In today's competitive business landscape, organizations face numerous challenges when it comes to talent management, improving customer experience, and achieving superior financial results. In the claims industry, specifically, where it is critical to consistently deliver exceptional service to clients - the ability to attract, retain and develop skilled professionals is essential.
Gallagher Bassett’s Joe Zinga, EVP — Risk Management, recently sat down with Ajay Sinha, EVP — Claims Operations, Workers’ Compensation & Claims Support Services, to discuss the strategies and initiatives our team has developed to ensure that we can sustainably deliver superior outcomes for our clients and broker partners.
Joe Zinga: While the challenge is not limited to the claims industry, the competition for talent within our industry is fierce. How has the Gallagher Bassett (GB) Claims Operation been impacted by the current labor market?
Ajay Sinha: Within the GB Claims Operation, we continue to see extremely competitive markets and a high demand for specialized roles. Additionally, we continue to see tight, ever-shifting markets in certain geographies, combined with wage inflation, which has a significant impact on the current talent pool and the ability to retain top performers.
However, even with the pressures of this difficult environment, our claims operation has been able to steadily grow. In fact, since 2021, our headcount has grown by 28%, and we have seen similar growth across GB’s overall headcount. Moreover, we’re actively investing in long-term solutions to address the labor shortage and reduce turnover within our organization.
Joe: Those growth numbers are impressive, especially as competition continues to increase across the industry. What proactive steps is GB’s Claims Operation taking to enhance attracting and retaining top talent?
Ajay: I believe there is a sweet spot between predicting the challenges of the future and executing flawlessly against the expectations of today. That is where we strive to be. Staying nimble is absolutely critical in today’s claims environment. At GB, we’re taking very specific steps to deal with talent challenges and transitional issues in a way that directly benefits our clients.
By creating opportunities to get honest feedback from our people, whether that is in a focus group, feedback channel, or front-line executive immersions, we maintain the standard of our employee experience objectives, which can then directly inform GB strategy, planning, and investments. We recently brought on a Director of Employee Engagement to spearhead targeted initiatives as a means to build a stronger culture, more empowered team members, and better experiences for our clients.
We poll all clients annually in the form of a Client Satisfaction Survey, facilitating feedback on GB as a whole, as well as specific functions such as the Claims Operation. This allows for feedback across all clients and the entire GB organization, and in turn enables our Claims Leadership to identify ways that we can put our team members in a position for success.
We are also now measuring some of the “softer”, but most critical aspects of the claims management experience – such as the timeliness of response to phone calls and e-mails, recognizing the importance of communication in the role we play in successfully resolving a claim.
Finally, we actively promote the GB culture, which I believe to be a strategic advantage and differentiator for us. We just recently had our 10th annual Recognition Day, where we celebrate the top claim professionals within our organization at the GB Headquarters. This year, we had members of the GB trainee team in attendance during the presentations, to see firsthand what real excellence in our operation looks like. It was an inspiring day and a date the entire GB Executive Team circles on our calendar every year!
Joe: Our clients are focused on providing the best service experience for their claimants. Can you talk a little bit about the strategic orientation of GB’s Claims Operations to support quality claims handling and client service excellence?
Ajay: We strive to ensure that we are creating an environment where our Claims Operations team members are positioned to succeed. At GB, this means building the right teams with the tools and support needed to do their best. We are also committed to keeping them engaged in the work they do and excited about their career prospects. The plan for career pathing goes hand-in-hand with recruiting. We seek the best talent not only externally but internally. We work with our employees to pursue individual development plans for those who are looking to grow in the business.
This concept of ensuring that we have the right resource on each file is essential in not only achieving the best possible result, but in maximizing the experience of our team members. We then further support our team members in the form of AI and Waypoint decision support functionality. This ecosystem confirms that we have the best team members in place, focused on the right complexity of claim, and supported with the most applicable resources to achieve a superior result and provide the best possible experience.
Joe: What strategies or initiatives have you implemented to improve the overall customer experience within your Claims Operation?
Ajay: Our clients and partners put their trust in GB to care for their employees, to protect their brands, and to make their claims management programs an integral part of their long-term business strategy. These outcomes can include reducing total cost of risk, increasing operational quality, and delivering an exceptional customer experience.
In addition to the items that we have already discussed today, a key priority is focusing on technical and product excellence from our team members through expanded training and quality audit teams, as well as meaningful system upgrades that will streamline workflows, support easier and more consistent documentation, and improve quality and compliance.
Joe: What steps are being taken to attract and develop the next generation of talent within your Claims Operation?
Ajay: Long-term solutions to address labor shortage include significant growth in our training programs. The Director of our Emerging Talent Program is focused on developing a pipeline of new talent to meet our growth needs in the years to come. In late 2022, we launched our Resolution Associate Program, which is designed to build the next generation of claims professionals by combining a dedicated team of technical instructors (former supervisors) with participants to prepare them for branch work and beyond. We are finding that program graduates achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction and productivity.
One thing that is unique and appealing about claims is the direct connection to the human experience. Claims are where the promise of insurance is fulfilled. Promoting that message about the impact we have is helping us attract more talent to the industry.