A Victorian Local Government organisation selected CGU as its new workers' compensation partner in December 2008. Impressed by how thorough CGU was in transitioning the account, the Council was also delighted to be able to turn to CGU for specialist OHS training. It’s a partnership that exemplifies the CGU Advantage in action.
Looking for better control of its workers' compensation claims, the council appointed CGU to get them back on track. What happened over the next few months proved the effectiveness of CGU’s client transitioning process and its robust approach to claims management.
The CGU account manager says the key to transitioning clients is to outline the process clearly at the start, quickly establish the right level and type of communication, and work with the client through a series of account transfer and claims review meetings.
“It’s important to build a rapport with the client and come to grips with their business, the issues affecting workers' compensation within the organisation and the portfolio of existing claims. At the same time you need to ensure that you establish the right structures and protocols to meet the client’s needs”.
In this case the transition process involved the review and revision of more than 30 claim strategies, however our specialist teams were able to quickly resolve a number of claims by bringing medical appointments up-to-date, identifying alternative rehabilitation approaches and taking a fresh look at suitable duties”.
The organisation’s Injury Management Officer was impressed by the way CGU was able to hit the ground running, and achieve some early wins while laying a solid foundation for a more sustainable approach to workers' compensation.
“CGU was extremely thorough in how it went about transitioning our account and getting to know the organisation and our people. They have excellent knowledge of the public sector and from day one have maintained excellent lines of communication; being proactive while quickly responding to our needs”.
At the same time as establishing the new relationship and getting to work on existing claims, CGU also deployed its OHS specialists to provide two five-day OHS workshops for 40 of the organisation’s health and safety representatives.
The OH&S and WorkCover manager says, “It was a real bonus for us that CGU has this expertise in-house. The strength of content and quality of delivery couldn’t have been better, and the feedback from our reps was extremely positive”.
A positive outlook
Within six months of establishing its partnership with CGU, the organisation was able to reduce the total cost of claims by more than one hundred thousand dollars – putting them on track for a significant reduction in workers' compensation premium.
It’s a partnership that’s off to the perfect start, and the organisation’s Injury Management Officer says there’s no doubt they made the right decision in switching to CGU.
“We’ve already achieved some great results by moving to CGU. Their approach to client transitioning has been extremely smooth and throughout it they’ve demonstrated all the attributes we were looking for in our workers' compensation partner. They’re proactive, thorough and responsive”.
“Thanks to CGU, we’re now on track to turning around the effectiveness of our workers' compensation program. This will save us money, but more importantly ensure our employees return to work in a timely manner”.