It’s not often insurers see an innovation like a drone. Drones for insurance inspections don’t just make jobs faster and easier, they also let insurers inspect properties in ways they never could before. This helps insurers get more accurate estimates for their customers, ensuring they’re not over or undercharging — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Insurers understand that through improved data collection, analysis, and actionable insights they can better manage their risk and through improved and efficient claims adjudication and claims processing they can reduce operational costs.
Top Ways Drones Are Used for Insurance Inspections
Perform a Quick Roof Inspection
Roof damage is one of the most difficult types of damages to inspect. Climbing onto a roof is only half the battle — you then have to stay on the roof and inspect it thoroughly, all while watching out for your own safety.
With a drone, you can skip the ladder and the handheld camera. Fly the drone and take detailed pictures and videos with it! A good drone pilot can get as close as or far from the roof as they want to capture high-quality footage of all the damage spots they need.
You can also get a photo of the entire roof with a drone. Unless you have access to a helicopter, there’s no other way you’re going to be able to do it. Considering all this, drones are an efficient option for inspecting roof damages.
Property Insurance Inspections
Drones make inspecting large commercial properties easy. Aerial site assessments can identify property features that allow the owner either to seek a reduced risk profile or to take appropriate actions to lower overall risk and justify premium discounts.
Time is crucial in these cases- moving from time-intensive inspection to a quicker process that reduces claim settlement time from days to hours and helps adjusters and underwriters obtain information much faster.
Insurers must remember that drones deliver detailed, consistent and high-resolution imagery that improves the quality of the claims adjudication process. The drones decrease the number of field adjusters needed on site, and shortens inspection time and removes the need to revisit for additional data gathering.
Having preliminary information of commercial properties before a claim is reported, helps to understand the value of the asset after the damage.
Accurate Natural Disaster Inspections
When a catastrophe like a wildfire or hurricane tragically tears through a community, insurers are trusted to assess the damage to properly payout for damaged homes and businesses. Drones make this monumental task much easier.
Natural disasters areas are full of hazards. From debris to chemical spills, water, and even wildlife, there are countless things that can go wrong inspecting a disaster area in-person. Drones let the insurer remain in a safe area during the inspection, minimizing their exposure to hazardous conditions.
With a drone, you can inspect the most deadly areas of catastrophe with no worry. The drones can get very close to the infected area, and still generate comprehensive coverage in a very short time period.
If this is an area well-known for its natural disasters, Insurers can even deploy drones before and after an event to see exactly what the damage is, leading to the most accurate payout possible.
In this instance, drones help insurers get more accurate payouts, and protect peoples’ safety. They award more accurate payouts to those in need, and potentially save insurer’s lives.
The Benefits of Drones for Insurance Inspections
The benefits drones bring to the insurance industry are too numerous to ignore.
To start with, you’re getting better, more accurate data. Drones can take more wide-spanning photos of the highest quality, and can capture images in hard-to-reach places that otherwise would go ignored.
Drones improve the transaction processing. Companies move from hands-on, time-intensive inspection to a quicker process that maintains employee safety, reduces claim settlement time from days to hours and helps adjusters and underwriters obtain information much faster.
Drones also save insurers a lot of money on scaffolding and bringing in additional employees. Scaffolding is built whenever an insurer needs to get to an elevated position, like on a commercial property. Drones can get there without scaffolding, saving money and time erecting and taking down the scaffolding.
Finally, there is a shift from adjusters that are exposed to height to field personnel equipped with drones that remain in a safe area during property inspections, minimizing their exposure to accidents and hazardous conditions but generate comprehensive coverage in a very short time period. Drones can’t get hurt — they’re flying robots– so sending a drone into a potentially dangerous situation is no big deal, especially when someone’s life is on the line.
If you’re an insurer, a drone can be your best partner.
It’s Time to Continue the Drone Momentum for Commercial Insurance Inspections
The insurance vertical is among the industries already deploying and expanding the potential of drones. If you’re an insurer and you’re not using drones for insurance inspections yet, it’s time to join the game. Drones are a quantum leap in inspection technology, allowing you to capture images of properties you never could access before. If you want to ensure the most accurate assessments and secure your revenues, drones are the only way to go.
If you’re ready to revolutionize your business with drones, contact vHive today.