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Press/Analyst Contacts
ServiceMaster Clean and First Notice Systems
Link Up to Mitigate Water Damage Claims
Immediate dispatch of restoration specialists
helps contain damage and lowers homeowners' repair costs
Boston, MA & Downers Grove, IL —
August 3, 2004 — First Notice Systems®,
Inc., the leader in claim-reporting solutions for the insurance
industry, and ServiceMaster Clean, the nation’s leading
home cleaning and insurance industry restoration expert and
a division of the ServiceMaster Company (NYSE: SVM), today
announced a new alliance that lets homeowners insurance carriers
immediately act on time-sensitive water damage claims. By
offering insurance claimants the option to use ServiceMaster
Clean’s national network of restoration professionals
when a claim is first reported, this joint service improves
customer satisfaction and reduces insurers’ exposure
to costly losses.
“We’re very pleased with the results of connecting
ServiceMaster Clean to the claim reporting service we have
with First Notice Systems,” said Gale Harder, Assistant
Vice President of Claims at General Casualty Insurance Companies.
“Being able to immediately enlist a restoration specialist
for any type of water loss means that we have a chance to
contain damage before it gets worse. This service is very
convenient for our policyholders who are looking for a restoration
solution that’s available on short notice.”
Insurance carriers that utilize First Notice Systems’
outsourced claim-reporting services or its claim reporting
software – ClaimCapture™– can easily leverage
this combined service. Insurers determine up-front the conditions
under which ServiceMaster Clean restoration specialists are
offered to callers. For example, carriers often choose to
extend this option only to policyholders with a certain type
of coverage, loss type or loss severity. Once a caller is
deemed eligible – a process that’s automated by
First Notice’s claim reporting application – the
customer service representative explains the program to the
claimant using carrier-specific scripting. If the caller expresses
interest in ServiceMaster Clean, the claim information is
instantly transmitted to one of ServiceMaster Clean’s
Quality Restoration Vendor businesses, which calls back the
insured within one hour to schedule an appointment at the
damage site. The restoration specialist then arrives on site
within four hours to stop water damage in its tracks.
“By triggering our emergency restoration services during
First Notice’s claim reporting process, we can get to
the loss site sooner and maximize the impact of our restoration
services,” commented Jeff Coulter, Vice President of
Disaster Restoration at ServiceMaster Clean. “Water
is a moving fluid. It seeks equilibrium. The longer it’s
left untouched, the more damage it causes a homeowner.”
In fact, ServiceMaster Clean, working with the Boston Consulting
Group, found that 85% of damaged flooring is saved when homeowners’
claims are referred to them within two days of the loss date.
“Many of our clients are familiar with ServiceMaster
Clean and have relied on them at the local level,” said
Will Fulton, President, First Notice Systems. “With
our new joint solution, their restoration specialists can
be even more effective because they’re dispatched earlier
in the claims process.”
About ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster currently provides outsourcing services for
more than 10.5 million residential and commercial customers.
As America's Service Brands for Home and Business, the core
service capabilities of the Company include lawn care and
landscape maintenance, termite and pest control, plumbing,
heating and air conditioning services, cleaning, furniture
repair and home warranty.
These services are provided through a network of over 5,400
company-owned and franchised service centers and business
units operating under leading brands which include Terminix,
TruGreen ChemLawn, TruGreen LandCare, American Residential
Services, Rescue Rooter, American Mechanical Services, ServiceMaster
Clean, American Home Shield, AmeriSpec, Merry Maids and Furniture
Medic.
About First Notice Systems, Inc.
Founded in 1993, First Notice Systems® is a premier provider
of claim reporting and customer service solutions to the insurance
and healthcare industries. With over 90 national clients now
utilizing First Notice Systems’ claim reporting services
and software products, First Notice successfully connects
insurance carriers, third-party administrators and healthcare
organizations with their customers through a combination of
call center outsourcing services and rules-based Web technology.
With headquarters in Boston, MA, First Notice Systems, Inc.
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Concentra Inc.
About Concentra Inc.
Concentra Inc.® is the comprehensive outsourcing solution
for containing healthcare and disability costs. Serving the
occupational, auto and group healthcare markets, Concentra
provides employers, insurers and payors with a variety of
integrated healthcare services. These services include employment-related
injury and occupational healthcare, in-network and out-of-network
medical claims review and re-pricing, access to specialized
preferred provider organizations, first notice of loss services,
case management and other cost containment services. Concentra
and First Notice Systems are registered trademarks of Concentra
Operating Corporation. All rights reserved. www.concentra.com |
