Gallagher Bassett was able to mobilise its global taskforce to help support insurers battle unprecedented claims volumes in New Zealand after two catastrophic weather events this year.

Teams in the UK, US and Singapore helped accelerate claims resolutions after record floods and Cyclone Gabrielle struck the North Island in February, Gallagher Bassett New Zealand Chief Client Officer Steven Walsh tells insuranceNEWS.com.au.

"This was a top-down approach involving our global CEO and the senior leaders in the US, UK and Australia. This enabled us to tap into the substantial resources that we have right across the business and was a testament to the value of a global partner,” Mr Walsh said.

“It involved onsite visitations by local resources, passed over to the international teams to complete that work overnight.”  

Customer service staff in the US, a service centre in India and loss adjusting resources in the US, Singapore and UK all helped meet local resource gaps.

“We utilised the customer service personnel for claims triage services while we recruited temporary local resources,” Mr Walsh said. “As the claim moved to loss adjusting and scope of works, we utilised resources across the US and Australia.”

Gallagher Bassett’s Event Response Plan was triggered, and it quickly secured additional resources for initial claim triage, and for arranging make safes and escalating vulnerable cases.  

Data is “at the core of our support services,” Mr Walsh says, enabling insurers to understand the progression of claims, inform actuaries, manage customer queries and make supply chain payments. He recommends developing an event readiness plan by working through different scenarios beyond an everyday business as usual response during “peacetime” – before catastophes strike.

“By working alongside insurers in peacetime, developing the plan, the knowledge base, reporting, and data requirements, we ensure a match fit for when there is an event,” Mr Walsh said, noting combined claims for Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland floods had reached 96,586 worth $NZ2.47 billion ($2.29 billion). 
"It seems a long time ago that we had a relatively benign weather pattern. Partnering with an organisation like Gallagher Bassett enables additional resources to be provided at short notice and with scale.”

Many New Zealanders are still displaced by the damage and Mr Walsh says there is “still a fair way to go”.  

“While most insurers will have completed their initial triaging of claims and the scoping of the reinstatement, the majority of this work is yet to get underway and is about to be accelerated,” he said.  
"Properties that have been affected on multiple occasions in quick succession are looking for better long-term solutions from councils.

“The events of this year’s weather catastrophes have demonstrated the power of partnering with a global organisation that leads the way in expertise, having managed every significant weather event in the southern hemisphere for 20 years.”