Catastrophe claims (CAT) automation: Streamlining surge intake, routing, and communications
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At a glance
Catastrophe claims management is about maintaining trust and resilience during high-volume surges.
Scalable workflows for intake, triage, and communication keep adjusters, vendors, and clients aligned.
Bulk triage, temporary rules, and broadcast updates help insurers respond faster and more effectively.
Moxo enables CAT workflows with automation, secure portals, and Magic Links for seamless coordination.
Navigating the storm: Automating catastrophe claims
Catastrophic events, from hurricanes to wildfires, unleash a devastating surge of claims, overwhelming insurers and leaving policyholders in distress. The traditional manual processes for handling these influxes are often slow, error-prone, and inefficient, exacerbating an already stressful situation. However, a new era is dawning with the advent of catastrophe claims (CAT) automation. This technology offers a powerful solution to streamline every stage of the claims process, from the initial intake of thousands of reports to intelligent routing and seamless communication. By embracing automation, insurers can enhance their capacity, accelerate response times, and ultimately provide faster, more empathetic support when it matters most.
The reality of a claims surge
When a catastrophe strikes, the volume of claims can skyrocket by 10 to 20 times almost overnight. Hurricane Ida, for example, resulted in a staggering $36 billion in insured losses. Insurers were overwhelmed, leading to significant bottlenecks in claim intake and widespread communication breakdowns. This "surge" puts immense pressure on every aspect of the claims process.
In these high-stakes moments, policyholders are stressed and expect constant updates and transparency. Regulators demand meticulous, audit-ready documentation for every claim. At the same time, field adjusters and other vendors need clear, real-time instructions to do their jobs effectively. A poorly managed surge workflow doesn't just slow things down—it drives up loss adjustment expenses (LAE), damages the insurer's reputation, and increases the risk of costly compliance failures.
Surge intake & bulk triage: The first line of CAT response
When disaster strikes, the sheer volume of claims can overwhelm traditional intake channels. Catastrophe claims (CAT) automation begins here, with intelligent surge intake. Unlike outdated phone and email systems that buckle under pressure, a mobile-first client portal allows policyholders to quickly and easily submit claims, photos, videos, and necessary documents directly from their devices. This digital-first approach ensures claims are captured accurately and efficiently, even during peak demand, providing immediate relief to stressed call centers.
Once ingested, these claims move into a bulk triage system. Leveraging advanced AI and predefined rules, claims are automatically classified by severity, geography (e.g., impact zone), or type of damage. Critical claims related to severe structural damage or immediate safety risks are flagged for priority handling, fast-tracking them to the appropriate adjusters or rapid response teams. Routine claims are routed into designated queues for systematic processing, while incomplete submissions automatically trigger requests for missing information, reducing manual follow-ups. This intelligent routing ensures that resources are allocated effectively, getting urgent help to those who need it most, faster. With SOC 2-compliant document collection, insurers maintain data security and compliance while seamlessly scaling their intake operations to meet unprecedented demand.
Temporary rules & thresholds
During a catastrophe, the sheer volume of claims means carriers must accelerate approvals to keep up. This is where temporary rule changes and thresholds come into play. By implementing specific, temporary rules during a surge, insurers can streamline the claims process significantly.
For example, carriers can:
- Set temporary approval thresholds: Automatically approve claims below a certain dollar amount (e.g., $5,000) without requiring manual review. This allows adjusters to focus their attention on more complex, high-value claims.
- Relax documentation requirements: For lower-value claims, insurers might waive the need for extensive photo documentation or multiple repair quotes, relying instead on customer-provided information to expedite payment.
- Automate routing: Implement rules that automatically route specific claim types (like wind damage versus flood damage) to specialized teams or adjusters with the right expertise and availability.
These temporary adjustments are crucial for managing surge intake efficiently, ensuring that policyholders receive timely assistance when they need it most.
Automated vendor & partner coordination
Catastrophic events demand immediate, synchronized action from a vast network of contractors, adjusters, and service providers. Manual coordination during these surges is a recipe for delays, miscommunication, and mounting frustrations.
CAT automation tackles this by centralizing vendor management through a dedicated portal. This platform facilitates rapid onboarding, automated assignment of tasks based on criteria like location and specialty, and offers secure, real-time access for partners to claim files and upload necessary documentation. It significantly reduces manual outreach and ensures everyone operates from the same, up-to-date information.
