Dashboards – The Latest Buzzword or Helpful Tool?

When claims personnel shop for a new Claims system, they will often inquire about a Dashboard function. Is this because it is the latest buzzword or can it be a useful productivity tool? Business Intelligence Systems (BIS) involve both Integration and Visualization. Presentation of data in a dashboard format provides a graphic visualization of information that can be more easily absorbed by the end user. Thus, a BIS Dashboard performs a similar function as a car’s dashboard: it reports a large volume of data graphically, so decisions can be more quickly responded to. Some business pundits dismiss the need for dashboards and may view them as simply “eye candy” for executives and managers. This would suggest it is more of a fad being promoted by vendors to make their products more competitive by appealing to the decision makers in the organization that may not even be end users themselves.

However, a well designed and implemented Dashboard can enhance the system’s overall effectiveness and ease of use by presentation of complex relationships and performance metrics in a format that is easy to interpret. It would serve to significantly shorten the learning curve and therefore increase effectiveness. When metrics are presented in a graphical format, trends become more apparent.

Dashboards can meet the needs of both claims handlers and management alike. The Dashboard can provide a simple business view where management personnel can configure their Dashboard to look at certain trends in the data and be able to drill down to view the supporting detail data for that exposure. Thus, it becomes a decision accelerator that can even unite data from different core areas. Administrators can then in turn offer a client access to a dashboard to view their data. The dashboard could be configured to restrict access to only those areas selected by the claims administrators, yet offer flexibility in the configuration of the dashboard display and the level to which they can expose more detailed data. Risk and Claims organizations can use this technology to make more effective decisions with regard to risk, safety, and operational issues.

Management and supervisory personnel can use Dashboard information to compare workloads and effectiveness of their staff by monitoring Dashboard metrics. It provides real time analysis of critical performance measures in accordance with organizational goals.

Claims handlers, on the other hand, would be focused at the claim level and want to be reminded of time critical tasks (such as diary) and would be able to view their caseload at a glance. A well-designed dashboard utility would provide the ability to drill down to access actual items that are in need of their attention. Thus a properly deployed Dashboard can provide a multi-dimensional perspective of key performance metrics to monitor and evaluate staff performance, which translates into overall claim handling efficiency, containment and adjustment of loss and expense costs, and improvement of claims administration.

In the final analysis, it appears as though use of effective Dashboard functions can enhance the overall claims experience for executives, clients, management, supervisors, and actual claims handlers alike. The bottom line is improved customer satisfaction.

JDi Data Corporation has provided insurance claims software since 1992. JDi Data offers web based workers compensation software and also claims systems to administer property, casualty and general liability claims. JDi Data has built a reputation in quality claims management software with special emphasis on specialty lines and complex litigation.

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