As the world increasingly moves towards virtual communication during the pandemic, a leading insurance company has embraced the technology to offer clients remote care from qualified MDs while abroad.
Allianz Global Assistance’s new Virtual Care service enables travellers to consult with a doctor in real time via video or tele-conference, accessed through a customer’s mobile device, tablet or laptop.
Along with a new online Claims Portal, the new services aim to elevate the company’s end-to-end customer journey, says the company, with both now embedded within all products offered across Allianz’s national distribution network of travel agency partners.
“The global pandemic has shone a spotlight on health and safety standards,” says Allianz chief sales officer Lucy Hathaway, who adds that the trust of customers is critical to a sustainable recovery in travel.
“While the industry awaits the return of travel, we’re… finding new and innovative ways to be there for customers during the moments that matter most,” she says.
Virtual Care is part of Allianz’s Guided Care Assistance platform and provides clients with access to a certified medical doctor while abroad based on their unique medical condition and location. The service may include a consultation, medical advice, diagnosis, and issuance of a prescription when required. Prescriptions provided during the virtual consultation are sent directly to the pharmacy nearest to the patient’s location for added convenience.
“The innovative algorithms of the Guided Care platform empower our medical team to efficiently coordinate consistent, comprehensive care that is customized to the individual,” says Allianz COO Kyle Sparkman. “The addition of Virtual Care provides our medical team with yet another treatment option for customers with less urgent medical conditions or milder symptoms.
“This means more flexibility and convenience for our customers, while eliminating long wait times associated with unnecessary emergency room visits, which is particularly relevant to our customers given the experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic this year.”
Online portal
At the same time, Allianz’s new user-friendly, secure online Claims Portal is designed to provide an enhanced claims experience that enables customers to:
• Access the mobile-optimized portal 24/7 from any device or browser.
• Create a secure account, to submit claims for all benefit types including non-medical travel benefits (i.e. trip cancellation, interruption, flight delay and baggage loss) and out-of-pocket emergency medical expenses.
• Upload all necessary documents to process a claim instead of sending them in via regular mail. Photos of documents taken with a mobile phone are also accepted.
• Identify any documents they may have missed.
• Save and return to a claim submission they have started but not yet completed.
• Check the status of their claim online.
“If a customer’s trip doesn’t go as planned, we want to make the claims experience simple, seamless, and understandable, Sparkman says. “We will continue to develop new ways to improve and simplify our customers’ experience at every step of their journey, so they can truly travel with confidence once travel rebounds.”