IBM to Enhance Westfield Insurance Claims Services
December 23, 2014
By Casey Houser
Contributing Writer
Westfield Insurance, a provider of insurance services to businesses and individuals throughout the U.S., has worked with IBM (News - Alert) for several years concerning many of its business operations. The latest announcement from IBM says the pair will expand their relationship by allowing the global computer giant to use its Guidewire Policy Center to enhance Westfield's claims services.
IBM indicated that it has taken Westfield's current claims process and used Guidewire to transform it into a seamless experience for insurance customers. As a result, Westfield can now offer paperless claims processing, electronic communications, and secure access to business applications for employees. Furthermore, IBM software will allow Westfield to use analytics to monitor and investigate suspicious claims in real time. Robert Bowers, the national claims strategy leader at Westfield, commented on the continued partnership between his company and IBM.
“We've been working with IBM for years on multiple initiatives, in order to become a data-oriented company,” Bowers said. “Our new claims platform will enable our employees to make quicker decisions, with greater insight. We anticipate lowered costs and improved customer service, all while streamlining operations throughout the country to enhance the customer experience.”
In its announcement, IBM pointed to a study the IBM Institute for Business Value completed, which said that more than 60 percent of leading insurers use advanced analytics to help manage claims handling. Patricia Hamilton, the vice president of insurance strategy and transformation IBM, supplemented Bowers' statement and addressed the issue of analytics by saying that Westfield's new claims platform is a step forward toward data governance which can increase its overall business efficiency.
Westfield will be able to use the new IBM system to process new claims as well as analyze claims its legacy system once handled. The new system will transfer data from older claims files to make sure they fit within the new software infrastructure. All claims within Westfield databases will then be available to its agents in offices throughout the country.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
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