Now in their 15th year, the British Insurance Awards showcase top class performance and innovation, rewarding outstanding achievement and helping to raise standards in the insurance industry. They can provide a useful benchmark to help you determine the quality and resilience of your insurer.
Zurich's Claims function has been short-listed again in recognition of their major loss claims efforts and claims supply to Campsmount Technology College near Doncaster, which suffered a catastrophic accidental fire in December 2009 that destroyed approximately 80% of this specialist technology college.
When the greater part of Campsmount Technology College near Doncaster was razed to the ground just before Christmas, Zurich rose to the challenge, delivering on our ‘insurance promise’ to help the college get back to ‘business as usual’ quickly and meet the educational needs of the local community.
Our task – customer needs
The challenges facing Doncaster MBC were complex and significant. Whilst the school would ultimately be rebuilt over 2 to 3 years, they had an ongoing requirement to meet their statutory obligations.
Most immediately by the end of the Christmas holidays the school management team needed to provide schooling across all year groups, with facilities to hold important examinations required in January. Zurich had to act quickly and take an innovative approach, while keeping the local community involved and informed every step of the way.
Our response
Working to an extremely tight three week timescale, Zurich worked with loss adjusters, customer representatives and the school management team to plan deliver and fund a practical, cost effective, multi-site solution. Zurich’s response focused on outcomes that delivered to community needs with a sense of urgency whilst taking full advantage of innovative solutions.
Community needs
Parents were fully engaged with the process through public meetings. It was quickly agreed that pupils would be housed in a range of community and school-based locations within a four mile radius of the semi-rural Campsmount site, to minimise disruption to pupils, parents and staff alike. In particular, it meant that the post-Christmas examinations were able to commence.
Sense of urgency
Despite the worst winter weather conditions for 30 years, site preparation and ground works were completed within 2 weeks and installation of building modules began on 25th January. Delivery and installation was completed within 4 weeks, allowing internal fit out, commissioning of the units and preparation of external areas to get underway. Campsmount’s pupils were able to resume their studies at the beginning of the new term when other schools in the region remained closed due to adverse weather conditions.
When the full temporary Portakabin school was handed over only 13 weeks after the fire, Zurich’s supplier had successfully procured, delivered and sited some 194 building modules and units.
The result
The immediate, ongoing onsite presence of the extended Zurich Major Loss team helped build an open, proactive relationship with the customer and school management team. It ensured a collaborative approach from day one, focused on shared, positive outcomes for the customer, community and Zurich.
As a direct result only 6 days of schooling were lost as a result of the fire and all the pupils and staff were able to return to their Campsmount ‘home’ site within 3 months, minimising the impact on the children’s education.
There could be no better practical example of delivery of the insurance promise.
“The community has been amazed by the amount that has been achieved in such a short space of time and is extremely grateful that due to outstanding teamwork we are back together and making excellent progress.” Andy Sprakes, Headteacher
