Aviva offers automated claim notification
Let’s call it reporting an accident claim in real time.
Aviva Canada and Accident Support Services International recently launched Canada’s first automated claim notification at collision reporting centres (CRC) in Ontario and Alberta.
What does this mean?
Should an Aviva client be involved in an accident, they can report it to their insurer and automatically create a claim right from a collision reporting centre. Customers are signed up to receive SMS and email notifications for important information such as their claim number, the contact information of their assigned claims adjuster as well as the progression of their claim.
This digital solution allows claims to be resolved quicker and eliminates the need for the customer to call Aviva to report the loss. Clients only have to tell their story once and get back on the road faster. In addition, Aviva keeps brokers in the loop with automatic emails any time a claim is opened for one of its clients.
How it works
Once the data has been received and validated by Aviva, a claim number is returned to the reporting centre’s system and the CRC agent or police officer is able to provide it to the customer.
According to Aviva Canada, about 70 per cent of policyholders visit a reporting centre across Ontario and Alberta before getting in touch with their insurance company. Approximately 16,000 claims are reported annually from these centres to the company.
“Ordinarily, it takes anywhere from 24 to 72 hours for a CRC incident report to make its way to Aviva and for an adjuster to be assigned. In this day and age, that’s just too slow," said Aviva Canada’s Chief Claims Officer Bryant Vernon in a news release. “We’re now receiving new claims immediately and eliminating the need for customers to repeat information that they’ve already provided to the CRC.”
30 reporting centres
There are more than 30 Ontario reporting centres – operated by police departments in partnership with Accident Support Services International - and three in Alberta.
“Getting into an accident is already a stressful event,” said Rick Yates, Vice President of Insurance Program at Accident Support Services International. “(This) streamlines the process for all citizens reporting an accident. Drivers not only have to tell their story once, they will also be relieved when they receive the claim number and information before they leave the CRC.”
The initiative, originally a pilot project, was nominated for a 2019 Insurance Canada.ca Technology Award.
Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country, providing home, automobile, leisure/lifestyle and business insurance to 2.8 million customers.
Accident Support Services International provides the exact CRC locations and hours here: http://ow.ly/FHmd30nYv7J
Not all cities have an accident reporting centre. If you are involved in an accident in a town or rural area in Ontario that does not have one, call your police department.
Keep in mind you must report to the nearest CRC in the jurisdiction where the collision actually took place, and not the location closest to your home.