Live from Claim University: Behind the Scenes at Travelers’ Flagship Educational Hub

Have you ever wondered what goes into handling an insurance claim? In this webinar, we went on an exclusive tour of Travelers’ 200,000-square-foot Claim University, where the future of claim expertise begins. Here, our Claim professionals receive the skills and training to help our customers when they need us most. As a cultural hub of continuous learning and knowledge-sharing that reaches across the globe, the facility welcomes thousands of Travelers Claim employees annually to gain hands-on experience with property, auto, heavy equipment damage, medical and liability scenarios. We went behind the scenes to explore the immersive learning labs and see how we equip our teams with both deep technical knowledge and the professional skills that help ensure that Travelers customers are served by some of the industry’s best-prepared and most confident Claim professionals. 

Please note: Due to the nature of the replays, survey and chat features mentioned in the webinar recordings below are no longer active.

Summary

What did we learn? Here are the top takeaways from Live from Claim University: Behind the Scenes at Travelers’ Flagship Educational Hub:

Claim University serves as a first stop in the careers of all new Travelers Claim professionals. Claim University, opened in 2007, gives Claim professionals hands-on experience at one of our four immersive learning labs: an auto lab, a property lab, a heavy equipment lab and a medical lab. At this educational hub, Claim professionals can see real-world examples of cars, tractor trailers, construction equipment and buildings that have sustained damage from crashes, fires, storms, theft and other perils. Travelers Claim professionals in our four core lines – auto, property, workers compensation and general liability – attend as part of their new employee training, usually within their first six months. The educational hub also supports advanced training to help Claim employees build skills in handling more complex claims. 

Claim University sets Travelers Claim professionals apart. This learning facility is cutting-edge, is always evolving to stay up to date with new technology and types of claims, and is a foundational part of Travelers’ commitment to having world-class Claim professionals. “What’s special and different about Claim University is that it’s not just a place people come to acquire the knowledge they need to handle claims, but to apply that knowledge,” said Erika Fleig, Vice President of Learning & Effectiveness at Travelers. “Travelers is committed to and proud of having the best claim workforce in the business, and that means that our Claim professionals are knowledgeable,” she added, noting that the robust learning curriculum at Claim University is key to getting them to that level.

Travelers’ flagship educational hub helps Claim professionals build a wide range of expertise from technical to soft skills. Training at Claim University helps Claim professionals understand policies and endorsements and how those apply to different loss scenarios, as well as how to investigate the facts of a loss, evaluate damages, prepare estimates and work with various parties involved in a claim. Technology plays an important role in the claim process, so it’s also a big part of training. “There are overarching skills that are reinforced throughout our training and curriculum, skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, communication and obviously treating our customers with care and empathy,” Fleig said.

Four learning labs give Claim University learners hands-on experience with real losses. The first stop on the lab tour, the heavy equipment and specialty lab, contains commercial vehicles and construction equipment, which have been involved in losses common to commercial customers. Vehicles like these help Claim professionals get hands-on experience and exposure to newer technologies and features, from cruise control to telematics. “Having live props in the lab allows much more than we could do on a flat-screen with images, in terms of understanding how these vehicles are constructed and what needs to happen to potentially bring them back to manufacturer specifications, and show what really is a total loss,” Fleig said.

Claim professionals get an inside view of how many types of vehicles work. With at least 20 makes and models of vehicles that have sustained different types of damage, as well as a variety of custom-made mockups, the auto lab showcases many types of losses and repair techniques. “Our Claim professionals get to peek underneath the hood and get a close look at the engine systems, mechanical systems and electrical systems,” Fleig said. “It’s important to learn how they work, how they can be damaged, what impact that damage has on the performance of the vehicle and, most importantly, what it takes to repair them to manufacturer specifications.”

The Claim University property lab contains two fully functioning freestanding homes, including a simple ranch home and a more complex tri-level home, along with several smaller mockups, where instructors can simulate fire, water damage, wind damage or even theft claims. Travelers also partnered with a local fire department to create real fire-damaged structures. “This allows our Claim professionals to scope and estimate smoke and fire damage,” said Lamelle Williams, Senior Learning Facilitator at Claim University. “They get to make important repair-versus-replace decisions.” The lab also has a flooded house, allowing Claim professionals to practice preparing estimates for water mitigation. In many of these structures, there are cutaways that show layers of materials and underlying systems within the structure. “That allows them, when they’re scoping and estimating damages, to see how things are put together and become really comfortable with these building materials,” he said.

Claim University uses cutting-edge technology for commercial property and injury claim training. The facility contains an example of a commercial building that also serves as a medical lab simulation where Claim professionals can use touch screens, 3D models and real-life simulations to deepen their knowledge around injury-related claims. This technology provides valuable insights into injury causality, treatment plans and damage assessments, empowering Claim professionals to make better-informed decisions in their day-to-day work.

When not deployed in disaster zones, one of four mobile claim offices is on-site at Claim University. These “CAT vans,” used by the Travelers National Catastrophe Response Team to respond to events like the recent wildfires in California or a hurricane on the East Coast, are equipped with satellite technology generators and claim workstations. They are deployed in advance of expected severe weather events. “This gives our insureds the opportunity to get some immediate needs met and get on the road to recovery as quickly as possible,” Fleig said.

Seasoned professionals from a variety of disciplines collaborate to create the Claim University experience. There are about 80 professionals on staff at the Travelers educational hub. “Our instructors come to the table with years of expertise in the industry and handling business insurance and personal insurance claims,” Fleig said. “They couple that experience with an in-depth knowledge about how adults learn in the workplace to bring our programs to life.” The team also includes individuals with expertise in instructional design, teaching and learning technology, learning administration and operations. “It takes all of those disciplines together to continuously develop our programs and create meaningful learning opportunities for our Claim professionals,” she explained.

Speakers

 
Erika Fleig 
Vice President Learning & Effectiveness, Claim, Travelers

Lamelle Williams
Senior Learning Facilitator, Claim University, Travelers

Host

Joan Woodward
President, Travelers Institute; Executive Vice President, Public Policy, Travelers