Empathy Meets Efficiency: How Automation Is Redefining the Claims Experience
Introduction
Today’s insurance carriers can meet rising customer expectations by blending automation and emotional intelligence in claims.
In today’s ultra-competitive insurance landscape, the claims experience has emerged as the make-or-break moment in the policyholder’s journey. While most insurers have embraced digital transformation across various aspects of their business, many are realizing that claims modernization — particularly when driven by automation — is the true frontier for innovation, customer satisfaction, and long-term loyalty.
As discussed in a recent InvoiceCloud and Sapiens webinar, Automation’s Critical Role in Modernizing Claims, featuring Sapiens’ Chris Daniel, Director of Solution Consulting, the path forward is not simply about replacing human decision-making with machines. It’s about strategically leveraging automation, digital tools, and AI to empower claimants, enhance transparency, and preserve the empathy that’s essential in moments of stress and vulnerability.
As Chris noted in the webinar, “The claims process is a defining moment in the insurance journey. This is when the policyholder or the claimant is the most vulnerable. They’re looking for some reassurance. Automation can play a key role in easing the customer experience at that time.”
The New Digital Imperatives for Insurers
Customer expectations in 2025 are shaped by the seamless, omnichannel experiences offered by brands outside the insurance sector, from real-time food delivery tracking to one-click banking transfers. Online self-service portals and the ability to communicate through multiple channels are now mainstream, and customers expect seamless experiences across web, mobile, and even human interaction.
That bar is now being applied to claims, and insurers must rise to meet it. For carriers, that means:
- Investing in cloud-based SaaS platforms for scalability and agility;
- Embracing low-code/no-code tools to rapidly configure digital experiences without heavy IT lift;
- Embedding AI into core workflows like policy, billing, and especially claims; and
- Preserving emotional intelligence throughout the claimant journey.
Why Claims Are Ground Zero for Digital Innovation
Unlike other touchpoints, the claims process carries heightened emotional weight. It’s not just about resolving an issue; it’s about restoring peace of mind by making the claimant whole. That’s why automation here must go beyond efficiency. It must deliver empathy to remove uncertainty and empower the customer to experience clarity and feel in control.
From the first notice of loss to final payment, carriers can use automation to:
- Send immediate acknowledgments;
- Offer real-time updates;
- Allow multi-channel communication; and
- Reduce the burden of repetitive questions like, “Has my check been sent?”
These improvements aren’t just customer facing. They help internal teams as well by streamlining manual processes, reducing operating expenses, and lowering fraud risks. In 2024, mail-theft-related check fraud topped $688 million in just six months alone.
Digital Payments: Small Change, Big Impact
One of the clearest examples of automation improving both CX and operations is in claims payments. For decades, paper checks have caused frustration for everyone involved — from carriers fielding constant calls, to claimants waiting anxiously by the mailbox.
Chris shared that from his experience, the number one question left on a voicemail for adjusters is, “Has my check (or payment) been issued?” The second is, “Where is it?”
Digital disbursement solutions speed up payments, provide transparency, reduce call volumes, and give policyholders the ability to choose how they receive funds: direct-to-debit, ACH, virtual card, and yes, even by a paper check if they prefer.
Chris further noted that, “It’s not one-size-fits-all. Offer choice. Let customers decide how they want to engage. That ensures automation enhances — but doesn’t dictate — the experience. When done right, automation transforms service from reactive to proactive across the entire chain.”
The Final Word
So what’s the advice for carriers navigating the road ahead?
Design digital claims experiences around the human component. Empathy, choice, transparency, and control are what people want. But at the same time, remain cognizant of your entire user base. Different claimants have different preferences. Gen Z might want a virtual card, while their parents still prefer paper checks. Finally, act now. The industry is competitive, and automating the claims payment experience is the first step to modernization.
The claims journey is not just a process — it’s a promise. With the right blend of automation and empathy, insurers can deliver on that promise faster, smarter, and more human than ever before.
For more information on how the InvoiceCloud and Sapiens partnership delivers a streamlined, omnichannel payment experience for all insurers, click here.
