The virtual appraisal solution designed by Snapsheet will remove the waiting period for an in-person damage assessment for commercial auto insurance customers
Zurich has incorporated Snapsheet's virtual appraisal solution into its auto claims process. Photo: courtesy of Zurich American Insurance Company.
Zurich North America has integrated a virtual appraisal solution developed by Chicago-based Snapsheet into its auto claims process to help its customers get faster repair estimates and payments.
The new solution has been made available to the insurer’s property insurance customers. It is expected to enable customers to more quickly resolve auto physical damage claims.
According to Snapsheet, its white-labelled appraisal platform powers the complex claims process for insureds, brokers, salvage vendors, repair facilities, and adjusters.
How the virtual appraisal solution works
The virtual appraisal solution requires customers to take photos of the damage done to their vehicles in an accident and submit them electronically to Snapsheet through its photo capture solution. Following that, licensed appraisers complete a Zurich-approved repair estimate without the necessity of meeting the driver or checking the vehicle at the repair facility.
After the virtual appraisal is submitted following the procedure, Zurich issues a claims payment to the customer, who can then take the vehicle to any repair facility.
Zurich North America innovation head Sumeet Bhatia said: “Building and maintaining strong relationships with innovation partners, like Snapsheet, help us enhance our service to customers.
“Adopting this virtual appraisal solution means our customers get paid faster and spend less time navigating the claims process.”
Zurich said that last year it had started exploring for a solution to simplify the auto claims process. The insurer said that a six-month pilot of Snapsheet’s virtual appraisal solution gave key insights, which showed that the technology, workflow and expertise had promise to offer a more simplified process for its customers.
Zurich North America claims liability head Eileen Neugebauer said: “The pilot results demonstrated that virtual auto physical damage appraisals can result in faster claims processing and that the appraisals it produced were just as accurate as traditional in-person assessments, when done correctly.”
In August 2019, Zurich North America joined forces with Wright National Flood Insurance Services to launch a new residential flood insurance product in the US. The new flood insurance product – Zurich Residential Private Flood Insurance is said to be a stand-alone admitted private flood insurance offering.