New tools and technology are changing the way we work and revolutionizing the solutions we offer, but claims management is still fundamentally a people business.
Crawford has in recent years taken huge strides in the adoption of technology-enabled solutions, from claims automation, self-service tools and live video streaming to drones, 3D modelling, virtual reality and even gig economy initiatives like WeGoLook.
These innovations have already made a big difference for our business and, with uptake having accelerated during the pandemic, they will play an increasingly important role in the way we service claims long into the future. However, these solutions have been developed to enable, not replace, the services provided by our human talent.
We know that people increasingly want and demand a digital claims experience and increased self-service capabilities. They also want the claim process to be easy. Unfortunately, it is not always going to be, so we have to pair that technology with empathetic, guiding and caring human interactions in the process to ensure we're managing claims effectively for our clients and their claimants.
Another thing that hasn't changed is what employees are looking for from their employers. People want purpose and meaning in their work. They want to feel that they're part of a family. At Crawford, we've been able to do that. We have a very rich history and a long legacy, and I believe the Crawford family's involvement and support in our business has helped us provide purpose-driven and meaningful careers. That's one of the reasons why you see so many long-service tenured employees at Crawford, and we hope we’ll continue that way.
Training is also a top priority for Crawford. In fact, it has been for as long as we have been in the claims business. One of the founding principles from our founder Jim Crawford was that knowledge and creativity is power. I believe we bring this to life for our adjusters and nurses through a constant review and evolution of our training courses. We've expanded our technical training and we're bringing continuous innovation to those training programs.
In our residential property loss adjusting class, for example, we're using 3D virtual reality scans to help prepare students for the wide variety of types of losses they will face out in the field. Our nurses are now training to identify mental illnesses to make sure we're taking care of the injured workers and that they get the right care. We've also supported our adjusters in helping them obtain and build upon their licenses with a library of courses that are approved for continuing education credits.
Equally important to the technical training, we've embedded soft-skills training, such as empathy, active listening, responsiveness and customer service into the curriculum. No matter how much technology enhances and enables our solutions, these human skills remain absolutely vital to any good claim response.
It's our belief that technical acumen combined with soft-skills training results in improved quality, sets industry benchmarks and makes us a respected industry educator across the globe. And this in turn results in better outcomes for our clients and customers.
