Just trying to move from a document-based way of doing business to new, streamlined technology platforms was seen as a leap forward for an industry that has long done things the “traditional” way.
But that was yesterday’s news. Today, the use of advanced forms of technology is becoming commonplace for adjusters, underwriters and agents of businesses of all sizes for their daily tasks in the workplace.
The ability to adapt to the changing needs of the insurance industry and the growing demands of a customer base that expects a seamless and efficient digital insurance experience requires many insurers to provide state-of-the-art technology to conduct their business.
One such technological advancement is the use of modern and advanced drones in different private and public sectors, including the field of insurance, for multiple purposes. This emerging technology is the centerpiece of a recent white paper prepared by Adorama’s Business Solutions team titled Insurance & Drones: What you need to know to capitalize on new technologies.
Flying beyond fears of drone technology
As with most new and emerging technologies, there is often tangible fear and misunderstanding surrounding the use of drones that can linger with the public.
To truly capitalize on the benefits advanced drone technology offers businesses and consumers, misconceptions must be eliminated and knowledge of drone capabilities must flourish.
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CJ Smith, Category Manager, Drones with Adorama Business Solutions
“Drones just put high-performance cameras in really hard-to-reach places,” suggested CJ Smith (pictured above), category manager, drones, with Adorama’s Business Solutions team.
“Drones can have, depending on who you talk to, some [negative] connotations – like people may think they are being spied on and there is something sinister when they think of buzzing drones,” he added.
The answer, for Smith, lies in engaging in an open dialogue and dispelling myths when educating insurance professionals, consumers, and various private and public companies about the role drones play.
“A flying object unknown to some people can cause nervousness and uncertainty,” Smith explained.
In the Adorama white paper, the topic of transparency is also paramount.
“Creating transparency and letting people know what you’re doing with drones just dispels one of those unknowns,” Smith said.
Reach drone cruising altitude with belays
The various applications of drone technology targeted by the insurance industry are described in the white paper, ranging from roof and boiler inspections, claims inspections, pre-loss mapping, to integration with artificial intelligence (AI).
James Bushey, Director of Technical Specialists at Adorama Business Solutions
“You can leverage a robot to do the work for you, where you don’t have to put anyone at risk, and it can be as simple as climbing a ladder to look up at the top of a roof. to see where the damage is,” explained James Bushey (pictured above), Director of Technical Specialists for Adorama’s Business Solutions team.
Providing concrete examples also helped to summarize the main points highlighted in the white paper.
“After Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area, there was massive flooding. Instead of going to one house at a time and having [insurance] experts are going rooftop to rooftop, a drone will allow you to map the whole area and see where the large-scale flooding is,” Bushey described.
“We’re creating a 3D map that’s really a [series of] high-resolution photos to look at the different affected areas,” he explained.
Both Bushey and Smith point out in the whitepaper that in addition to being able to provide aerial insurance inspections of assets and infrastructure, insurers can leverage drone technology to assist with claims and provide key information to underwriters. when assessing the damage.
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With the increasing severity of climatic events, the work of insurance professionals is becoming increasingly difficult and complicated.
With the application of drone technology, the white paper shows that drones have made inspecting property damage less dangerous. Adjusters are now able to obtain data from harder-to-reach storm-affected areas, staying out of the aftermath of the storm.
The future flight path of drones
Insurance companies are increasingly using drone technology to their advantage as we emerge from the pandemic and look to the years ahead.
Not only is the insurance industry aware of the positive impact drone technology is having on business, but the technology is also at a point where it is mainstream for many insurers.
This trend is set to continue.
“Technology is improving by leaps and bounds every year,” Smith said.
“It’s really exciting. I think we’ll see a lot more of this technology being used, especially when you put humans at risk, like when insurance companies do roof inspections.
Bushey totally agrees with his colleague.
“The technology is more and more efficient and much safer. There will be a drone that will be there to help people do their jobs more efficiently,” Bushey said.
“This will be the norm in the future. We’ll start to look back and say, “I can’t believe we’ve had people doing this work before,” Smith concluded.
Read the whitepaper now.
James Bushey, the director of technical specialists at Adorama, has a long history in law enforcement. He has served as a police officer with the Linn, Wisconsin, City Police Department since 2006, and served as Chief of Police from 2016 to 2021.
CJ Smith is a digital marketer and content producer, specializing in live events and entertainment, drones and UAS. Smith has extensive experience in digital marketing strategy and execution, content creation, strategy and distribution, email marketing, social media marketing, live events, and more.
Insurance Business America’s Karen Surca sat down with CJ Smith, category manager, drones, at Adorama Business Solutions, and James Bushey, director of technical specialists at Adorama Business Solutions, to discuss the often feared and misunderstood area of drone technology and its effectiveness. impacting the insurance industry.
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