Ken Tolson, recently promoted President of Network Solutions, will discuss how technology will shape the future of the claims industry at the Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (PAMIC) 2021 Virtual Claims Summit at 10 am EDT on Tuesday 11 May.
Ken features on a panel session entitled ‘Technology Innovation in Claims Handling’ alongside moderator Paul Kelejian, Property/Casualty Claims Technical Specialist for GenRe, and Natalie Kaschalk, Vice President, Insurance Services for Copart. The highly anticipated topic will open the virtual event.
In the session, Ken and the panellists will predict how claim handling will evolve by 2025, evaluate some of the most innovative tools already in use in the claims space and discuss how technology will continue to reshape how claims firms operate and deliver their services.
As the pace of change accelerates, consumer expectations of carriers and adjusters continue to evolve. The session will explore how claims handlers can embrace new tools to ensure they deliver quality results and an exceptional experience for clients and policyholders. The panel will also consider how regulatory, privacy, cyber and legal developments may continue to introduce new challenges.
Ken has always been passionate about the benefits technology can deliver and its role in driving change throughout the organization, recently describing himself as “a technologist trapped in an adjuster’s body”.
While he admits to missing fieldwork, his tech-focused role puts him at the center of innovation within Crawford and at the forefront of the ongoing digitalization of the claims process through new technologies such as Hover, virtual reality, 3D modelling and augmented reality tools.
According to Ken, the pandemic has accelerated many of the technological changes that were already underway within Crawford.
“While rapidly adopting new tools and ways of working can be challenging, it is a necessary process for the organization’s survival. Not only is it essential we continue to be early adopters of technology, but that we are agile enough to use new tools in unique and engaging ways.”
Over the next 10 years, Ken expects digital tools to continue to drive efficiency by eliminating simple and repetitive tasks, freeing up resources to be more effective and building deeper connections with the policyholder and our customers. However, despite the central role technology will play in advancing claims management capabilities going forward, “you’ll never automate the human connection”, he said.
The Virtual Claims Summit agenda also features sessions on claim litigation, forensic investigation, social inflation and COVID-related business interruption and employment claims, among other topics. More information can be found here.