The system automatically logs every interaction, creating comprehensive audit trails for compliance and transparency. This means vendors gain immediate clarity on assignments, insurers reduce coordination disputes and administrative overhead, and crucially, policyholders see their claims progress much faster when they need it most.
Broadcast updates & status
During a catastrophe, claimants are under immense stress and want frequent updates. Without proactive communication, call centers can drown in a surge of “where is my claim?” calls, overwhelming already strained resources.
Broadcast updates are a crucial tool in managing this influx. Insurers can push mass updates to claimants about key claim stages, regional requirements (like new local regulations following a hurricane), or documentation reminders. This simple act of keeping people informed can reduce inbound call volume by up to 40% and significantly raises satisfaction scores.
For CAT events, this can be especially powerful. Insurers can send geo-targeted messages to policyholders in a specific disaster zone, offering reassurance, providing next steps, and directing them to emergency resources. Magic Links make these updates even easier by giving non-portal participants, such as brokers, vendors, or concerned family members, secure, temporary access to specific claim information without needing a full login.
CAT claims automation tools: Comparison table
Moxo’s differentiation is clear: secure client-facing orchestration at scale, not internal project tracking.
Visual matrix: Where each CAT claims tool fits
Comparing solutions: Why Moxo leads
Most CAT claims tools specialize in one slice of the workflow such as intake, routing, or communication. Moxo brings all three together in a single, secure environment.
While platforms like Kissflow or Asana manage internal routing, and tools like Hi Marley or Zendesk focus on claimant communication, Moxo unifies both worlds by combining guided FNOL intake, real-time collaboration, and SLA-driven automation in one branded portal.
This balance of flexibility, compliance, and user experience makes Moxo the only tool purpose-built for end-to-end CAT orchestration, from the moment a claim is reported to its final approval, without chaos or context loss.
Build it in Moxo: Step by step
Moxo goes beyond simple intake to create a connected, automated, and compliant claims experience that benefits both insurers and policyholders. It streamlines every stage of the process — from first notice of loss to settlement — while maintaining full visibility, accountability, and control.
Multi-channel claims intake
Enable customers to submit claims through web, mobile, or in-app channels using branded client portals. Moxo supports instant ID and policy verification, so intake is faster, more accurate, and fully traceable.
Automated triage and assignment
Use workflow automation to intelligently route each claim to the right adjuster based on policy type, claim value, or SLA thresholds. Built-in automations handle escalations, reminders, and status updates — minimizing manual intervention.
Secure client-facing collaboration
Replace fragmented emails with a single, branded space for evidence sharing, document exchange, and task tracking. External participants like policyholders, brokers, or vendors can join via magic links — no login or training required.
Dashboards and compliance reporting
Gain real-time visibility into claim cycle times, leakage prevention, and adjuster performance through performance dashboards. Leadership teams can track KPIs, segment by region or product, and export reports for audits in a few clicks.
Enterprise-grade security
Moxo is built with SOC 2 and SOC 3 certification, encryption, and HIPAA/PHI readiness. Every file, message, and decision is logged through immutable audit trails, ensuring regulatory compliance and data integrity.
Proven impact
A regional insurer using Moxo reported a 54% reduction in claim cycle times and measurable improvement in customer retention after digitizing document collection and automating approvals.
Take the right route
Catastrophe events test not only claims operations but customer loyalty. By adopting a structured catastrophe claims workflow, carriers can deliver speed, clarity, and compliance when it matters most.
With Moxo, insurers move from reactive firefighting to proactive orchestration, reducing costs and reinforcing trust. For leaders exploring surge-ready solutions, the path is clear: invest in workflows built for crisis. Book a demo with Moxo
FAQs
What is a catastrophe claims workflow?
It is a structured process for intake, triage, routing, and communication during surge events. With Moxo, it is automated and secure.
How do policyholders engage in the claims process?
Through Moxo’s client portal, they submit documents, track progress, and chat with adjusters.
How can insurers coordinate vendors in surge events?
A branded vendor portal centralizes claim assignments, uploads, and approvals with audit trails.
What ROI do surge-ready workflows deliver?
Carriers report 40–60% faster approvals, higher client satisfaction, and significant reduction in adjustment expenses.
How is Moxo different from Kissflow or Asana?
Moxo is built for client-facing, end-to-end workflow orchestration, automating onboarding, approvals, and collaboration across external parties. Kissflow focuses on internal low-code process automation, while Asana is for task and project tracking within teams.
