Fleet operators are placing an increasing emphasis on how insurers help keep vehicles on the road, as repair times, vehicle availability and claims inflation continue to affect transport businesses
That’s according to new broker research commissioned by Direct Commercial, which suggests claims handling and risk management support now rank ahead of premium, when brokers place commercial motor fleet business.
The polling suggests that almost three-quarters (72%) of brokers describe claims service as “business critical” when selecting commercial motor insurance.
The research also found that the two most common improvements brokers wanted from the market were faster, clearer claims updates and greater flexibility around mid-term adjustments (MTAs).
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Direct Commercial said the findings show that insurance decisions are increasingly being shaped by operational issues as well as price. For fleet operators, the ability to keep vehicles moving can be as important as the premium itself.
Carl Cripps, claims director at Direct Commercial, explained: “In haulage and transport, downtime has a direct financial impact. If a vehicle is off the road, that can affect deliveries, customer relationships and revenue.
“That is why brokers are putting more weight on claims service. Fleet customers need claims to be handled properly, and they need insurers that understand the operational impact when vehicles are not available.”
Direct Commercial has invested in its own in-house claims team to help fleet customers move claims forward more quickly and give brokers greater visibility and confidence in how claims are being managed through our portal.
“We also track settlement rates tightly,” continued Cripps. “That matters because claims performance should be measured, not just promised.
“Brokers want to know that claims are being progressed, outcomes are being monitored and fleet customers are being supported when disruption occurs.”
He added: “Price will always matter, particularly in a challenging economic environment, but brokers are clearly telling us that service delivery and operational support are becoming just as important to fleet managers and operators.
“There is rightly a growing expectation that insurers act as long-term operational partners to fleet customers, not simply policy providers.”
Direct Commercial says the poll shows brokers are giving more weight to claims performance when proposing insurers to commercial motor firms, particularly where fleet customers are under pressure to control costs and minimise downtime.
