Australia’s critical supply chain supports over 2 million Australians and contributes to more than $40 billion a year to the nation’s GDP.
NTI is the largest specialist insurance provider for the sector.
Through internal expertise, an accredited service provider network, longstanding relationships with dealers and OEMs, and scalable digital solutions, NTI offers claims services all the while managing claims costs, volume and efficiencies making for critical market differentiation.
Feedback from customers and brokers is consistent. Lauded for providing customers with direct access to claims management, that unhindered, single line of contact NTI offers ultimately sets it apart.
In the present inflationary environment, NTI understands the importance of cost containment for its customers.
“As a large buyer of heavy vehicle parts and our subsequent relationships with manufacturers and their respective dealer networks, we can return this benefit to customers, resulting in a better claims cost and keeping premiums down,” says Kerrie Challenor, NTI Chief People & Claims Officer.
“This, coupled with our internal expertise means NTI is best placed to offer a superior outcome for customers and get them back on the road faster than our competitors.”
NTI’s authorised repair network expedites the process so that work commences straight away through an accredited repairer without an assessment. This can, in most cases, significantly reduce time off the road.
All repairers use original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts; all authorised repairs come with a lifetime guarantee.
The NTI repair network includes Premium, Local, Light Vehicle and a recently introduced Trailer Repairers, with a national footprint.
An onshore 24/7 service centre provided by NTI will take the call, help lodge the claim, arrange whatever support services are required, arrange a tow by a capable, experienced heavy recovery tow provider, who is part of the NTI tow network, to one of its authorised network repairers, who, in turn, will start stripping down the vehicle immediately saving days of delays.
If the customer has their own preferred repairer NTI will defer to them. It is important that the vehicle, Kerrie notes, is towed by a properly equipped tow operator, as the wrong equipment or experience can cause significantly more damage.
“Advising NTI immediately makes the process seamless,” she says.
“Allowing NTI to speak directly to the driver at time of claims lodgement certainly assists in speeding up the process.”
Once the Service Centre receives the call, NTI will take control of the claim and keep the claimant informed of its progress.
There are many advantages to having experts assist the process from knowing the right questions to ask at the time of lodgement and knowing what service providers to engage based on NTI experience for example, saving time and cost.
Should there be any challenges with hard-to-find parts, once the vehicle has begun the repair process, this is where the NTI team often comes into its own according to Kerrie.
“With the relationships we have with OEMs we are able to do some pretty special things to get parts for our customers that are simply not available to anyone else,” she explains. “Another way our experts lead the market is in dealing with a serious incident such as a dangerous goods spill.”
NTI will work closely with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) or other government authorities in every state to ensure the site is cleaned up in the most cost effective and environmentally effective way.
“As a real example, if you have spilt glue into a drain at a port you want NTI’s Incident response team of experts managing the clean up,” adds Kerrie.
“Environmental concerns are heightened over recent years, and we have upskilled our incident response team and repair managers to understand how to manage a spill efficiently and effectively controlling costs whilst supporting the desired outcomes of the local EPA.”
NTI boasts a strong in-house talent pool, with deep expertise across the Heavy Motor, Mobile Plant and Equipment, and Cargo sectors. Many of the in-house repair managers have backgrounds in the heavy vehicle industry.
“They know how to repair trucks in a safe and cost-effective way,” says Kerrie.
“Potential issues can be quickly identified. Many of our parts team, are former employees of OEMs in parts roles so they understand what they are talking about, and repairers find it easier to talk to someone who has intimate knowledge and experience working with heavy vehicle parts.”
Since 2020, the wider industry has undergone several seismic changes.
Lead times on new equipment, for one example, are almost double in some cases. Sourcing parts is sometimes harder than pre-COVID, often having an impact on the repair cycle time. Some urgent matters, however, have remained the same.
For transport operators, any time a truck is sitting idle means lost revenue, which adds to the pressure to get it back on the road.
“Our aim is to get our customers back on road as fast as we can and if they ring our NTI Accident Assist number to lodge their claim and use an authorised repairer, independent research says we get them back on the road nine days faster than our competitors,” says Kerrie.
“We have systems and relationships that are designed to help the customer get back on the road as quickly as possible, and we leverage our industry relationships where needed to ensure that we get the best possible outcome for the customer.”
In this way being a premium service provider adds real value to the customer experience.
“It is the immediate attention, the support we offer, the speed with which we respond, the expertise we demonstrate, the expert relationships we have,” says Kerrie. “All combined that is where we best add value.”
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