Insurance Staff Trudge Through Snow To Handle Record Numbers of Calls
Friday, 08 January 2010
Staff at insurance company swiftcover.com trudged through the snow, hired 4x4 vehicles to get to work and even spent the night away from home so they could assist the record number of motorists needing help as car insurance claims soared by almost 75% during this week's snow chaos.
Despite blizzard conditions bringing much of the UK to a halt, swiftcover.com said that 90% of its claims handlers made it to their Kent offices to deal with unprecedented levels of calls. Most employees had to leave their cars at home and instead walked some or all of the way in to work. The company hired four-wheel drive vehicles to collect other workers, while a handful of plucky staff stayed the night at a nearby hotel to ensure they would be on hand for the next days' deluge of calls.
swiftcover.com had predicted that, based on 2009 claims figures, the number of car accidents during the first two days of this week would probably be double the normal daily level. However, as the snow fell, the total number of claims for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were 75% higher than the same period last year.
Robin Reames, swiftcover.com's director of claims, explained: ?Claims during the winter months are usually 21% higher than the rest of the year, and the first working week of the New Year is traditionally a peak as an extra 14.5million* cars hit the rush hour as schools and many people return to work for the first time after Christmas.
"The severity of the snow this week caught many people by surprise and resulted in a lot drivers having accidents and problems with their cars, which in turn meant a record number of people contacting swiftcover.com for help or to make a claim. It is a testament to our staff that so many of them soldiered in and made it to work so they could help other people badly affected by the weather."
Reames said that in addition to swiftcover.com's own staff, the insurer's roadside rescue supplier, Auto Rescue Logistics, had also done an amazing job in rescuing stranded motorists and ensuring they got back home safely.
Claims calls to swiftcover.com during the first December snowfalls before Christmas were already nearly a third higher than the same period the previous year, and with more snow and sub-zero conditions predicted for the rest of the week, the insurer is expecting the high level of calls to continue for a while to come.
* Department for Transport National Travel Survey 2006
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For press enquiries please contact:
Joshua Van Raalte or Paul Beadle
Brazil (PR agency for swiftcover.com)
01865 556 000
swiftcover@agencybrazil.com
About Swiftcover:
Based in Cobham, Surrey and employing over 800 people, www.swiftcover.com started trading in June 2005 and was born out of a desire to revolutionise the general insurance market.
swiftcover.com offers car, travel and pet insurance online, and is Britain's only insurance company without call centres, which means that the cost savings can be passed directly onto the customer and premiums are kept low. In 2008 swiftcover.com featured as the cheapest insurance quote on the comparison website moneysupermarket.com more often than any other insurer.
This powerful operating model combined with successful marketing and competitive pricing has proven to be a tremendous success. In 2008 swiftcover.com achieved over half a million live policies and in May 2009 sold their one millionth policy. They are considered to be the fastest growing insurer in the UK.
In 2007, AXA UK acquired swiftcover.com. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA Insurance UK PLC which forms part of AXA Group.
About AXA:
AXA UK is a part of the AXA Group. AXA is a world leader in financial protection. AXA's operations are diverse with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. AXA employs 120,000 staff and tied agents and, as of June 30 2006, had €1,091 billion in assets under management. AXA reported total IFRS revenues of €72 billion and IFRS underlying earnings of €3,258 million for the full year 2005. Our previous company performance is not a guide to how we may perform in the future.
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