Collaboration in the Claims Litigation Process
A primer for claims and litigation executives
There is no denying that collaboration tools have taken root in many organizations. A generation of technology has arrived that enables people across organizations and between companies to connect and work together more efficiently.
And, it’s showing real results. According to McKinsey and Company, a 20 to 30 percent increase in productivity is realized in organizations using online collaboration tools and digital workplaces.
Collaboration tools are also effective at providing for a better workplace environment and employee retention. According to a Queens University study, 31 percent of baby boomers, 40 percent of Gen x and 49 percent of millennials support tools that drive collaboration. Likewise, companies and organizations that communicate effectively are 4.5 times more likely to retain the best employees, according to research performed by RoomToEscape.com.
Conversely, there are downsides for organizations slow to adopt collaboration tools. In a study conducted by Salesforce.com, 86 percent of employees and executives cite lack of communication or collaboration for workplace failures. A full 97 percent of the workers surveyed by Salesforce stated that a lack of alignment within teams and coworkers has the most adverse effect on the outcome of work-related projects and tasks.
Collaboration in Claims Litigation
So how does effective collaboration help organizations with the difficult process of managing claims litigation? This is an important question for litigation executives to ask before investing in such tools.
In claims litigation there is no more important need for collaboration than in the relationship between claims professionals and the attorneys they retain. And yet, in almost all current claims environments there is no technology that truly encourages or supports a collaborative process.
Claims handlers and their attorneys may collaborate extensively on the phone, but then they revert to their own technology platforms to do their respective work. Communications between them are by email and email attachments. They work side by side, but not together, in their own technology silos. They must frequently “check in” with each other to see what the other doing.
Collaborative tools in this environment can provide an enormous amount of efficiency including:
- clear and precise delegation of tasks and workflow
- faster ways of working and communicating across multiple teams
- superior reporting, analytics and tracking; and
- organizing critical documents and events.
We at CaseGlide hear this from our partners regularly. All of our customers share the benefits of operating in a platform that removes the inefficiencies of an ‘email only’ communication strategy. All of us know that “managing from our inbox” is inherently tactical and less strategic. Emails inherently are inefficient, difficult to organize and time-consuming to search.
Having attorneys and claims adjusters operate seamlessly in the same unified system, means that communications and calendars are synced between the parties. Critical meetings, events, and next steps are clear to both parties. Claims professionals and attorneys are able to securely pass important documents and forms and organize them for easy access. All parties can execute a controlled series of tasks and workflows, ensuring no time is wasted waiting on the other party or wondering what critical steps are next in the litigation process.
As the general research into collaborative tools shows, 20 to 30 percent gains in general productivity are possible. And, as every litigation executive knows, any efficiencies that can also drive shorter case durations and lower legal fees are opportunities to be explored. We encourage you to explore with us how CaseGlide’s unified platform helps these opportunities to be realized.
If you’d like to view a demo of our system, contact us, we’ll be glad to help improve your claims processes.
Wesley Todd
CEO CaseGlide