The coronavirus pandemic has seen insurance firm close offices and ask staff to work from home to curb the spread of the virus.
Nairobi-based pan-African underwriter ZEP-RE has urged local insurers to automate their processes to facilitate speedy settlement of claims in the wake of coronavirus pandemic that has derailed office work.
Chief information officer Alexio Manyonde said the pandemic had seen insurance firm close offices and ask staff to work from home to curb the spread of the virus.
This has disrupted the paper-based claims processing system, delaying payments of claims of items like health, motor vehicles and life covers.
“The Covid-19 pandemic era requires that we observe social distancing to deter new infections and that calls for a new way of doing business where technology will play a greater role in the day-to-day operations within companies,” he said.
Mr Manyonde said insurance clients looked forward to speedy settlement of claims, timely updates and a platform to communicate with their underwriter using their hand held smartphones. He added that policyholders expect speedy settlements of claims despite the disruptions by the infectious disease.
Insurers have faced claims of delayed settlements even before the emergence of coronavirus. By last October, the Insurance Regulatory Authority received 2,233 complaints up from 2,126 the previous year mostly over delayed claim settlements.
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