5 Benefits of a Cargo Claims Management Program

This week our guest blog is from Expeditors Cargo Insurance Brokers (ECIB). ECIB provides supply chain risk management solutions tailored to the specific needs of their clients. Through their background in logistics and hands-on approach to claim subrogation provide access to lower rates and broader coverage. ECIB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. They are headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with employees located throughout the U.S., Mexico, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. 

When cargo is lost or damaged in transit, a formal claim should be filed with the carrier to recover any money that may be owed to the consignee. While high-profile damages and losses may get the consignee’s attention, smaller routine claims often slip through the cracks or go unfiled altogether.

This leaves money on the table and allows loss trends to go unnoticed. A claims management program is the outsourcing of a company's cargo claims for lost or damaged cargo to a specialized 3rd party provider, such as ECIB.

Risk managers and logistics professionals often lack the time or resources to focus on cargo claims, which is why a claims management program is such an attractive solution.

Here are some of the main benefits of implementing a claims management program:

1. Less administrative work and strain on internal resources: A claims management program will first and foremost free up your people to do what they do best, not spend endless hours chasing claims.
   
   
2. Increased carrier recovery: Having a specialized, logistics-oriented claims partner will help you maximize your monetary recovery from the carriers.

3. Improve carrier claim performance and better manage carriers: Data analytics will allow your organization to understand where losses are occurring, take steps to address poor-performing carriers, and make improvements to your supply chain.
   
   
4. Ability to analyze supply chain exceptions: Along with monitoring carrier performance, claims data allows your company to take a look at product packaging, clean sign-offs, and other sources of claims issues to see what can be improved in terms of your own local operations.
   
   
5. Reduce and control claim costs: A trusted partner will work with you to implement process improvements, which may include: training, new policies and procedures, and overall best practices.

It will remove cargo claims from your to-do list and allow your people to focus on their core competencies.

Additionally, engaging a claims management provider will maximize your recovery and provide valuable visibility to issues in your supply chain.

ECIB’s local experts have the skills to help you manage your claims. If you are interested in discussing a cargo claims management program, reach out to ECIB today.