Our Claims Service

Mark Colegate: Kelly Whittington is Commercial Lines Claims Director at Aviva. She joins me now. Well, Kelly, tell us a bit about the team and your role in it.

Kelly Whittington: Yeah, sure. So the claims team is quite a big team. We've got three call centres across the UK. We've got our team in Norwich who look after motor claims, our team in Perth looking after property claims. And then we've got our team in Glasgow looking after our casualty claims and then that's coupled with a number of home workers like our loss adjusters where we've got national coverage up and down the UK. And of course, we've then got all of our own body shops that sit across the UK as well as we've got 21 sites who are taking in vehicles to get them repaired to enable customers to get back on the road after an accident. So it's a really big team. And then my role as part of that is to look after our commercial motor and our commercial property teams and alongside that, I'm also responsible for looking after our claims service managers who spend their time out with clients and brokers seeking feedback about how we're showing up and what we can do to improve the service that we're offering day to day.

Mark Colegate: And what have been the main developments in this part of the business so far this year?

Kelly Whittington: Yeah, so it's been a busy time in claims, actually. We've been doing a lot of recruitment. The business across Aviva is growing, which is great news. But so far this year, it's seen us recruit nearly 700 roles and that's a mixture of replacing roles where people have left to new opportunities but also recruiting for the growth that we've seen. We've seen about 25% of those roles have been as a result of needing to - people who have gone on to get other opportunities within Aviva, which is great. But then we've also needed to grow the business to make sure that we're ready to deal with claims for the business growth that we've seen. As a result of that, we have had some service challenges in some of our areas and so we've been working really hard to get things back on track, and we're really pleased with the progress that we're making in that space. We have got a bit more work to do but there's certainly been a lot of work to get us to where we are today. And we've also been taking on board a lot of the feedback that we've been getting from our brokers about where else we can improve and so as a result of that we’ve had a few initiatives that we're really pleased with. We have launched a new commercial vehicle repair network, and that enables us to service commercial vehicles, get them repaired in our own network. That was some feedback that we'd heard loud and clear was causing problems and pain points for customers. And we've also been growing the capability of our team and investing in areas such as counter fraud. We've been investing in our commercial property operating model and growing more loss adjusters. So it's been a very, very busy time, but lots of exciting developments.

Mark Colegate: Anything on the automation front?

Kelly Whittington: So, yes, we've started to do some work on digital, not necessarily full automation as such. But what we have done is we've revised some of the where people can service themselves and through our claims portal. And so hopefully brokers have started to see that that's now available on our Fast Trade platform. That's a platform that's used every day, in the broker's offices, and that makes it a lot easier. And that has seen us see some improvements in the number of customers that are getting their updates and their management information about how claims are doing themselves through the self-serve portal. And there are some further enhancements coming to that portal as we look later into the year.

Mark Colegate: What are some of the trends that you're seeing in the broader economy in industry in the realm that are that are having an impact on claims right now?

Kelly Whittington: Yeah, I mean, it's something that we have to keep our eye on all of the time. I think, you know, through the Covid period, we saw a lot, from a claims inflation point of view and we're still seeing some impacts from that. Areas that are particularly on our mind around labour. We do see that there's a shortage of labour, across the market and that is therefore meaning that the cost of labour is going up. And that's probably the one thing that's still keeping us a little bit awake at night. But some of the things that we're trying to do to combat that is, investing in capability now. We are growing the amount of apprentices that we work with, we're growing the capability that we have in-house so that we can mitigate some of the risk. But undoubtedly, that is definitely something that is on our mind. And then you couple that with some of the other trends that we're seeing on things like the growth of the electric vehicles that are out there, and the repairing of those, that needs to be in the forefront of our minds. So if I could focus on electric vehicles, I think that is something that we are starting to see more and more. And actually, a lot of those repairs are very different in the way that we need to go about looking after or servicing those repairs. So one of the things that that we're doing is I mentioned earlier our 21 Solus sites. We continue to grow the number of sites that we have across the UK so that we've got more capacity and more capability protected for Aviva customers. And as part of that, we're also training all of our technicians so that they are able to deal with those electric repairs.

