Suncorp using mobile hubs to help Townsville customers lodge claims

Receiving more than 1300 claims since the floods began, the team from Suncorp have visited homes of their customers and allowed them to speak face-to-face in one of their two state-of-the-art caravan mobile hubs.

Customer Support Manager Joel Ridding and Suncorp’s Chief Executive Consumer Insurance Lisa Harrison with one of their mobile hubs.

Receiving more than 1300 claims since North Queensland’s severe weather event began, the team from Suncorp have visited homes of their customers and allowed them to speak about a claim face-to-face in one of their two state-of-the-art caravan mobile hubs.

Setting up one of the modified caravans at the North Queensland Cowboy’s High Performance Centre in Railway Estate, the support team have been working with customers on their insurance claims, arranging emergency support and emergency payments.

A customer support team has also been established at the Murray Sporting Complex in Annadale.

With charging ports, Wi-Fi, a printer and other amenities, customers who are struggling to make claims due power loss are able to visit Suncorps decked-out caravans and talk through their claims with a team member.

Assessors and tradesman are also making their way around Townsville, checking out the damage to housing following the flood disaster.

Suncorp’s Chief Executive Consumer Insurance Lisa Harrison said while there has already been more than 1300 claims, the number was expected to rise as people return to their homes.

“Getting people on the ground early in a disaster is really important,” she said.

“You get a sense in terms of the extent of the damage. It’s important to hear from the community as well in terms of what they need. That allows us to mobilise our resources and our supply chain to make sure that we’re responding quickly and communicating well.”

Ms Harrison said the mobile hubs provide a private space for customers to chat with a professional.

The team are also collecting valuable data mapping tools allowing the team to see customers that have been affected, as well as customers that haven’t submitted claims yet in each of Townsville’s suburbs.

Garbutt, Burdell, and Kirwan have the most claims, and the impacts in Ingham and Cardwell are being closely monitored using daily satellite flood mapping to understand the extent of current and potential flood inundation.

The Suncorp team plans to head to Ingham once able to do so to assist the town which has bore the brunt of the wild weather.

“We have these vans ready to go across the country when disaster strikes and we’ve got these two up in Townsville,” Ms Harrison said.

“Once the roads are safe to go up to Ingham we will head there and provide our support to the community who are doing it tough and needing assistance.”

Originally published as Suncorp using mobile hubs to help Townsville customers lodge claims