The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance says it is developing a short course on the use of experts in claims assessments, and it has welcomed a best practice standard released last month.

The Insurance Council of Australia produced the expert report standard after concerns were raised over the use of the reports during claims handling.

ANZIIF says the standard aims to provide consistency when insurers use reports from hydrologists, engineers, builders or specialist tradespeople during the assessment process.

Providing reliable, consistent and high-quality service fosters public trust and satisfaction in the insurance industry, it says.

“ANZIIF will be delivering a short course to help insurance professionals understand the roles of the different experts used to provide assessments and complete remediation in the field,” CEO Katrina Shanks said. “This will improve insurance professionals’ competence, knowledge and skills.”

From Insurance News magazine: Loss adjusters are confident the human touch will endure in claims, even as technology takes a greater role