Mark Colegate: And what's the next set of deliverables for brokers and clients that you're going to be focusing on?

Kelly Whittington: So quite a lot of this year so far, we've spent, building quite a few foundations on things. So one of the things that we will be ready to launch more on a broader scale by the end of the year will be the integration of our systems into one of the key software houses that a number of our broker partners work with. We think that's going to be a great opportunity because what that will enable brokers to do is get more regular updates on claims. By the end of this year then we're hoping that we'll be in a position that many more brokers will be able to tap into that so that's certainly a focus area. We're also investing a lot in claims. So I talked about the recruitment that we've done alongside that recruitment we're also looking at how we use the technology that's available out there to help with getting quicker, more consistent good customer outcomes in terms of, for instance, how we value a total loss. If someone's involved in a motor accident - how we could quicken up the liability decisions? So we've been building a lot of those this year, and by the end of this year, we'll see all of those starting to embed into our teams. So what I'd hope that our brokers and our clients start to see is us making quicker decisions in a more consistent way and helping get claims settled quicker.

Mark Colegate: And are there any longer-term predictions you've got for just what's going to be going on in the claims space over the next few years?

Kelly Whittington: Well so I think linked now but also what could be coming over the next few years - underinsurance is really on our minds. That is a market-wide concern. And in some recent surveys that we have undertaken about three-quarters of our brokers are concerned that customers may not have adequate insurance. I think that's a real concern when it then comes to claim stage because of course, that's when we'll potentially sort of start to see that biting and reputationally for the industry I think it's really important that we work together to try and solve that. That's both in terms of the actual sums insured that people have got, around their business interruption, but also the indemnity period that qualifies. So I think that it's something we've started to see a little bit of showing up now but it's something that we want to try and mitigate showing up on a broader scale. So tapping into tools that we've built, such as our commercial intelligence tool, which enables people to get adequate insurance upfront, I think, is something we're trying to mitigate. We've also got the whole world of Gen AI, which is on our minds and I think from a claims perspective, we've had a number of experiments happening in that space really focused on internally how we make ourselves more efficient and this is about complementing that tech with the human aspect of the role. So we've been trialling things such as how we can summarise notes in a much more succinct way to save that whole 'Please bear with me while I'm on hold'. So we're experimenting with lots of things in that space, and I expect longer term, then we'll start to see some of those coming into fruition. So I think what we like to pride ourselves on in Aviva claims is that we want to hear the feedback. We want to then work on that together to try and improve that. So partnership is going to be key, and that will remain regardless. There are lots of opportunities for us to work more together. I’ve talked about the underinsurance and how we can do more in that space and that I think is a great initiative for us to go away with. I think the other thing I would say is that in the motor space, there's lots of opportunity to work together as well where we can get claims notified to us in a more timely fashion and actually just last week, we launched some videos that will hopefully help brokers with educating clients about the importance of that. We're going to run some claims events that happen across the UK through October. We'd love to see lots of people coming along to those to really explore where are there other opportunities for us to work better together. But for me, that's all about partnership. And so we need to keep that two-way dialogue going. Let's keep hearing where are we showing up well. Where can we improve? And then how do we solve those problems together? So I really look forward to taking forward some of those initiatives.

Mark Colegate: Kelly Whittington. Thank you.

Kelly Whittington: Thank you.

If one of your drivers is involved in a motor incident, it's important to tell us about it straight away.

Here’s why.

Let's say one of your drivers has a small road traffic collision.

The damage appears minimal, so your driver doesn’t report the incident promptly.

However, the other driver reports the incident the same day, and is quickly represented by a credit hire organisation.

Aviva aren’t notified for a couple of weeks, which means the opportunity to get in touch and help has been lost.

For example, by offering repairs or a courtesy vehicle to the other driver. This may lead to additional costs, such as repairs, recovery and storage, and a hire vehicle until the other driver’s vehicle is fixed – which could impact your business’s motor insurance and operating costs in the future.

