Allianz looks to slash claim times with repairer partnership

Allianz says it could speed up the claims life cycle by 80% through a new partnership with specialist repairer Plastic Surgeon.

The Dartmoor-headquartered business focuses on engineered repairs to surface damage instead of replacement.

Benefits include improved sustainability as targeted repairs wastes fewer materials, Allianz pointed out. The partnership will also allow brokers and customers to track repairs online using a reporting portal, it said.

Plastic Surgeon - which employs over 250 staff nationwide including 200 finishers - will handle the claims and have a target to contact customers within four hours of being instructed.

The kind of repairs the company handles include damage to wooden surfaces, cracked tiles, brick and stone work, as well as UPVC windows, Allianz said.

It will also work with Allianz’s panel of loss adjusters on large fire and escape of water claims, it added.

For more simple claims, Allianz’s claims handlers will use targeted questioning to triage the appropriate cases and instruct Plastic Surgeon, Allianz said.

On more complex claims, the company’s appointed loss adjuster decides where advanced restoration services can be used. 

’Sustainability is the key’

Allianz’s head of supply and experts Graham Strait said ”the partnership will see us providing quicker and less expensive solutions for surface repairs, speeding up our ability to settle claims and ultimately benefiting brokers and customers”.

“Sustainability is a key focus for our business and I’m really pleased that this partnership aligns with our company objectives by providing a more environmentally-friendly solution which wastes fewer materials.

“We have extended this partnership across casualty, commercial property and household claims and will be closely monitoring the progress to see if it can be rolled out to other parts of the business”.

Chris Edwards, head of insurance, at Plastic Surgeon added: “Allianz’s commitment to a sustainable approach is exemplary with sustainability in the insurance arena becoming more critical, as the size of losses increase with perils such as escape of water damage becoming more frequent.

“Allianz’s size and diverse range of claims is a fantastic opportunity for us to demonstrate the differing type of repairs that we can carry out. We’re delighted to be working with the team and very much look forward to continuing our partnership.”

Plastic Surgeon is part of the Polygon Group, a European property damage restoriation firm with operations across 14 countries.