Back when I conceived the idea for a company eighteen years ago, the auto claims industry was one that siloed service providers from technology providers and nary did their paths cross. You were either one or the other.
Honestly, this division confused me. Is it really that unheard of to combine service with technology to deliver a solution that was the result of both? I clearly recall conversations with claims managers who looked at me as though I was from another planet. I was told that as a service provider, you need to stay in your lane if you wanted to be taken seriously.
I found myself in a quandary. Here was an opportunity, but do I start an appraisal company or a technology one? Well, I figured let me go with my gut instinct and see what happens.
I chose both. Then and there I set out to build a company focused on the novel idea of meshing service and technology to deliver a powerful auto damage appraisal solution for insurers and their customers.
It was in this humble beginning, that ACD wove together the best people with the best technology to drive fast, accurate and professional auto damage appraisals. From the start, we’ve been laser focused on crunching down cycle times, increasing customer satisfaction and helping adjusters close claims efficiently so their policyholders can get back on the road.
So, what’s our secret sauce and how do we do it?
- It starts with exceptional people. As much as the business world and society pushes AI and total automation, the foundation of the insurance business is centered on the human experience. Empathy, expertise and service matter to consumers more than the race to the bottom to eliminate personal contact. Team ACD delivers on the promise we believe in – helping people, resolving problems and creating a positive experience.
- Sprinkle in a good amount of technology. Technology is the tool that augments the power of our people. With all of the hype about AI being superior to humans, I disagree. AI for us is augmented intelligence not artificial. Aided by automation and technology, unnecessary steps can be eliminated but the real power is helping people become better. We look for ways to make adjusters more efficient so they solve problems faster. Our technology brings forth the right information so it’s at their fingertips. Adjuster accuracy and their decision-making ability improves tremendously.
- The mixture of service and technology forms from a culture of innovation. Built by clients for clients is our philosophy. We look at every user of our services and technology as a client. That’s our employees, insurers, appraisers, and vehicle owners. We take feedback, suggestions and input from all of the above and then work to build a technology solution that makes sense. Technology not built by people who’ve never handled a claim but by people who have done the job day in and day out. This mentality builds on itself. It allows us to focus on continuous improvement and be that right hand to those whose claims expertise we can help improve.
All these ingredients lead to a partnership with ACD. Our clients get a company intensely focused on giving insurers, fleet administrators, TPAs and self-insureds a technology-powered and people-driven experience for their material damage process that doesn’t compare to anything else.
I see our job as using the technology we so methodically built to enhance the human experience in auto claims, not remove it. And with our recipe of success made with the best people and the most innovative thinking, we deliver a client experience like no other.
This advertorial was first published in the March/April 2021 issue of NU Claims Magazine: https://www.claimsmagdigital.com/claims/mar_apr_2021?pg=36#pg36