Speech Blog

Does this story sound familiar? 

An adjuster returns to her desk one evening after spending the day driving between interviews with claimants and subject matter experts and recording them on a portable dictation device. It’s been a typical busy day, but it’s not over yet despite the late hour. She docks the device to upload the interviews for her offshore transcription team, knowing she’ll need to set time aside the next day to edit the transcript (checking that proper nouns are spelled correctly, and filling in the narrative from her written notes where audio was not captured clearly).

In the morning, she notices the transcriptionist only sent back documents for four of the five interviews she conducted – a flurry of emails between them and other team members reveals that one of the recordings was missing from the company’s server. Further research and follow-up with their IT contact takes another day because the department is handling impacts of a system issue that corrupted the recording’s file name. It is finally recovered, but the adjuster is now behind schedule on processing the claim.

Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common for insurance companies worldwide and is problematic in an industry with increased expectations around efficiency and outputs in the digital era. In the field, many adjusters struggle with recording processes that often require a significant amount of additional coordination and management. Further, supporting staff such as transcription and IT teams spend inordinate portions of their day reactively handling issues stemming from poor audio quality, lack of integration with other workflows, and outdated file sharing and storage methods.

A pocket-sized tool that delivers big results

Many leading insurance organizations are taking advantage of specialized technology to solve these issues. At many points in the situation described above, pivotal front- and back-end functions and workflows could have been executed much better with a critical tool: innovative, industry-focused, dedicated speech-to-text solutions. They can help companies avoid friction from the field to the back office and every point in between.

From an adjuster’s standpoint, the right recording device serves as a trusted, reliable assistant. Durable, purpose-built, and field-tested to withstand the rigors of the workday, it captures audio with clarity and accuracy to provide a reliable record of notes, interviews, and other important data. Another key time-saver is automation and near-instant mobile upload to a secure cloud environment, available for a variety of transcription options – there’s no need to wait until returning to the office to dock and transfer the day’s recordings. To complement the narrative of an interview or other field report, a device with a built-in camera also helps easily couple photo documentation with recordings. All these capabilities make an adjuster’s day easier and less stressful.

The benefits of high-performance voice technology continue back at the office or headquarters. With recordings uploaded in real time, there is less backlog in document creation at the end of the day. This means transcription teams can more quickly and easily turn audio files into text. Lastly (but perhaps most importantly), the software behind the right recording device enables seamless integration with existing workflows and systems used by other functional teams, keeping the claims process moving smoothly and quickly to meet the accelerated pace of today’s business landscape.

Security is also a prominent topic in the insurance industry, as much of the information flowing through the claims process is sensitive and/or confidential. Throughout the upload, transfer, and secure cloud storage process, modern speech-to-text solutions help protect companies and their clientele with the highest levels of protection and encryption. These protocols and cloud enablement also help mitigate risk of file loss and vulnerability to other technical issues associated with server storage, so IT resources can spend less time managing and tracking dictations and reallocate their efforts to more strategic, higher-impact initiatives.

Better tools, better performance, better service

The right dedicated speech-to-text solution can make positive impacts on operations overall: better coordination and flow across the components within the claims processing sequence, reduced adjuster burnout due to overwork and burdensome administrative requirements, and optimization of support resources. This leads to the most important benefit of all: enhancing the service you provide your clients.

From the front end to the back end of the claims processing flow, see more first-hand examples of how others in the industry are using technology to empower their teams.

Have questions? Leave a comment or you can also contact our team anytime at info.na@speech.com.