable agents to attach supporting documentation, such as photos or spreadsheets, to the FNOL submission. This is another way we are using technology to increase an agent’s efficiency.”
To take advantage of this new capability, agents simply complete a standard ACORD Loss Notice form within their agency management system, then submit the loss notice and documentation electronically to The Hartford’s claim department. Evaluation of the reported claim begins immediately upon receipt. Attachments to the FNOL submission can include photos, (jpg, gif files), Excel spreadsheets, PDFs or Word documents.
In addition to streamlining an agent’s workflow, this electronic claim submission method saves agents time and increases their efficiency so they can expedite service for their customers. It also ensures the carrier receives all the data necessary to begin processing the claim by using a standardized ACORD form.
Agency feedback has been extremely positive. Says one Hartford agent, Cathy Noskowiak, claims assistant at Hylant Group in Dublin, Ohio: “Using FNOL online allows me to serve our clients better while working more efficiently. I can do everything from my desktop — even get confirmation that my client’s claim has been received. Best of all, I save this information to the client’s file without the nuisance of printing, filing and storing documents. This is a fast, efficient way of sending claims.”
This new electronic claim submission process further expands The Hartford’s menu of claim eServices to include claim inquiry and loss run, and also augments the carrier’s existing menu of eServices that includes billing inquiry, current term bill copy and policy inquiry.
The Hartford is one of the nation’s largest financial services and insurance companies, with 2003 revenues of $18.7 billion. As of March 31, 2004, The Hartford had total assets of $237.3 billion and stockholders’ equity of $13.5 billion. The company is a leading provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits; automobile and homeowners products; and business property-casualty insurance. The Hartford’s Internet address is
www.thehartford.com.
