Where all the magic happens!
Just recently I read the article on “Getting the claims process right”. One thing that resonated with me was the satisfaction and client retention rate if the insurer not only asked for feedback but also acted on that feedback in real time. This related to items and communication during the claims process, not sometime long after when the problems had festered and the client had gone to another provider. The client became a promoter 69% of the time if the insurer asked for and acted on feedback as this enabled personalized action in real time. It occurred to me that the insured needs to be provided with every opportunity and advantage to ensure the claims process is as satisfactory as possible, given the nature and most times, stressful circumstances of this business and that all possible stress points need to be removed. With that in mind, I’d like to share this information on what can make that process easier.
The BioSweep? Advantage
Competitive advantage is a key component of every carrier’s service strategy. There are many ways to achieve such an advantage. Cost leadership, speed of service, quality, alliances, differentiation, and innovation are a few examples. Often, a combination of several of these examples results in a winning strategy.
In today’s property claims environment, there is little service differentiation and all insurers offer their policyholders the same service delivered by the same vendors. The only possible improvement is in the quality of the service provided and the resulting customer satisfaction.
Two distinct factors drive service quality: processes and technology. Service process includes speed of response, efficient claims management, quick cycle times, and effective communication. Insurers and their approved vendors normally deliver service processes via software or written instructions. KPIs and scorecards provide the control mechanisms.
Of the two factors, technology offers the greatest opportunity to differentiate. Generally, service technology is delivered through equipment operated by vendors. There is almost no uniformity – and, therefore, no consistency - in the type, quality, age, or condition of the equipment used by contractors. In fact, it makes financial sense for contractors to continue using an item of equipment for as long as possible in order to maximise the ROI. Furthermore, insurers do not objectively track the effectiveness of equipment on every claim (although they do track the circumstances and duration of use). The result is that insurers continue to lose a valuable opportunity to extract value from technology applied to their policyholders’ claims. This is a universal failure in every vendor program operated by insurers.
However, there is one segment of property claims that offer a particularly good opportunity for insurers to achieve savings, speed up cycle times, and give their policyholders a highly desirable benefit: every policyholder is conscious of the effects of lingering odours after any fire or water loss. Policyholders also worry about airborne bacteria and viruses -especially in the case of families. Commercial clients have similar concerns about odours and contamination in work places, products, and stock. Phocatox Technologies offers a unique solution with its BioSweep process.
Using advanced photo catalytic oxidation to eradicate airborne organic contaminants, BioSweep uses a five-stage process that is completely unlike anything offered by standard ozone treatments. It does this without using any chemicals and is, therefore, a completely green technology.
BioSweep’s proprietary process is based on the proven and accepted science of photo catalytic oxidation (PCO). Photo catalytic oxidation is an advanced process by which volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bacteria, mould and fungus are destroyed by incorporating photon and ultraviolet (UV) energy activating a catalyst creating photo catalytic oxidation. BioSweep takes the science to the next level and uses a highly advanced form of PCO to produce simultaneous, interrelated forms of oxidation. The five-stage process combines the following:
1. Germicidal UV radiation
2. Powerful singlet oxygen and oxyradical plasma
3. Concentrated O3 (ozone) and H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide)
4. Photo catalytic production of hydroxyl radicals
5. HEPA filtration
All these stages are generated internally in one portable unit to produce unparalleled decontamination capabilities right on site.
Insurers should not worry about the use of ozone through photo catalytic oxidation as tests have shown conclusively that BioSweep damages nothing and leaves no traces behind because the photo catalytic oxidation process fully oxidizes all compounds created. No other treatment process available in the market does that.
The BioSweep process goes well beyond all current standards of ozone treatment, air filtration, hydroxyl treatments or chemical fogging and is ideal for the following:
a) Smoke odours
b) Protein fires
c) Sewage odours
d) Meth lab clean up
e) Infection control
f) Trauma scene clean up
BioSweep is used by the insurance industry to recover clothing, artwork, electronics, jewellery, furniture, stock, and all kinds of commercial inventory. The key advantage of BioSweep is that the process can be safely used where other technologies cannot. For example, standard ozone treatments produced through corona discharge also generate nitric oxide which, when combined with humidity turns acidic and breaks down many common materials such as leather, fur, cork, plastic, and rubber.
BioSweep produces zero byproducts. There is absolutely no other technology in the world today that produces H202 the way BioSweep does and this feature makes it an incredibly versatile treatment system for any odour, bacteria, virus and fungi eradication. This is why BioSweep’s safety and usability in any type of building makes it a unique tool where complete decontamination is required.
However, BioSweep offers more than the best air and surface decontamination technology – we also provide insurers with a complete end-to-end service that includes claim intake, local service, job tracking, and performance management.
Once an assignment is received, our central control centre takes over the entire process including dealing with the approved contractor. Final billing can be done direct to the insurer or via the approved contractor. In addition, our service comes with a guarantee – if necessary, we will repeat the process without charge and if that doesn’t work, our service is free. It’s that simple.
Here are some actual examples of The BioSweep? Advantage:
Sewer damage: Art gallery in Mississauga, ON The gallery was affected by a sewer backup. A few prints were affected directly as they were on the floor, others were indirectly affected because of odour and bacteria. The principle on the file had received a quotation for $250,000 to pack-out and hand clean all the oil prints. Then BioSweep was called in. In just nine hours, BioSweep rid the entire gallery including the prints of bacteria and odours and returned the property and possessions back to the client. The cost of the BioSweep treatment was $4,200.
