Move4U in Fidi Focus Aug/Sep 2016

Move4U with their ClaimApp is featuring under TechSpecial of the Fidi Focus for the August/September publication, as such the advantages of a digital claim process are described and discussed in detail. In addition Move4U offers the Fidi readers a one month free trial.

Why insurance claims can be a headache

It is time-consuming, sometimes frustrating and ideal for neither the customer nor the moving company. So should the insurance claims process now enter the digital age?

Let’s face it, filling in lots of paperwork isn’t among many people’s favourite tasks – especially if you are trying to file an insurance claim following the loss or breakage of a possession during an overseas move.

Making sure customers are fully covered is of course a necessity and something the moving industry strongly advises. But the usual process of making a claim, when one is needed, has been under the microscope lately. And some have found it lacking.

The process usually involves the assignee or private individual who has been moved downloading an email from their first point of contact, the move co-ordinator, then printing off a number of PDF forms to complete, sign and return.

This can take a while in the ideal circumstances. But if you’ve just arrived in, say, New York from Amsterdam following your move, how likely is it that your PC printer is unpacked – and where exactly is that power cable?

Assuming you can get your home IT running, insurers will also ask for photos or other evidence of the damage or loss – which involves using a digital camera or smartphone, taking and sending photos. And this is just the start of the process.

Annemieke Lemsom of RVJ Marine Surveyors and Adjusters are instructed by insurers to handle any damages.

She said: ‘The transferee receives an e-mail with three documents to print, complete and return in order to substantiate the claim. Two photographs per item are also needed to assess the damage, which results in huge files which cannot be sent using regular e-mail.’

Technology specialists Move4U, works closely with international movers based in the Netherlands, and has been studying various moving industry processes.

‘We looked at typical processes to see how they can be made improved and, for the customer, easier,’ says Tjerk Mellink, Marketing Manager for Move4U.
‘We thought the whole insurance claims handling process involved a lot of paperwork, and it should be made easier, which doesn’t mean you will receive more claims as a consequence.’
With insurers naturally keen to avoid fraudulent claims, the process often takes several weeks and can cause confusion, as well as taking up management time for the mover who acts as middle man.

‘I know from experience that, with the usual process, the information required to make a claim doesn’t always get there at once,’ says Mellink.
He believes movers can lose a good corporate reputation they have spent many years building ‘in just minutes’, should the customer start to complain about the way their insurance claim has been handled on social media or internet forums. Even if, ultimately, the mover is not at fault.
‘You always want to handle things as speedily as possible and there is so much possibility for improvement,’ says Mellink, whose company is one of a number in the market, launching a moving insurance app which they claim streamlines the claims process.

Move4U say their app is available to download on all iOS and Android mobile devices, and this digital solution – which is hosted in the IT ‘cloud’ – does away with ‘old school’ paper, according to the company.

The app has been tested by an industry group including FIDI Affiliates Voerman International Den Haag and KHZ International movers, and improved over a period of months.

Source: FIDI-Focus and FIDI-Focus/274/46