Admiral Canada’s FNOL (First Notice of Loss) team is a crucial part of our claims process. As the first point of contact for our UK customers, they record details related to both minor and severe accidents while setting expectations of what’s to come, all while offering exemplary customer service. As Canada Claims celebrates its first year of operation, we chatted to some of FNOL’s frontline service representatives to get a better sense of their role and responsibilities.

 

Q. Describe the FNOL role for me.  

A. “We mostly take incoming calls from our customers who have been involved in some sort of incident. We get their claims set up for them and instruct services that they may need at the time, such as having their vehicles recovered from the side of the road. We do make outbound calls as well, usually to finish setting up claims that customers were unable to complete during their call to us or claims that they started filling out online.” – Natasha Gollop, FNOL Agent

A. “It could be from customers who are side of road and need recovery, or a fender bender with some light damages from a week ago. We record damages and other details to get the claim process started for the customer and provide information on what to expect.” – Drake Gray, FNOL Agent

A. “We ask probing questions to ensure we make the right decision, assign services like salvage and recovery, send appropriate documents and sometimes follow up with a customer or claim. We explain the process to customer and next steps, helping the claims journey be as smooth as possible, while giving caring and friendly service.” – Tammy Marriott, FNOL Agent

 

Q. What interested you in pursuing a position with FNOL?

A. “The FNOL position interested me as it was all about helping people at a time of need, and seemed like it would involve a lot of thinking on your feet and problem solving, which are things I particularly enjoy.” – Eric Boutilier-Brown, FNOL Agent

A. “I was looking for a change from my old job and saw a posting for an FNOL Handler position with Admiral. After speaking with some friends and colleagues, I was super excited to apply as everyone I spoke with had such great things to say about the company. I felt like it was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass on.” – Emily Hutton, FNOL Agent

A. “The thing that interested me in applying was the fact that it was more customer service based. I get to help customers and really make an impact on their claims experience. They are calling in to report a claim and are upset and in need of help. I like the fact that I can help them out and make the experience as easy as possible.” – Tammy Marriott, FNOL Agent

 

Q. What has made the position enjoyable so far?

A. “Every call is different; you never know what it will be about. You get to help the customer when something terrible has just happened to them or their family and you get to make their bad day just a little bit better. We are helping the customers when they need us the most, [and] this is, after all, why they took insurance with us.”– Colleen Boyd, FNOL Agent

A. “MY TEAM! I adore my team. They are such a supportive group of individuals that I know I can rely on to help me in a pinch, to laugh with me (or to cry with me!), and who always celebrate my successes. I love my team!” – Amy Elliott, FNOL Agent

A. “My favourite part has been getting to work more with/getting to know our UK coworkers. Our trainer was UK based and we work along side the evening UK team a lot. And I’m sure its no surprise, that they are all lovely and we really enjoy working with them.” – Natasha Gollop, FNOL Agent

 

Q. What’s the most challenging part of your job?

A. Dealing with incidents where someone has been seriously injured. It’s not a frequent occurrence, but it does pull at the heart strings on the rare occasions it occurs. – Emily Hutton, FNOL Agent

A. There are difficult calls or may be an instance where I am unsure of how to best handle the situation, but there are plenty of supports throughout our team and other colleagues! – Drake Gray, FNOL Agent

A. The biggest challenge is keeping in mind all the exceptions; the basic process is straight forward, but in almost every element, there are exceptions to the rules, and the sheer volume of these can be difficult to keep in mind at all times. – Eric Boutilier Brown, FNOL Agent

 

Q. What necessary skills do you think someone needs to succeed in FNOL?

A. Great customer service, being caring, and having patience is a must. Attention to detail is also a must to ensure things are done properly.  You need to be good at asking probing questions to pull more details from the customers and good at explaining steps and expectations to the customer to ensure they know what to expect. – Tammy Marriott, FNOL Agent

A. Empathy, patience, listening skills, caring, customer focused, calm, respectful (not in that order!) – Colleen Boyd, FNOL Agent

A. EMPATHY. Empathy first and foremost. You will be speaking with folks who may be in shock or distressed, which can lead to them presenting as rude, irritable, or even outright angry. You must remember that your job is to remain calm and helpful, and that the customer has been through something difficult and that you as a handler cannot take this personally. – Amy Elliott, FNOL Agent