How Insurance Contact Centers Can Boost Resilience with AI and Automation

When a major storm strikes, properties and power lines aren’t the only things that get hit hard. The arrival of hurricane season also takes a huge toll on insurance contact centers.

‍

Customers’ expectations for fast, reliable service are higher than ever. And recent hurricane seasons have been delivering increasingly intense and unpredictable weather. 

‍

This combination can stretch even the best contact centers to their limit. But technology can help. 

‍

AI won’t replace your human agents. But during natural disasters, it can empower them to support your policyholders in the best way possible.

‍

AI-driven systems handle routine inquiries, direct the right calls to the right agents and streamline claims processing. These systems give your contact center the edge it needs to support policyholders during even the most intense storm seasons.

‍

How to Use AI to Improve Contact Center Efficiency

During a hurricane call surge, every second matters. And every second saved is a boost to your bottom line — and to policyholder trust. 

‍

The following technologies can help. 

‍

Virtual Chatbots

Interactive agents like Nationwide’s Nora and Progressive’s Flo manage standard tasks like checking claim status or providing coverage updates.

‍

They guide customers through basic support, freeing up human staff for more critical, urgent and emotional calls.

‍

Natural Language Processing

In the midst of a hurricane, the last thing your policyholders need is frustrating robotic support.

Natural language processing (NLP) can help create a smoother, friendlier customer experience.

An NLP-powered chatbot understands human language and analyzes the intent behind customers’ words. It can answer complex questions, clarify details and even detect emotional cues.

Faster resolutions lead to fewer frustrating interactions for both policyholders and agents.

‍

Call Routing 

When calls start flooding in, fast, effective call routing is critical. 

‍

AI-powered routing can prioritize calls based on urgency, policyholder status or claim type. Routine calls are directed to self-service channels and high-stakes cases to human agents. 

‍

This helps reduce wait times and automatically connects policyholders to the best resource for their needs.

‍

Simplify Proactive Outreach with AI

During hurricane season, communication can make or break an insurance company. Sending early alerts, storm preparedness tips and filing instructions before disaster strikes is key. 

‍

With AI, you can seamlessly deliver personalized safety tips, evacuation route information and step-by-step claims guidance.

‍

Proactive outreach helps customers feel prepared and reassured, knowing their insurance provider is ready and anticipating their needs. This helps increase trust and reduce frantic inbound calls.

Easily Automate Claims Processing

After a storm, claim filings skyrocket. AI can automate the process by handling basic data collection and initial assessments.

‍

It can also automatically capture, analyze and validate relevant data from any source. Then, it starts the documentation process and flags priority cases for human review.

‍

The result? A faster, more efficient claims process with fewer backlogs.

‍

Balance Technology with Human Empathy

To handle a hurricane-related call surge, your action plan needs technology and humanity.

‍

While AI can handle basic tasks efficiently, it can't replicate the compassion, creativity and critical thinking your agents provide during a disaster. 

‍

Smart systems help prevent backlogs and save agents’ energy and empathy for complex cases. This allows your contact center to create positive, lasting impressions during some of your policyholders’ hardest moments.

Weather Any Storm With ShyftOff

Hurricanes are getting worse. And it’s difficult to preemptively strike the perfect balance between technology and human support.
‍

But ShyftOff can help. 

‍

We provide your contact center with the top U.S.-based agents. We handle all the training and onboarding so they’re fully equipped with the empathy and technical skills to support your policyholders through any crisis.

‍

We also harness the power of AI and advanced scheduling technology to help ensure you have the right number of agents in place, ready to go as soon as the storm rolls in. 

‍

And while traditional BPOs and staffing agencies come with heavy overhead and long-term commitments, ShyftOff’s flexible model is designed to align with your budget. 

‍

You pay for what you need when you need it most, helping you save 35% on operations.

‍

Don’t wait for hurricane season to roll in and overwhelm your contact center. Equip your team now with smart tech and highly trained agents to handle any surge with speed and empathy. 

‍

Schedule time to chat with our team today

‍