Since Cyclone Debbie first touched down, CommInsure has received over 4,000 claims related to the tropical cyclone and subsequent flood damage.
It is estimated that CommInsure will assist with payments of more than $50 million, helping people rebuild their homes and lives.
The Commonwealth Bank activated its Emergency Assistance Package, which provided accommodation and payments for affected customers, along with waiving fees for customers using other banks’ ATMs to withdraw cash.
One of the advantages associated with CommInsure’s relationship with the CBA Branch Network was being able to have assessors and claims staff able to base themselves at some of the six branches located across the area most impacted by Cyclone Debbie. These representatives were on-site to meet with customers and make appointments on the spot to assess loss and damage.
Having people on the ground in the impacted communities, ready to listen and react to individual circumstances and needs, was a great advantage for CommInsure customers during the Cyclone Debbie crisis.
Case Study: Same-day emergency repairs
One CommInsure customer impacted by Cyclone Debbie was an 80-year-old woman whose roof was destroyed and her electricity cut off.
She contacted her local Bowen branch for help, and they quickly got in touch with CommInsure’s representative, who immediately drove from Mackay to Bowen to assist the customer.
He brought along essential food items, making arrangements for same-day emergency repairs, and to have the electricity restored.
CommInsure innovations tested by Cyclone Debbie
Cyclone Debbie was the first major event to test some of CommInsure’s recently implemented product and service innovations. There has been great feedback on several new services:
- Early warning SMS texts alerted customers to the cyclone as it approached and provided information on how to lodge a claim
- Geo-routing call system enabled CommInsure to prioritise calls from affected areas
- New customer online claim form meant that home claims were lodged quicker and overall claims processing time was reduced
At the time, Helen Troup Managing Director CommInsure said, “Our technology allows us to identify calls coming from the affected areas so customers can be routed directly through to our call centre as a matter of priority.
“We have also texted our general insurance customers in the affected areas, alerting them to our customer care line and fast-track online claim form should they need to make a claim.
“We want to make it as simple as possible for our customers to get back on their feet, and have streamlined our claims approval process to allow immediate approval by the builder while on-site for simple claims.”
Whether it’s making sure customers are protected in the event of an emergency or looking after their day-to-day finances, CBA has demonstrated the ability to meet their holistic financial needs during the Cyclone Debbie crisis.
You can compare CommInsure home and contents insurance on the Canstar website. View our brand page summarising CommInsure home and contents insurance and start comparing now.
View our comparison table below to see a snapshot of the current market offerings from CommInsure products for home and contents insurance, with links direct to the providers website. Please note that this table is sorted by Star Rating, and displays policies’ that cover properties based in North QLD based on home owners aged under 50 years and cost to replace building and contents below $550k.
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