In the fast-paced world of vehicle recovery, time is of the essence. After an accident or theft, the journey from recovery to repair or return often feels like an uphill battle for insurers, recovery operators, and policyholders alike.

The delays and inefficiencies in this process have long been a point of frustration. However, a new partnership between Insure Alert and the National Vehicle Recovery Assistance (NWVA) promises to change the game, streamlining the vehicle recovery process and significantly reducing the time vehicles spend in recovery garages.

The Current Challenge

Vehicle recovery companies, acting as custodians of policyholders’ assets, play a crucial role when a vehicle is stolen or involved in a road traffic collision (RTC). Once the police request that a vehicle be recovered, it falls to the recovery operator to inform the insurer that the vehicle is ready for collection. From there, the insurer must arrange for the vehicle to be repaired, returned, or salvaged.

Traditionally, the only way for recovery operators to communicate with insurers has been through lengthy phone calls. With over 45 police forces and 285 recovery operators working directly for police forces across the UK, each handling around 100 vehicles per month, this results in approximately 28,500 calls being made to insurers every month. These calls often exceed 45 minutes and frequently require multiple follow-ups, a cumbersome process that creates significant operational strain on recovery operators.

With these operators constantly on the move, these essential calls are often delayed, leading to vehicles sitting in recovery garages for days, accumulating storage fees. Considering the current police storage costs of £26 per day per vehicle, a delay of even a few days can result in millions of pounds lost annually to the insurance industry—costs that ultimately affect everyone involved.

Enter Insure Alert: A Game-Changer

Recognising these challenges, Insure Alert has developed an innovative online portal designed to remove the burden from recovery operators and drastically improve communication with insurers. This new system transforms what was once a tedious 45-minute phone call into a streamlined process that takes less than 5 minutes to complete.

With Insure Alert, recovery operators can quickly input all necessary details about the vehicle, including policyholder information, policy or claim numbers, and all costs accrued from the recovery and storage. Most importantly, the portal allows operators to upload images of the vehicle’s current condition—something that insurers have not had easy access to until now.

These images can serve as a critical addition, enabling insurers to make more informed decisions about the next steps in the claims process. Whether determining if a vehicle is beyond economical repair or deciding on the appropriate repair route, this visual data helps to reduce incorrect vehicle movements, unnecessary recovery charges, and extra storage costs while waiting for salvage agents to collect the vehicle.

Speeding Up the Process, Reducing Costs

By using Insure Alert, insurers are informed more quickly, allowing vehicles to be moved into the repair or salvage network faster. This accelerates the entire claims process, reducing additional expenses such as hire car costs and enhancing customer satisfaction through faster claim resolutions.

The partnership between Insure Alert and NWVA marks a significant leap forward in the vehicle recovery industry. By addressing the inefficiencies that have long plagued the recovery-to-insurer communication process, Insure Alert is poised to save the insurance industry millions of pounds annually while enhancing the overall experience for recovery operators and policyholders.

For insurers, recovery operators, and policyholders alike, the introduction of Insure Alert means quicker resolutions, reduced costs, and a more streamlined recovery process. As the vehicle recovery industry continues to evolve, Insure Alert stands at the forefront, driving innovation and efficiency every step of the way.

Whether dealing with the aftermath of an accident or the recovery of a stolen vehicle, Insure Alert and NWVA’s partnership ensures that the path to getting vehicles back to their rightful owners is smoother, faster, and more efficient than ever before.