If your fleet had multiple collisions, what would the impact and costs be for your business?

Let’s say the same incident happens but Aviva is contacted straight away.

This gives us a better chance to offer support, contact the other driver and mitigate the cost of the claim.

Plus, you can obtain crucial evidence from CCTV or in-vehicle cameras, reducing the opportunity for fraud.

There are several ways that motor incidents can be reported, but Aviva speaking to your driver directly makes it easier to determine liability and arrange any assistance they or the other driver may need.

So, if one of your team is involved in a motor incident, tell Aviva about it straight away, providing the other driver’s full name, telephone number, vehicle registration and a summary of what happened.

Further details and evidence should be collated at the scene and reported as soon as possible.

This will give us the best chance of helping your driver and anyone else involved.

The sooner the incident is reported, the sooner we can help.

If you’re involved in a motor incident, it's important to tell us, and your manager, about it straight away.

Here’s why.

Let's say you bump into someone else’s vehicle.

You check the other driver and your vehicle are okay and then get on with your day.

You think that’s the end of the matter, but the other driver reports the incident the same day.

As the other driver’s not at fault, they’re put in contact with a credit hire organisation and Aviva has lost the opportunity to get in touch and help.

For example, by offering the other driver repairs or a courtesy vehicle.

This makes it harder for us to control the cost of the claim.

And crucial evidence such as CCTV or in-vehicle camera footage, which can help us build up a picture of what's happened, may be lost.

The additional cost of the incident, such as repairs, recovery, storage and a hire vehicle could affect your employer’s motor insurance and impact their operating costs in the future.

Let’s say the same incident happens, but Aviva and your manager are contacted straight away.

You call from a safe place, reporting the other driver’s full name, telephone number, vehicle registration and a summary of what happened.

Further details and evidence are also collated at the scene and reported as soon as possible.

This gives us the best chance of helping you and anyone else involved – keeping costs to a minimum, reducing the opportunity for fraud, and getting you back on the move.

So, if you’re involved in a motor incident, tell us about it straight away, whether it was your fault or not, and even if the damage appears minimal.

And let us know the other drivers contact details and any other key information.

The sooner you report it, the sooner we can help. 

The transcript isn't available.

Waseem Malik: It's great to be here today, and I'm joined by Vicky Keating from Solus. She'll talk to us about our Solus proposition, our growing Solus network and the fantastic proposition we have for all of our motor claims customers. So, hi Vicky.

Vicky Keating: Hi Waseem.

Waseem Malik: Great to have you here. Tell us a little bit about Solus and its relationship with Aviva.

Vicky Keating: Yeah, absolutely. So, I am going to start just talking about how Solus fit in into the Aviva Group. And, you know, accidents happen. That's why we have insurance. And that's why we have Aviva, and Aviva are there for our customers when they need us the most. And for customers that have a motor accident, especially customers that maybe that vehicle is a company vehicle, it's a vehicle that keeps a business trading, it keeps a business moving - we really understand how important it is to get that vehicle repaired after an accident and get it back on the road. And that's where Solus come into play. Solus, really, their main purpose is to get customers back to normal quickly and safely and get them back on the road. And we do that in a number of ways. So, first of all, we've got our Solus repair centres, so our vehicle damage repair centres are dotted all around the UK. In fact, we've got 21 repair centres, soon to be 24, and this year we actually opened up in Wales in Newport. We've also got, for customers that want to maybe use their own repairer, we've got Solus engineers, so we've got over 50 of them, qualified motor engineers that are dotted around the country and again, we'll work with a repairer of the customer's choice to ensure that the vehicle is repaired to a standard that we expect. And we've also got a relationship with our strategic partners Vizion who manage a network of repairers that again are dotted around the country. So, whichever route the customer wants to go down for repair, Solus will ensure we get the customer back to normal. So, Waseem, Solus very much sit part of your team structure. So, we're part of the claims team. Are you able to tell me a little bit more about what it means to you to have Solus as part of your team?

