Technology Innovation

In 2005, Allstate embarked on a long-range journey to reinvent Claims for the future-Next Generation Claim Systems, or Next Gen. Implemented countrywide, Next Gen was designed to help improve the customer experience, increase efficiency, and keep the Claims organization positioned to help Allstate succeed. Among the benefits to customers are claims being routed to the most appropriate person at the right time, more accessible claim information, and the balancing of workloads countrywide when there is a spike in claim volume in certain areas. The workload-balancing capability enables Allstate Claims to maintain service levels during periods of excessive claim volumes, such as when a major hurricane occurs.

Next Gen's flexible claim-handling foundation enables Allstate to enhance technology and processes rapidly, so that the company can respond to changes in the marketplace and meet the needs of policyholders and claimants. In one example, Allstate employees identified an issue involving wildfire property claims, planned a solution, and implemented it in a matter of hours. The application upgrade enabled Claims to deliver payments for additional living expenses to affected claimants much more quickly.

Another area of improvement made possible by Next Gen involved enhancements to the processes for vehicle inspection and repair. This initiative improved the cycle time of the vehicle-repair process, making it easier for policyholders, claimants, and the collision-repair industry to do business with Allstate. With the new technology, Allstate now has an up-to-date and dynamic view of repair shops' performance, which enables the company to recommend the highest-ranked repair shops to policyholders and claimants.

Work is also under way to expand online self-service capabilities for policyholders and agencies. Also made possible by Next Gen technology, these self-service enhancements will bring more options for Allstate's customers and claimants to interact with the company.