UnumProvident Streamlines Claims

In order to better serve its customers and reduce costs, UnumProvident (Portland, ME, $40.3 billion in assets) is adding imaging technology and a workflow solution to its customer care center, which manages the company's short- and long-term disability, life and long-term care claims.

"The changes to our claims system began with a full redesign," says Don Boutin, vice president of support services, customer care center, UnumProvident. "The next phase of our reengineering is to automate the new process."

According to Boutin, the imaging system that was developed in-house will be used to develop files on individual customers. Some of this will be done with scanners. Documents that are faxed to UnumProvident will be routed by reps to the appropriate electronic file, but printing and distribution will be eliminated from this process.

UnumProvident's uses Staffware's (Arlington, TX) workflow solution. "It was a purchased package, but we have to define its process within the system," Boutin says.

"It will allow us to route work to whatever party needs to be involved in a claim," Boutin adds.

With these enhancements, according to Boutin, a 15 percent savings in cost is expected. UnumProvident's imaging system will also save servicing time. "Before the imaging system, a claim would come in a paper form and then we would have to determine who would handle it," explains Boutin. "A claim specialist might have to get up and walk it over to a nurse. Now it will simply be scanned and directed."

UnumProvident's imaging system pilot has been in use for the past six months. Production of the workflow tool will begin late this summer.