5 Questions with Alonza Coleman

Welcome to 5 Questions, a blog series where an Xceedance team member shares their perspectives on insurance, technology, and market trends. For this edition, we spoke with Alonza Coleman, senior property adjuster on the U.S. claims team.

Q1: After 15 years working for insurance carriers, what made you make the jump to Xceedance?

Alonza: After learning about Xceedance and the TPA Claims department they were creating, I was intrigued with the possibility of having input and influence in the growth of their claims department. I was also excited to have a chance to see how the claim process works from the TPA seat, which provides a chance to interact with a wider range of customers globally and domestically. Once I met with the Xceedance TPA leadership team, I was impressed with how personable they are, and I knew that this was a team that I wanted to be a part of.

Q2: How has technology changed the way property claims are handled?

Alonza: Technology has increased the efficiency of the claim handling process and provided an added convenience for the adjuster and customer. Being able to utilize text messaging has made communication with customers easier and limits some of the claim delays related to playing “phone tag.” Also, the use of video calls for virtual inspections and drones on physical inspections have lessened the time that damage inspections take, which leads to estimates being written faster and claims being settled faster. In the case of video calls, this has eliminated the need for a physical inspection altogether on some of the smaller losses. In those cases, you are able to write an accurate estimate while on the phone with the insured and get a check issued immediately. If the customer has direct deposit, they can even have the funds in hand the same day.

Q3: Technology aside, what value does an experienced claims adjuster still bring to the handling process?

Alonza: I feel that an experienced adjuster is able to anticipate customer concerns or issues that can lead to complaints if unaddressed. Being able to address these concerns timely can de-escalate issues and continue to keep the customer satisfied. Another benefit is being knowledgeable about building/construction styles, repair processes, and having solutions for hiccups in the claims process which also establishes trust with a customer.

Q4: In ten years how will the claims function be different than it is now?

Alonza: I think that there will be more automation in the claims process. The advances in technology have occurred so quickly over the past few years, I would imagine that there would be a way that certain claims could be settled with little to no human interaction – such as minor theft losses being settled with the usage of an AI questionnaire, similar to the chat assistance on the Amazon app. If the info inputted by the customer meets certain criteria, the system processes the claim and generates the payment. 

Q5: When you aren’t working how do you spend your free time?

Alonza:I love spending my free time with my family. My wife and I have 4 kids and they keep us plenty busy with their sporting events and orchestra concerts. Some of the things we like to do are movie marathons, camping out in our backyard, and taking walks together. Outside of that, I love watching sports and playing video games.

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Thanks to Alonza Coleman for sharing his insights, and watch for the next installment of 5 Questions, featuring ChainThat CEO David Edwards, coming next week!