Collaboration &
Hard Work

Finding Opportunities in Difficult Times

Our company has overcome complex challenges for 80 years, and 2020 was no exception. Once the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear last March, we took immediate steps to prioritize the safety of our employees while also supporting the needs of our customers and their communities. We have – and always will – put the health, safety and security of our people first. This approach is grounded in our company’s purpose to restore and enhance lives, businesses and communities.

As we adapted our operations to the realities of a pandemic, we took advantage of this unique inflection point in our company’s history to emerge stronger and more focused than ever. To facilitate safer interactions during the pandemic, we rapidly implemented a range of virtual claims processes to support our field teams. At the same time, in-person interactions between claimants and our team members in the field remained an essential part of the claims process. Across the insurance value chain, COVID-19 social distancing exposed challenges as well as opportunities, and with our team members leading the way, we developed new services and solutions backed by technical expertise to make us a more responsive, reliable partner to our customers. Moving forward, we will maintain this momentum and continue setting new standards of quality, expertise and service that give Crawford a long-term competitive advantage.

I want to make a real difference here at Crawford because it is the first company I have worked for that has made me want to succeed.

Edward Archer,
Repair Advisor, Contractor Connection, U.K. & Ireland

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Taking Care of Our People

At the onset of the pandemic, we immediately took steps to protect our field teams and our customers by procuring personal protection equipment (PPE) and implementing risk assessment protocols needed to conduct on-site visits. Because the surge in demand for PPE quickly depleted stockpiles and overwhelmed the world’s production capacity, we pivoted away from our retail supply chain to work directly with factories in Mexico and China to source and import PPE in order to distribute these essential items across all our geographies.

As a global organization, Crawford was built for these kinds of logistical challenges, and this critical procurement initiative harnessed the power of cross-functional collaboration to avoid price gouging and counterfeit products while ensuring our adjusters and other field personnel were able to continue working safely and responsibly.

These are the times we get to see people’s true colors. It is great to see action instead of just kind words. Kudos to Crawford and their proactive leadership.

Tye Panzone,
Construction Operations Manager, USA

Taking Care of Our Customers

Throughout the pandemic, we consistently adhered to government guidance, followed social distancing protocols and utilized remote technology wherever possible, but in-person visits are an essential part of an adjuster’s role when a major incident strikes. Being in-person allows our adjusters and other claims professionals to deliver on an insurer's promise under the terms of the policy and give greater assistance to policyholders who are often distressed by a catastrophic event. Our claims teams around the world are always on standby, and their commitment during the past year has been remarkably heroic.

While nothing can beat the first-hand experience of physically attending a loss location to survey the site damage and business impact, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote claims handling tools developed by Crawford. Our digital claims processes, together with a strongly collaborative approach from our clients and brokers, enabled us to handle a surge in claims and deliver expert service without disruption.

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A Quick Rollout of Contractor Connection Decontamination Services

To help essential businesses remain open, proper planning was required to reduce the further spread of COVID-19 and create a safe interior environment. To meet this critical need, Crawford's Contractor Connection® – the largest independent managed repair network in the industry – provided a quick rollout of its decontamination program to perform customizable levels of service, including initial preventative decontamination, regular deep cleanings and emergency response following a confirmed exposure. As part of our environmental hazards services, Contractor Connection’s credentialed decontamination professionals offer extensive expertise and are properly equipped to clean and restore sites of any size or complexity in a timely manner.

90%

of Our Employees Working
Remotely Within Two Weeks

One of Crawford’s biggest pandemic-related transformations was our widescale adoption of remote work. In order to keep our people and their families safe, we immediately crafted work-from-home policies to limit the spread of the disease and maintain business continuity. Our technology team had already been planning for a cloud-first future, so when the pandemic struck, we were able to seamlessly shift 90% of our employees to remote work within two weeks. This created a new paradigm that enabled continued access to all necessary applications and services.

To deliver as much collaboration capacity as possible across our organization, we rolled out Microsoft® Teams to our entire global workforce, along with video training courses and robust technical support. Through surveys and constant communication, we have been able to address employee concerns and challenges, quickly resolving user-specific issues to limit downtime and maintain high productivity. In addition, because data security is paramount in our industry, we carefully maintained our rigorous data security protocols in this new work environment.

It has been over a year since COVID-19 first emerged, and it is clear that many of the subsequent changes in the workplace are here to stay. While technology will never fully replace the value of face-to-face interactions, we will continue standardizing our platforms and telephony – building on our strong collaborative foundation that allows people to work from anywhere. As we look ahead, we will continue refining the infrastructure and processes needed to drive growth and unlock the potential of our dedicated employees.

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A Profile in Caring

More than anything, Joe* just wanted to hold his newborn. Suffering from the effects of COVID-19, Joe’s strength and overall health were greatly diminished, and the thought of returning to his work as a security guard, much less providing security and support for his own family, felt out of reach. Frustrated, he felt as though he was not getting what he needed to build himself back up. He knew the longer it took for him to recover, the greater his abilities to earn income for his family would be hampered. This is where Crawford TPA: Broadspire® case manager Lynn Carr-Cowans stepped in to help Joe on his road to recovery.

Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Lynn immediately decided to change the way she would work with Joe. With a prescription from his physician, Joe was placed in a COVID-19 rehabilitation program that Lynn believed would help him recuperate. Check-ins were done virtually, and Lynn joined via phone during Joe’s appointments with his physician, allowing them to continuously work together for a plan of care despite being unable to see each other in person.

Lynn’s resourcefulness and commitment helped her create a different approach, and ultimately, enabled her to succeed in helping Joe recover. Following four weeks of rehabilitation, Joe’s physical state greatly improved, and not long after that, he received clearance to return to work. “I was really happy with the outcome,” Lynn reflected. “I felt great as I was able to help somebody and get them back to where they were before their illness.”

Most importantly, through the help of Lynn, Joe returned to good health in time for a special event in his life – welcoming his newborn into the world. With his strength regained, Joe held his child in his arms, a tender, priceless moment for a father.

*not the injured worker’s real name