Automating claims processes in the Lloyd’s and London Market
The Lloyd’s and London insurance market is inherently complex. With its subscription-based model, layered policies, and multi-jurisdictional exposures, this market presents a uniquely challenging environment for claims professionals.
Claims people with the skills and experience to negotiate that environment are neither plentiful nor inexpensive to retain. That’s why claims automation isn’t just a nice-to-have for London Market (re)insurers. It’s a strategic necessity.
At DOCOsoft, we’ve spent more than 15 years helping P&C (re)insurance carriers move from spreadsheets to purpose-designed claims management systems, from working with inboxes to custom dashboards, and from manual hand-offs to automated processes. The constant thread in all that work has been taking the pressure off skilled claims people, so they can focus on the tasks that add real value and that generate the greatest job satisfaction.
Automation creates new possibilities
For all the talk about automation we’ve been hearing in the past few years, the sobering reality is that many London Market carriers are still in the very early stages of their automation journey. For some, just getting claims-related emails out of Outlook and into a structured system represents a major step forward.
That’s why it’s so important that all of us in London – carriers, brokers, market bodies and suppliers of every kind – recognise that no two carriers are at exactly the same stage in their tech journey. There are still organisations out there who are tracking claims in Excel and whose processes revolve around individual claims adjusters’ inboxes. Rather than wringing our collective hands at this state of affairs, we should celebrate what it tells us about the huge opportunity automation provides us all with.
DOCOsoft has been automating claims management basics like case allocation, document tagging and structured workflows for many years. We know, from experience, what a huge difference even things as straightforward as live dashboards, automated notifications, or getting emails attached to the correct claim file can have on a claims team’s capacity and confidence.
Connecting the market
The London Market is massively interconnected, and any automation project needs to take account of this. All of the systems we deliver for our clients are fully integrated into core London Market infrastructure. We support and automate interactions with the IMR, Writeback, SCM, and platforms like PAS and GEMINI, to name just a very small selection. All this integration work ensures that data moves efficiently across the market, claims get processed without duplication and reporting stays timely and compliant.
Currently around half of all claims messages in the Lloyd’s market go through a DOCOsoft system. Of the carriers using our platform, roughly 25% already have advanced automation solutions in place or are actively working towards them. And that proportion is growing steadily. We’re now seeing clients turn to us for the next phase: intelligent, configurable, often AI-enabled automation that works with their business logic, not against it.
Straight-through processing
There’s a huge amount of automation that’s already built into the DOCOsoft claims management system. But we also offer stand-alone solutions designed to respond to particular needs or opportunities our clients encounter in this market. Of all the automation solutions we offer, straight-through processing (STP) is the one that’s currently attracting the most interest.
STP offers a practical, highly configurable, solution for carriers looking to fast-track the handling of low-risk, uncontentious claims. It enables claims teams to set parameters for what should be handled automatically, based on value, complexity, and a range of other customised metrics defined by the user.
Some of the most recognisable names in the Lloyd’s and London Market are already using DOCOsoft’s STP solution. The first of these, who went live more than a year ago, has already pushed thousands of claims through its STP setup. These aren’t theoretical proofs of concept. These are real-world automation pipelines delivering measurable results. By identifying straightforward claims early and automatically processing, agreeing and even settling them, carriers are using DOCOsoft technology to cut processing times and reduce operational drag.
Benefitting from our STP technology doesn’t even necessitate using AI, although it can be AI enhanced. Using a carrier-controlled set of rules defining what can flow through the system without manual review and what needs to be escalated, it provides a fast, safe, readily deployable solution that’s already delivering significant value for early adopters.
Harnessing the power of AI
There’s a lot of hype around AI, particularly in the world of insurance. But, let’s be clear, in the Lloyd’s and London Market, AI isn’t about paying or not paying complex specialty claims. Nor should it be. This just isn’t that kind of market. The judgment required to make decisions about something as high-value and nuanced as a fire at a power plant, a collision between ocean-going vessels, or a catastrophe cyber loss can’t simply be outsourced to algorithms.
What AI can do, and what it’s already doing for our clients, is augmenting the claims handler’s work in ways that are tangible, practical, and safe.
For example, our AI solutions help teams:
- Ingest and summarise large volumes of documentation, cutting review times, and reducing re-keying errors
- Extract structured data from unstructured sources like emails and PDFs
- Cross-reference claims for similarities, making it easier to spot trends and shape strategy
- Flag claims with indicators of potential issues like litigation, regulatory complaints, or unexpected transaction values, before they start causing problems.
None of this is about replacing skilled claims professionals. It’s about equipping them with superpowers, so they can spend less time digging through attachments and more applying their expertise where it really counts.
Where to start
There’s no single roadmap for automation, because every organisation is starting from a different place. What’s important is to get started and then to maintain momentum.
If you’re still using Outlook and Excel, your first step is to adopt a fit-for-purpose CMS. If you already have a CMS, look closely at what it can do. Some basic automations may already be possible. Engage with your provider, and they’ll be able to work with you to explore and leverage the system’s existing capabilities.
Look at where your biggest blockers and bottlenecks current lie. Are your claims handlers spending time on low-value-add tasks that could easily be automated? Are process holdups getting in the way of simple decisions getting made? Think about where rule-based workflows could help. Then consider where AI could play a role in getting better decisions made faster.
Above all, work with a partner you can trust. The best results come from collaboration – not from settling for off-the-shelf software. It’s important to work with a provider with a full and deep understanding of the market you operate in, one who can help you expand your automation footprint over time.
What’s next
Automation is happening now, and it’s increasingly a key differentiator for (re)insurance claims teams in the London market. The carriers who adopt it intelligently and purposefully – and who build in flexibility for future scale – will improve their operational efficiency, data-driven insight, and competitive position in the market.
Here at DOCOsoft, we’re committed to making sure our clients are the ones who benefit first. That means working closely with them to identify where automation offers the greatest benefits, where AI adds value, and where we can continue pushing forward, one workflow, one decision point, one dashboard at a time.