Global coverage means very little if it is not supported by local knowledge. There are many companies that claim to operate internationally but lack the regional insight and global cohesiveness to deliver truly impactful on-the-ground service when it really matters.
At Crawford, our aim is to develop global solutions that we can deliver locally. It is only through that direct contact with clients that we can help restore and enhance the lives, business and communities of those affected by losses.
To ensure local connectivity, we have linked up with regional loss adjusting firms to bolster our owned on-site presence. “That means working with firms in particular territories which can offer a level of market understanding and compliance insight built upon years of active market participation,” explains Rob Kleinveld, Client Director, Benelux and Global Technical Services Europe.
An excellent example of such a relationship is that which Crawford established with France-based loss adjusting firm Stelliant. Set up in 2011, the relationship has evolved into a seamless solution that connects the services of Crawford Global Technical Services to Stelliant’s team, which provides loss adjusting services for large, complex claims.
Operating from 140 locations across the French-speaking world, Stelliant provides high-grade claims services to clients for losses occurring throughout the region, including France, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and as far as La Réunion, Tahiti, New Caledonia and the French Antilles. Through Crawford GTS, that service is extended globally to handle losses in any other part of the world affecting those clients.
“Our Stelliant team is able to service more and more multi-national client accounts headquartered in France,” explains Béatrice Grandury, International Director, Stelliant “due to the international reach that we achieve through working with the Crawford team – this adds real value.”
“We know the extent of the adjusting capabilities that we have access to in each country,” she continues, “and have developed a strong working relationship with Crawford that enables us to handle both large and small losses effectively anywhere in the world – we know each other well.”
As Kleinveld explains, having access to what is essentially a network within a network, can be critical when different regional regulatory environments or policy requirements collide.
“Where a loss occurs in another jurisdiction other than that in which the client is headquartered,” he explains,
“it is essential to recognize the potential complexities this creates. For example, with a US-based loss that impacts a French company, you may have a French claims assessor and a broker travelling to the scene to work with the local US adjuster assigned by the insurer. That’s where our international claims adjusting expertise comes to the fore.”
Regular client contact helps cement the working relationship and ensures that it evolves with changing demands and any developments at the company that may alter its insurance program.
“With many of our clients,” Kleinveld points out, “we maintain longstanding relationships that are built upon strong service agreements. That familiarity with the company means that the services we provide can be precisely tailored.”
That understanding also means that in the event of a complex loss the team are primed to respond quickly and effectively.
“From the off, Grandury explains, “you have a full understanding of the specifics of the policy, you know the risk manager and the broker, as well as whether there is a local adjuster or a fronting insurer different from the insurer on the master policy. You know the business of the insured and, depending on the type of loss, you can be much more efficient in how you handle it and understand its potential implications for the client and where the complexities might arise.”
Connecting with customers around the world can be challenging. However, at Crawford, by working with companies such as Stelliant and providing access to the full expanse of our global network through a single gateway, we try to make it as simple as possible.
