How do I guide my clients through an international claim?

Post-pandemic, more of your local clients are doing business globally. And they rely on you for peace of mind — not only for expert advice on their increasingly complex corporate exposures and the right international insurance program to protect their business, but also for guidance when they need to make an international claim.

“Companies today are operating in different legal systems abroad and have to meet more compliance, legal, and regulatory requirements — especially where their insurance is concerned,” says Klaus Navarrete, Managing Director and Chief Agent of HDI Global SE Canada — a leading provider of international insurance programs with over 50 years of expertise in this space.

“It’s therefore critical for brokers to be aware of the challenges, risks, and various regional changes across the world, so they can confidently advise their local clients on the best global solutions to suit their unique situations,” he adds.

Thankfully, HDI provides the necessary global programs, expertise, service, and support brokers need to provide their local clients with peace of mind — from buying global insurance to making a global claim.

With financial strength and stability you can trust and boots on the ground in over 175 countries — supported by HDI’s network of entities and regional hubs — HDI offers over 5,000 international insurance programs globally.

And if the unforeseen happens abroad, HDI will be there to help brokers’ clients when it matters most.

Complex Global Challenges

After all, your clients’ international exposures and the nature of their international claims are both increasingly complex, explains Abtin Foghi, Executive Claim Specialist at HDI.

Foghi outlines several obstacles common to the industry as a whole that can become exacerbated at an international claims level.

“Obtaining comprehensive information during the claim reporting process can be a big challenge. Clients aren’t always aware of their coverage or the details to provide that are necessary to process a claim,” says Foghi. “The complexity of policy wording often makes it challenging for clients to understand and know exactly what’s covered, leading to disputes and, ultimately, dissatisfaction. And, clients don’t always have the required documents to support their claims, which can slow down their claims or even result in the claims being denied.”

When it comes to large multinational companies, coordination issues become challenging, he adds. “Managing claims across various locations can be very complicated. Ensuring efficient communications and coordination is therefore crucial to a smooth claim process.”

This is where “the broker becomes the bridge,” says Foghi. “Your clients will rely heavily on you to give them the right information to enable a more efficient, faster claim process.”

Guiding Clients through an International Claim

According to Foghi, there are two main ways brokers can help their clients overcome the common obstacles on their international claims: educating them and helping them understand the claim reporting process.

“Brokers can educate clients to be more proactive — to ensure they understand their coverage, the potential challenges, and the entire claims process both locally and globally. We also encourage brokers to help clients report claims promptly. Often, we’ve noticed the time differences on international claims becoming a challenge and impacting callbacks, for example,” he says.

“As a leader in international programs, we truly treat this as an ecosystem that brokers and their clients can trust,” says Foghi.

“We have a team of highly skilled professional claims specialists with in-depth knowledge of various lines of business globally,” says Foghi. “Especially in an international setting, we understand the importance of swift claims management. That’s why we streamline our claims management through HDI’s IP-Web platform, which enables both brokers and clients 24/7, real-time access to manage their international programs, including global claims management. In addition, the HDI claims team goes beyond traditional claims support by offering risk mitigation services to help clients minimize any future loss in claims.”

The HDI Claim Advantage:

HDI International Programmes have several benefits for clients:

Fifty years of international experience alongside HDI’s local presence and expertise in local regulations provided through its global network.
Reduced complexity and uncertainty in the claims process. 

Seasoned claims specialists’ technical expertise on complex claims.
Specialist global claims handlers’ knowledge and expertise.
Ability to recommend firms providing specialist professional services in local markets.
Collaboration with global loss adjustors to ensure rapid claims settlement.

Perhaps most important, Foghi credits HDI’s superior claims support to the company’s people and culture.

“When it comes to providing international coverage and helping clients through an international claim, huge collaboration is needed across the globe to create and maintain solutions that ensure the client is served best. And with almost everything being virtual these days, the HDI team has not lost our empathy and genuine care for clients going through a claim,” he says. “It makes all the difference.”