Smoke contamination: Sears department store in Chatham, ON The 100,000+ ft2 department store sustained an electrical fire that caused smoke to infiltrate the sub ceiling. Light soot and smoke odour permeated the entire store. BioSweep units ran over a long weekend and four additional nights, deodorizing the store in sections. Ultimately, cleaning above grid was not needed as BioSweep can neutralize very light soot and take care of any threat of air quality issues. Total savings on just the ceiling tile and grid exceeded $500,000. In addition, there was zero inventory loss and over two weeks of business interruption loss was averted.
Often, the savings realized by using BioSweep on business interruption alone exceeds the actual physical damage indemnity.
Smoke contamination: HST Synthetics in Mississauga, ON HST Synthetics, a manufacturer of hot tub covers, sustained a fire in large commercial building that contained a large quantity of vinyl/leather and foam. The restoration contractor did an excellent job of cleaning but couldn’t remove the odour even after running 100 air scrubbers for a month (at an approximate cost of $150,000).
Finally, BioSweep was called in. We ran our equipment over the weekend and the business reopened on Monday. The entire inventory (worth $500,000) was accepted by the insured.
Had BioSweep been called in earlier, we could have saved the insurer over a month of business interruption payout.
Mould clearance: 42 Unit 3-storey apartment complex in High River, AB The building was affected by a major flood. An environmental hygienist deemed the building to be high in mould count. A contractor was hired to remediate the problem and after physical remediation and a failed clearance, they called BioSweep to treat the affected areas.
Three-and-a-half days later the entire building was cleared for occupancy. Tens of thousands of dollars were saved in not having to redo the remediation and in averted ALE.
Skunk odours: residential home. After a dog had been sprayed by a skunk, it was allowed back into the home where it rolled and rubbed the odour on every floor and piece of furniture in the two-storey home. The drapery, clothing, and wall finishes of the home were badly affected. Just the dry-cleaning estimate amounted to $12,000. Then BioSweep was called in and we took care of all finishes, furniture, and clothing for $2,800.
These are a few examples from the 100,000+ jobs that our 60 locations have conducted in North America since we started operations in 2007.
In a recent large-scale undertaking in Fort McMurray, after the forest fire, we handled over 500 jobs over a two-and-a-half month period. Our average invoice was $5,000 – well under the average of $15,000 charged via standard processes. However, the statistic that we’re most proud of is our customer satisfaction rate: 99.98%.
Our typical residential job consists of deploying eight BioSweep units over an eight to nine hour period in a 2,000 ft2 dwelling. The average invoice is $2,500. Our involvement results in less tear out, a quicker claims process, faster resolution, lower ALE, and higher policyholder satisfaction. This is particularly evident in the case of protein fires. These typically take four to six weeks from start to finish and the costs often exceed $30,000 with dry cleaning – possibly higher if the contents require packing out. However, when BioSweep is called in, the time frame can easily be reduced to less than a week and dry cleaning costs can be reduced by 90% -and there is no need to pack out the contents.
The financial benefit, reduced timelines, and disruption to the policyholder’s life are a major opportunity for insurers.
While there is no typical commercial loss, BioSweep offer insurers a huge financial opportunity when it comes to controlling business interruption. Jobs that normally take months are reduced to weeks or even days. Indemnity payouts are very positively impacted by these time savings.
TESTIMONIALS
“Our offices were affected by heavy smoke during the Fort McMurray Wildfires of 2016. Before we were able to reoccupy our building and get our business back up and running we wanted to have the Air Scrubbed to ensure the safety and health of our employees when they returned. BioSweep was able to work with us on extremely short notice and actually performed their work overnight so as not to further hinder the office reopening. The team was extreme respectful, polite and efficient both during setup and takedown of their machines. Upon completion, there was absolutely no lingering smell of smoke. Their technology was able to clean the carpets, walls, dropdown ceiling tiles, cubical walls, chairs and every other soft good item in the building. I would recommend BioSweep to anyone who is looking to purify the air in their building or who is looking to eliminate any lingering odours.”
-Andrew T-Geotechnique Ltd.
“My house smells like the day we walked in. Even better I can't recommend these guys and this company enough!. If u have claims still open and not feeling safe health wise in your homes as we did please call them!”
-Lisa S and John S -Fort McMurray, AB
STEPHENSON TESTIMONIAL 16.04.19
Hi Dale,
Our family experienced a fire event over the holiday season. Thankfully, all of our family and pets were unharmed. However, as a result of the fire, there was a strong residual odor that had been absorbed by the materials in our home (ceiling tiles, carpet, and furniture). Bio Sweep was the absolute correct remedy for this problem. Thank you to the Bio Sweep team, from your first visit to our home to assess the work ahead, the care and concern shown to our personal needs while planning the Bio Sweep process, all the way through the very consistent and thorough contact and follow-through with us to ensure that the process was completed as promised and the results met our expectations. Bio Sweep went above and beyond our expectations – exceptional client service and delivery before, during, and following their work in our home. Our family is so grateful for their support through this emotional period. Without hesitation, we whole-heartedly recommend Bio Sweep!
Cindy Stephenson | Chief Operating Officer, NORSCAN