Waseem Malik: Yeah, sure. So, we're really proud that Solus is part of the Aviva family. We're one of two insurers who own their own repair centres, and I think it gives us a fantastic proposition and something to differentiate. I think the expertise, the intelligence that you provide us across our motor claims journey is really powerful. We know we can be there for customers from the start of their claim all the way through, and we keep it within the Aviva-managed process. And I think that really gives us an advantage. And for me, I think through both Solus and our wider Vizion network, we can almost repair any vehicle that is out there. And I think that's really powerful. So, fantastic proposition, really proud to have it in our stable and really look forward to continuing to grow it. So, Vicky, what would you say sets Solus apart from other repairers in terms of customer service?

Vicky Keating: So, for customers using Solus to get their vehicle repaired or using our approved repairer network, the feedback that we get from customers is really good. We have customer service experts that sit within Solus and we'll very much look after the customer and really understand what is important to them in terms of getting their vehicle repaired. We consistently achieve 4.6 out of five in terms of star rating, which is really good. And it's something that we're really proud of in Solus. Something that we also look at is the time that the vehicle is in for repair, so the number of days, and we try and keep that to a minimum and the way that we set up our Solus repair centres and the way that we flow the work and the work that we do before the vehicle actually comes in for repair, means that we could keep those days of repairing the vehicle being in the actual workshop down to a real minimum.

Waseem Malik: So, I think working with Solus gives us a real advantage in leveraging your expertise so we can make sure that, for every individual claim, we have the right expertise put on it and we get the right solution for the customer. But also I think we have a much better in-depth understanding of the trends that we're seeing coming to the market. If you look at the UK car park, now we have very different vehicles. We've seen aluminium bodies. They need to be repaired in a different way. We understand that. I think because of the transition to EV. all of the Solus sites are able to repair EV vehicles. 75% of our technicians are also able to work on EV vehicles. That's fantastic. And it means that we can give the best advice to our brokers and to our customers around how they should manage their fleet or their vehicles better and what are the things they need to be aware of.

Vicky Keating: So, from a commercial customer perspective, I think there's a little bit of a myth around Solus and what we can do with some of our commercial customers. I think that anything up to 3.5 tonne, so a small van, it's all to do with us being able to fit the vehicle into an oven when we've obviously painted the vehicle. So, we're very much able in our repair centres in Solus to deal with commercial vehicles. It's not just cars that we repair, obviously we repair lots of commercial vehicles as well. Waseem, do you want to just talk us through a little bit about our growth plans?

Waseem Malik: We're very excited about the growth plans that we have for Solus and they're twofold, so we want to increase our geographical footprint across the UK. So, as you mentioned earlier, we currently have 21 repair centres, soon increasing to 24. But we will continue to grow that. We want 50% of all of our repairs to be serviced in Solus sites. That's really exciting, so there will be more Solus sites available to you to utilise. But also what we want to do alongside that is really grow our commercial network so that we can repair more specialist commercial vehicles, and we'll either do that through Solus sites or through partner network. So given our expansion plans, what's your view on the industry and the challenges ahead?

Vicky Keating: So, the industry, like many industries, is facing a skills shortage, the number of vehicle technicians that are leaving or retiring from the industry versus the new people that are joining - there’s a gap. And at Solus, we've taken very much accountability and responsibility for that in developing an apprentice programme, and for the last four or five years we've recruited a cohort of apprentices into Solus. They've worked with our experienced vehicle technicians, and we've given them the skills and experience to be the next generation of vehicle technicians, which is great. And I love seeing it when the apprentices qualify and gain their qualification, seeing them hopefully have a long, successful career in the industry, in Solus and being here for many years to come.

Waseem Malik: For me, there's a number of key takeaways for our brokers and our customers. Solus is a critical part of our proposition. We are here for our customers to give them the best service, and we're investing in this industry. We're hiring new apprentices to cover skills shortages. We're understanding the trends that we're seeing. We're investing in the right vehicle technology. All of this means that we're going to be able to be there for our customers when you need us. We believe in this market. We believe in our proposition, and we're here to support you every step of the way.