Gallagher Bassett (GB) emerged as the top ranking insurer/TPA for primary casualty (auto liability, general liability and workers’ compensation) claims management among risk managers and brokers, based on the 2017 Advisen Claims Satisfaction Survey report.
The survey asked the question ‘who among the thousands of players provide the highest quality claims management services?’ To separate the top ranked carriers from the rest, the survey judged organisations on factors such as accessibility, expertise and choice of counsel.
A total of 560 risk managers were surveyed to determine who had the highest quality claims services based upon a variety of claims handling best practices.
Primary casualty claims occur with a higher frequency than most other lines of insurance. In fact, more than two-thirds of the risk managers responding to the survey have submitted a primary casualty claim within the last six months, and nearly 80 percent have submitted a claim within the past year.
Because of the higher frequency, risk managers view primary casualty claims handling as a more important aspect of their insurance purchasing decision than they do for other lines of insurance. Eighty-two percent of risk managers and 83 percent of brokers say claims handling is an important, or extremely important, aspect of their primary casualty insurance purchasing or placement decisions.
John McNamara, Gallagher Bassett’s Managing Director of Australia, said:
‘Being recognised as the best in casualty claims handling is a reflection of the long-term investment we have made in our people and our processes. We have used our global scale to develop leading models to deliver high-quality services for our customers.
Thank you to our clients for their ongoing partnership in achieving this recognition. We believe collaboration, expertise and flexibility are the keys to the best results.’
Risk managers and brokers were asked to identify the top three insurers for primary casualty claims handling. Respondents identified each insurer/TPA as their first, second, or third choice. Advisen then computed the weighted average of the three.
The report features a list showing the top 10 insurers/TPAs ranked by their weighted average scores. GB topped the list for all risk manager respondents.
Survey participants indicated that good communication is the most important attribute of a primary casualty claims department. This was also an important quality identified by brokers about their clients.
Advisen was founded in 2000 and is the leading provider of data, media, and technology solutions for the commercial property and casualty insurance market. Advisen’s proprietary data sets and applications focus on large, specialty risks.