Chaos in the Claim File: Why Standardization Is the Key to Unlocking Claims Innovation
Despite years of investment in digital tools, many property and casualty carriers find themselves stuck, unable to scale automation or meaningfully reduce costs.
At Plnar (P‑L‑N‑A‑R), we spent time interviewing Chief Claims Officers and Heads of Claims organizations across the industry to understand why.
What we uncovered was not one broken process, but widespread chaos.
The Problem: Chaos in the Claim File
Claims organizations today rely on an overwhelming mix of analog services, legacy estimating systems, and niche insurtech tools. Interior inspections, exterior inspections, flooring, roofing, aerial imagery, weather data, independent adjusters—each often comes with its own vendor, app, and output format.
The result?
- No standardization of claim documentation
- Hundreds of photos, PDFs, and reports dumped into the claim file
- Inconsistent data formats that adjusters must manually sift through
Adjusters, many with less than one or two years of tenure, are expected to manage these complex files efficiently. The claim file becomes a “hot mess,” slowing resolution and increasing errors.
The Hidden Cost: Layered Loss Adjuster Expenses (LAE)
Ironically, many of these tools are sold as LAE‑reducing solutions. In reality, carriers often pay for:
- Multiple vendors with overlapping functionality
- Duplicate R&D embedded in vendor pricing
- Teams of people just to manage 40–200 vendors
We estimate that in some organizations, up to 30% of LAE may be redundant.
This vendor sprawl adds cost and ultimately paralyzes innovation. Claims ecosystems become fragile Jenga towers where even small changes can break downstream processes.
Why Self‑Service Alone Isn’t Enough
In 2023 and 2024, Plnar invested heavily in automation, automatically writing estimates from images. While moderately successful, we learned an important lesson: self‑service claims only apply to about 5–10% of total claims volume.
Automation without scale doesn’t move the needle.
The Real Breakthrough: Standardization
The most important insight from our research is this: Standardization of claim documentation is the foundation of innovation.
Standardization:
- Reduces vendor count
- Creates consistent, structured data
- Enables automation and AI
- Enforces carrier guidelines
- Lowers costs and operational friction
Structured data is essential for AI. When claim data arrives digitized, labeled, spatially aware, and consistently organized, AI can finally be applied at scale.
What Plnar Did Differently
Plnar built a single standardized documentation layer across every participant in the claim.
Plnar Pro
Used by field professionals including staff adjusters, independent adjusters, mitigation professionals, and contractors.
Plnar Snap
Designed for homeowners and enables simple, guided, one-time claim capture.
Both follow the same standardized capture flows, enforcing guidelines while remaining flexible enough for professional expertise.
Plnar specializes in taking forensic‑level claim flows—interior water, fire, wind, hail—and simplifying them so anyone can use them correctly. The result is one consistent, structured data set flowing into the claim file.
Looking Ahead to 2030
When claims leaders look back in 2029 or 2030, standardization will stand out as one of the most important decisions they made.
Organizations that standardize today can expect:
- 20–30% reduction in operational complexity
- Fewer vendors
- Fewer touches per claim
- Faster resolution
- A platform ready for AI‑driven innovation
Standardize your claims documentation to simplify workflows today and unlock a more scalable, confident future.