FNOL, or First Notification of Loss, is the initial report made to the insurer in the event of an accident, loss, or damage of an insured vehicle.
For the most part, FNOL is the first step in the motor claims process, and it’s a phrase that’s widely used in automotive, insurance and breakdown recovery sectors when reporting an incident.
The term FNOL is also a common one used in the telematics space as well, where it describes an automated alert that has been triggered by G Force readings inside a black box tracking device. In these instances, alerts are usually delivered by email, and are designed to assist transport managers through enhanced visibility of incidents as soon as they occur.
Why is FNOL important?
As with any motor accident, timing is absolutely critical. Getting the correct information as quickly as possible allows the claims process to jump-start immediately, whereas on the other hand, if a claim is not reported quickly enough, it can affect the entire claims journey. This can include everything from validation, deployment of services and cost control of areas such as protracted vehicle repairs and hire car rates. It can even lead to delayed and therefore complicated personal injury claims, legal fees, and even potential fraud.
As a result, it’s critical that early reporting of FNOL is made as quickly as possible following any motor incident.
What is required for a FNOL?
FNOL typically requires the insured party to provide their policy number, date, time and location of the incident, police report number, and personal account of how and why the incident took place.
For motor claims, the insured party must also provide information on the other party’s insurance details as well, so that the accounts of the other driver – as well as any available witnesses – can be considered.
If it is that the policyholder is deemed to be at fault, the insurance company will cover the cost of repairs and bodily harm, and the policyholder’s premium cost will go up if renewing their policy for another term.
Do all motor claims specialists offer FNOL services?
Most do, but this may not necessarily be an ‘in-house’ service. Some businesses choose to liaise with claimants through a more personal approach, often outsourcing their FNOL processes to a team of experts who will handle the claims process, repair, or recovery, from the moment it is first reported.
This outsourcing of FNOL process gives businesses back critical time for other priorities where their time and resource would be better placed. This is because FNOL is never as simple as just taking one quick telephone call or making notes; it’s all about collating the exact right information on anything and everything that has happened, identifying the correct type of rescue vehicles to deploy, and reporting out on the incident to all stakeholders, supply chain and claimant.
FNOL can be a very lengthy and time-consuming process, but it is the most essential first step to take. As a result, many commercial businesses choose to work with a specialist FNOL service to expand their FNOL capabilities.
Is an outsourced FNOL process easier to manage?
Yes. Here at S&G, we offer FNOL services on a 24/7 basis, and many businesses choose to outsource their FNOL provision to us so that we manage it their behalf.
In fact, once our FNOL specialist team is instructed, they are able to provide anything from a call centre operation to support a businesses’ existing telephone services, or takeover the entire process from start to finish and liaise directly with the claimant.
This will also mean that whatever the time of day, there will always be a team of highly trained experts available to collate all relevant information, deploy the required services and present a full report at the right time.
How can S&G Response help?
At S&G, we have been taking the hassle out of vehicle road accidents for more than 10 years, helping customers to get back on the road as quickly as possible.
As an established and trusted provider of end-to-end motor claims solutions, we pride ourselves on our nationwide repair capability and innovative product suite. Plus, our 120 strong, market-leading team, operates from our Head Office in Wilmslow, processing over 120,000 claims annually for all vehicle types.
Together, we use all our collective expertise to provide a superior customer journey, minimising the negative impact a vehicle road accident causes, as well as our national coverage of hand-picked BS10125 insurance approved car and LCV repairers, who each deliver industry leading vehicle key-to-key times. What’s more, this is further supported by our specialist network of 58 HGV repairers, making us a highly valuable resource, and the perfect partner to help you and your business with any motor claims support.
To find out more, reach out to our team today.
