2020 for many will be remembered as the year that changed everything. From social interaction to the way businesses operate, every aspect of society has undergone some form of transition as we have demonstrated a phenomenal ability to adapt during this period of extreme adversity.
At Crawford, that adaptation has come in multiple forms. From the shift to remote working and the ramping up of our remote claims handling capabilities, to helping our clients adopt self-service technologies and introducing new solutions to meet the unique challenges of a world in lockdown.
And while change can sometimes prove problematic, particularly when it occurs in such a short space of time, at Crawford we have thrived on that change. From a financial perspective, our Q3 results were stronger than forecast and we have entered 2021 in a robust position, operating with the liquidity necessary to respond and adapt to a new economic reality and the evolving client demands that it brings.
That is not to say that we have been unaffected by the turmoil created by the pandemic, as it has had a significant impact on the claims environment. However, what this has enabled us to do in a more dynamic way than ever before is to demonstrate our absolute commitment to helping restore and enhance lives, businesses and communities. Despite restrictions on travel, we have helped organizations respond to major catastrophes around the world, while our investment in new technologies and service capabilities has enabled us to maintain or even exceed pre-pandemic client service delivery levels.
Responsiveness has been critical to this. We have introduced or enhanced business solutions that have specifically targeted the unique challenges of the pandemic. These have ranged from the rapid expansion of our commercial decontamination services, to the launch of our commercial property modification service to help reduce exposure levels in workplaces. In response to the recent UK Supreme Court ruling on COVID-19-related business interruption claims, we launched a new BI claims portal to facilitate the speedier processing of these claims.
To reaffirm our position as a leader in innovation, service quality and expertise, we have also recently announced a new business line organizational structure that aligns Crawford to three macro businesses – Loss Adjusting, Third Party Administration and Platform Solutions – a structure that will better enable our growth plans and envisioned future.
As part of this process, we have created several new regional leadership roles and I am delighted that these have been filled through internal promotions. This is a fantastic demonstration of the immense level of talent and experience within our teams. And as we work to establish clear promotional paths supported by targeted training programs for our people, our aim is to become an increasingly self-sufficient organization.
That of course does not mean that we will not look outwards in our search for exceptional professionals. In fact, 2020 saw us continue on our targeted acquisition trail, as we brought on board leading legal solutions provider HBA Legal in Australia as part of the ongoing expansion of our integrated legal services platform. Also, the acquisition of Chilean loss adjuster Crawford Carvallo established Crawford as the largest loss adjusting company in Latin America.
I have no hesitation in saying that every member of the Crawford team at every level of our organization has demonstrated exceptional fortitude in what have been incredibly trying times. Their unwavering commitment to standing firm in the face of adversity has been outstanding and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved.
In 2020, we responded, we adapted, we innovated, and we delivered. And in 2021, we will continue to forge ahead from a position of strength, finding new ways to excel for our clients.
This article first appeared on LinkedIn and can be found here.
