Fico Enhances Insurance Claims Processing

Fico, a provider of analytics and decision management technology, announced it is working with Microsoft to integrate Fico and Microsoft technologies into a solution for insurance claims processing.

The company said the solution, available now, allows insurers to process claims on a single decisioning platform from first notification of loss (FNOL) all the way through claims payment, resulting in more prompt and accurate adjustment and processing.

Suited to both auto and general property/casualty claims management, the new offering integrates the Fico Blaze Advisor business rules management system (BRMS) into a platform comprising Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and other components. Blaze Advisor automates decisions at critical junctures in the claims process, including the assignment of the claims manager and field adjuster based on attributes reflected in the claim. It also performs a basic fraud check to detect duplicate claim submissions.

"For insurers, building solutions around the customer is central to improved satisfaction and policy renewal," said Kim Akers, general manager for global partners at Microsoft. "Combining FICO's top BRMS technology with Microsoft's proven platform will enable insurers to become more agile, responsive and efficient for their customers - the keys to their success."

Besides using Fico Blaze Advisor for rules-based decisions, the solution leverages a range of Microsoft technologies, including: Windows Phone for customer FNOL claim submission (via smartphone); SharePoint 2010 and Visio Services for claim intake and photo and police report capture; Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft SharePoint for claims process visualization and submission; Bing Maps for claim location detection; SharePoint 2010 and Microsoft Excel 2010 for claims business intelligence; and Microsoft Dynamics CRM/xRM for processing. Users will be able to choose either on-site or "cloud" deployment.

"Insurers are actively looking for ways to control their operating costs and reduce inefficiencies in the claims process," said Russ Schreiber, vice president for Insurance at Fico. "By supporting the popular Microsoft technologies that many insurers already use, FICO Blaze Advisor eliminates bottlenecks and workarounds, and helps streamline the claims workflow. Both the customer and the carrier win."