Claims Business: Crawford & Co., Auto Techcelerators, Roost

Crawford & Co. has expanded its partnership with technology company Hover to include the 45,000 independent contractors who belong to its WeGoLook network.

The Atlanta-based claims management company in 2020 announced a partnership that gave its in-house and independent claims adjusters access to Hover, which gives precise measurements to structures through the use of photographs taken by smart phones.

The expansion gives the 45,000 independent contractors who are part of its WeGoLook network — who make initial inspections of damaged property — access to the technology, the company said in a press release.

“This groundbreaking technology allows for a seamless process for our Lookers across the nation and will enable our adjusting teams to accurately triage, estimate and settle claims as quickly as possible,” said WeGoLook President Meredith Brogan.

Crawford said Hover transforms smartphone photos into a complete property data package, including an interactive 3D model with accurate roof and elevation measurements. The Connect feature allows adjusters to invite property owners to capture their own photos with their smartphone, which provides measurements directly to the adjuster. If a policy holder is unable to take their own photos, a Looker can step in to assist, as WeGoLook’s network is within 11 miles of any inspection site in the US.

Auto Techcelerators has been awarded a patent for a mobile app and web portal that auto collision repair shops and insurance claims professionals can use to validate that advanced driver assistance systems are performing properly.

“Just because diagnostic tools show no DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes) or calibration tools say the ADAS systems are OK, the only real way to validate and document vehicle ADAS systems work as designed is to drive the vehicle to validate they work and document the results,” said Frank M. Terlep, founder and chief executive officer of the Poway, California-based company.

US Patent and Trademark Office online records show that Patent No. 11,373,465 was issued to Terlep in June. The system captures information from the vehicle or the operator while the test drive is performed. The data is used to document aspects of the test drive such as distance, speed and performance of the ADAS of the vehicle, according to the patent.

Auto Techcelerators markets the product as Test Drive CoPilot. Terlep said the platform is offered through a smart phone app. All results are stored on a secure customer web portal.

Terlep said the system can be used as part of the sale, repair, pickup and delivery of ADAS-equipped vehicles. He said currently the primary users are collision repair shops, but the company is also marketing to insurance professionals.

CCC Intelligent Solutions reported in April that 49% of auto-damage appraisals conducted in the first quarter of 2019 included an estimate line entry for a scan or diagnosis of an ADAS system, and most of those line entries included two scans, showing that pre-repair and post-repair scans were performed. In early 2017, less than 5% of appraisals included a line entry for an ADAS scan.

Roost, a company that supplies home telematics products such as water-leak detectors, has teamed up with Farmers Protective Mutual Insurance Co. to offer free smart sensor kits to “select policyholders.”

Roost, based in Sunnyvale, California, said Farmers Protective will offer policyholders its Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detector and Smart Battery products. The detectors are placed in areas most prone to water leaks, such as under kitchen sinks, hot water heaters, toilets and various appliances. The device delivers smart phone alerts to minimize water damage and loss.

The Smart Battery is a simple retrofit that transforms existing 9-volt smoke alarm batteries into smart alarms, Roost said. If the smoke alarm sounds and no one is home, a smartphone notification is delivered to the homeowner.