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Why Insurers Can't Wait for Digital-First Payments

Highlights

  • 35% revenue growth, 10% profit boost: Benefits of high-performing IT.
  • $6 to $8 per check: Cost of processing paper checks.
  • 60% to 80% fewer checks: Reduction achieved with One Inc’s digital payments
  • 78% digital adoption: Vendor payments digitized by a multi-line insurer
  • 96% of claimants choose faster digital payments

Is legacy technology holding your business back? For insurers, outdated claims and billing processes don’t just increase operational costs, they undermine customer satisfaction and risk competitive relevance. That’s why digital transformation is no longer optional. It’s a necessity for survival in today’s fast-evolving insurance ecosystem.

Organizations that invest in digital transformation are already reaping the rewards. According to McKinsey, enterprises with high-performing IT organizations enjoy up to 35% higher revenue growth and 10% higher profit margins.1

For insurance leaders, the message is clear: it's time to adapt. By integrating modern digital insurance payment platforms with insurance core systems, insurers can transform claims and billing operations. This approach delivers faster, more secure, digital-first experiences and processes that reduce costs and enhance customer satisfaction. Together, digital-first insurance workflows transform claims and billing operations, delivering faster, more secure, digital-first experiences and processes that reduce costs and elevate customer satisfaction.

The Burden of Legacy Systems

Insurers have long relied on legacy systems, which are quickly becoming inadequate to meeting modern demands for flexibility, efficiency, and transparency. These outdated processes come with significant drawbacks:

  • Delayed payments: Manual and paper-based processes slow revenue recognition and claims settlement, plus delays in claims payouts create friction in the customer experience.
  • High administrative costs: Manual and legacy workflows inflate operational expenditures. Insurers burdened by legacy systems and processes face inefficiencies every step of the way, from check processing to reconciliation.
  • Limited scalability: Legacy platforms struggle to adapt to the needs of growing businesses, and product development and geographic expansion become uphill battles.
  • Customer frustration: Delayed, lost, or stolen checks erode trust, leading to increased customer churn and negative word-of-mouth.

The Solution Lies in Digital Transformation

By consolidating payment processes into a single platform, insurers can eliminate inefficiencies. This approach enables faster claims payments, supports self-service options, and offers flexibility for policyholders to choose their preferred payment methods.

This combination of purpose-built insurance functionality not only reduces operational costs but also reinforces trust between insurers and their customers.

Why Digital Payments Are Crucial to Innovation

Operational Efficiency that Cuts Costs

Processing traditional paper checks can cost insurers $6 to $8 per check, according to Bank of America,2 and administrative expenses are even higher when factoring in hidden costs like fraud, escheatment, and dispute resolution.

By adopting digital-first payment systems, insurers can significantly reduce these legacy costs, often replacing 60% to 80% of outbound checks with digital alternatives.

Self-service functionality, along with automated payments and reminders, offers distinct advantages to both insureds and insurers, streamlining legacy processes and reducing call center volumes.

Benefits for Insureds

  • Convenience and time savings: Mobile and text payment options allow policyholders to transact anytime, anywhere.
  • Reduced risk of missed payments: Integration with ACH, debit/credit cards, and digital wallets facilitates frictionless experiences and reduces the risk of unintentional coverage lapses.
  • Improved cash flow management: Automation, saved-payment and communications preferences support timely transactions, help them budget better, and manage their finances.
  • Enhanced experience: Seamless digital processes, combined with clear communication and transparency, elevate customer experience, satisfaction, and trust in their insurer.

Benefits for Insurers

  • Operational efficiency: Automation reduces manual workloads, lowers administrative costs, and minimizes errors associated with paper-based processing.
  • Improved cash flow: Consistent, timely payments mean more predictable revenue and fewer late or missed payments.
  • Stronger customer retention: Proactive reminders and frictionless payments reduce churn and support long-term relationships.
  • Lower total cost of payments: Processing and delivering paper checks is expensive and slow compared to digital options.

Benefits for Your Vendors

Carriers managing payouts to contractors, repair shops, and other vendors often contend with thousands of paper checks annually. By leveraging an extensive vendor network, insurers can digitize up to 80% of outbound payments, eliminating waste and reducing processing times.

  • Faster Payment Processing: Vendors receive digital payments more promptly through digital channels, resulting in better service for the insured (body shops won’t order parts until they are paid, for example).
  • Reduced Administrative Burden: Digital payments minimize paperwork, reconciliation time, and manual follow-ups.
  • Enhanced Transparency: Real-time payment notifications and status updates keep vendors informed and confident in their cash flow.
  • Improved Security: Digital payments reduce the risk of lost, stolen, or fraudulent checks.

Ultimately, digital insurance payments foster a smoother, more reliable insurance experience across the insurance ecosystem. They help insureds maintain uninterrupted coverage with ease and enable insurers to operate more efficiently, build customer loyalty, and safeguard their bottom line.

Real-World Win: A multi-line insurer partnered with One Inc to digitize vendor payments, achieving 78% digital adoption, plus 96% of policyholders and claimants now select faster digital payments.3

"Want to hear more real-world insights? Drago Dzerve, One Inc’s SVP of business development, recently joined Chris Bennett, Origami Risk’s Chief of Strategy, Core Solutions, to discuss how digital payments are revolutionizing claims and billing processes. Watch the webinar here to learn actionable strategies for driving efficiency and customer satisfaction."

One Inc and Origami Risk: The Competitive Advantage

Combining One Inc’s payment capabilities with Origami Risk’s robust core platform goes beyond innovation. Technology partnerships like this offer insurers a true competitive edge in delivering operational excellence.

Seamless System Preintegration

One Inc’s client-proven integration with Origami Risk allows for rapid deployment while minimizing implementation risk. This reduces the disruption often associated with modern technology adoption, enabling insurers to:

  • Achieve go-live faster
  • Simplify workflows into a single, cohesive platform
  • Centralize reconciliation and gain real-time visibility into payment transactions
  • Substantially decrease total cost of payments and ownership

Customizable Workflows with Multichannel Engagement

The key to One Inc’s appeal is its adaptability. Insurers can configure insurance workflows tailored to their operational needs while engaging policyholders via email, text messages, mobile apps, and whatever comes next, so you can meet customers wherever they go.

Delivering More

Are you ready to modernize your payment offerings to do more for your customers? One Inc provides a cloud-based, scalable payment platform that enables innovation and growth.

By leveraging our next-gen technology and ecosystem partnerships, we orchestrate a simplified, seamless, and elegant customer payment experience. With One Inc by your side, continually adding value, cloud-based digital payment success is achievable. Learn more.

 

Sources

  1. McKinsey - https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/how-high-performers-optimize-it-productivity-for-revenue-growth-a-leaders-guide
  2. Bank of America - https://business.bofa.com/content/dam/flagship/global-transaction-services/digital-transformation-solutions-going-beyond-paper/beyond_paper_b2c_payments.pdf
  3. One Inc Client Success Story - https://www.oneinc.com/resources/success-stories/west-bend-insurance-company-success-story

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