9/26/2014 Claims Processor Crawford Seeks Payout with Custom Software - The CIO Report - WSJ News, Quotes, Companies, Videos U.S. EDITION Home World Thursday, September 25, 2014 As of 2:03 PM EDT U.S. Business Tech Markets Subscribe Market Data Your Money Opinion Life & Culture N.Y. Real Estate What Business Can Learn From Intelligence SEARCH Log In Management Startup Aims to Boost Number of Qualified IT Workers CIO Report Consumerization Big Data Cloud Talent & Management Security Search for CIO Report Articles September 24, 2014, 5:42 PM ET Claims Processor Crawford Seeks Payout with Custom Software Article Comments By CLINT BOULTON Reporter Crawford & Co.’s move to build applications in-house puts the insurance claims processor in company with General Motors Co., General Electric Co., and Zulily Inc., which recognize the competitive advantage of custom software development. The CIO Report Categories Morning Download 626 CEO Reads 128 Big Data 422 Consumerization 116 Cloud 390 Executive Moves 114 Guest Voices 390 Compliance 99 Innovation 346 Healthcare IT 91 Security 345 Social 86 Mobility 332 Risk Management 82 Talent & Management 293 Collaboration 79 Implementation 238 Application Development 62 Vendor Management 226 Automation 53 The Atlanta-based firm, which provides claims management solutions to insurance companies and self-insured entities, has built more than 30 applications to support the business over the last 18 months. “If you’re buying something off of the shelf, you’re like everybody else,” Brian Flynn, Crawford’s CIO, tells CIO Journal. “We feel like [custom software] gives us a competitive advantage.” Better tools, new demands from customers conditioned by the rise of mobile and cloud apps and a growing recognition among firms that better software is a key driver in differentiating themselves from competitors are behind today’s software development programs. For Crawford, another factor was that commercial software for claims processing lacked flexibility. The company found that it could not tailor the software for each of its insurance clients, most of which have particular ways with which they conduct accounting tasks, create business reports, or even present information to their customers. “We don’t like to tell our clients how they have to do business with us,” said Mr. Flynn, adding that flexibility is key in securing customers’ continued business. Brian Flynn, CIO of Crawford & Co. Companies are increasingly building custom software because packaged applications can’t provide the level of control, change and differentiation their customers require, said Bruce http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2014/09/24/claims-processor-crawford-seeks-payout-with-custom-software/ 1/3 9/26/2014 Claims Processor Crawford Seeks Payout with Custom Software - The CIO Report - WSJ Robertson, a Gartner Inc. analyst. “If Crawford, or any company, wants to do things differently from their competitors, the last thing they want to do is use the same COTS [commercial-off-the-shelf] application that their competitors are using,” he said. Among Crawford’s recent efforts is the My Claims Agent app, which enables consumers to file “affinity” claims, such as when they purchased an appliance they learned was broken, or needed to reclaim travel fees incurred after an insured trip was canceled, online in minutes. Another Crawford app, Cat Connection, expedites claims processing by allowing Crawford employees to contact, via email and social media, claims adjusters to warn them in the event that a natural disaster is imminent. Previously, Crawford employees would phone adjusters to tell them where to go. Such “flash coordination has enabled us to respond to catastrophes much faster than we ever have before,” said Mr. Flynn. Claims adjusters access Cat Connection online and as a mobile app for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones. Crawford builds custom apps using cloud software from Appian Corp. Mr. Flynn said he chose Appian because it specializes in enabling businesses to quickly build cloud and mobile apps, which Crawford identified three years ago as driving major changes across businesses. “We always like to think that we’re leading edge,” said Mr. Flynn, but “everyone’s shooting for us.” Crawford’s competition includes Cunningham Lindsey Group Ltd. and Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. In custom development, Crawford keeps notable company with GM, which has invested in new data and innovation centers and GE, which is building analytics software to predict maintenance schedules of machines. And Zulily began developing software in-house after commercial software could not keep pace with the growth of its online business. “It’s nearly impossible for a [off the shelf] solution to keep up with our pace,” Zulily CIO Luke Friang told CIO Journal in August. Read More About: BRIAN FLYNN, CRAWFORD & CO., GENERAL ELECTRIC, GENERAL MOTORS, LUKE FRIANG, ZULILY Next » Startup Aims to Boost Number of Qualified IT Workers « Previous What Business Can Learn From Intelligence THE CIO REPORT HOME PAGE Add a Comment Name We welcome thoughtful comments from readers. Please comply with our guidelines. Our blogs do not require the use of your real name. Comment CLEAR POST Wall StreetFacebook JournalTwitter LinkedInFourSquare Google+YouTubePodcasts RSS Feed AppStore Back to Top Customer Service Policy Advertise Tools & Features More Customer Center Privacy Policy Advertise Apps Why Subscribe New! 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