SGI introduces new position to improve communication between the company and the auto repair industry
BY MADDY KYLIE
Over the past year, repair shop partners have shared concerns with some of SGI’s processes, including not always having the ability to receive timely responses from them. In response, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) introduced a new position— claims industry partner representative—to improve communication between SGI and the auto repair industry.
“You’ve asked for solutions and we listened,” said SGI.
The intent of this new position is to provide an additional point of contact to help customers navigate through challenging claims situations and respond to your inquiries when the claims employee on file is unable to provide a solution. The insurer’s goal is to enhance the communication between SGI and the auto repair industry, creating a more positive experience for shops and its mutual customers.
Karen Klein is the new claims industry partner representative. Klein comes from the Swift Current Auto Claims office and brings several years of experience from various auto claims roles. Her former experience as a road run adjuster has also made her familiar with appraisal functions.
For the last ten years, she’s been a senior adjuster (Adjuster 3) at Swift Current Claims. Klein will begin her new role on Monday, May 3, 2021.
At first, SGI will be introducing this in phases and starting with a small number of shops to determine what works best for shops and SGI. Then SGI will begin rolling it out gradually to all shops in alphabetical order.
SGI has already in touch with a few shops for the first phase, so there aren’t any changes for shops right now. However, SGI has been receiving and reviewing shops’ concerns, and are working on improving business relations with shops across Saskatchewan. SGI will contact shops when it’s ready to phase it in.
Shops should continue to seek information or guidance from the current claims employee who is assigned to a particular file. However, the new claims industry partner representative will be available to you to provide an avenue to resolve your complex questions and inquiries, obtain claims guidance and resources for your shop operations and collect and oversee your suggestions on how to improve our working partnership on a larger scale.
Klein will work closely with SGI’s Shop Relations Representatives in the Technical Research Services department to respond to or triage your inquiries to the applicable person. Their collaboration will ensure industry issues are dispatched and dealt with in a timely and appropriate manner.
The position will also have a heightened focus on data collection, says Sean LeBlanc, SGI’s senior director of Corporate Claims Improvements and Strategic Partnerships. “We wanted to take this opportunity to get someone focused on these issues and start documenting them and collecting data. So, we can determine if we have root causes of problems that we need to address. Or if there are underlying issues that can be solved through a change in workflow or training. That is one of the goals of this position, is to gain and collect that data.” The overall goal of this new position is to strengthen SGI’s relationship with its “high value partners.”
