Modern Insurance Magazine speaks to Laird MD, Nik Ellis about their new system upgrades and how they’re spearheading the future of Automotive Intelligence.
What exactly is Automotive Intelligence?
The term might sound a bit cheesy or unconventional, but it perfectly encapsulates what we do. Rather than merely delivering static PDF reports, we provide real-time data via API directly to our clients’ CRM systems. Innovation like this streamlines the traditional process, reducing the workload for fee earners.
For instance, when a vehicle is deemed repairable, we can instantly alert relevant stakeholders in the supply chain, such as approved repairers or hire car teams, providing them with critical information. Take the hire car team, for example. They often need to know the estimated duration of the hire. With our system, we can provide an accurate hire duration and offer updates on potential delays, such as parts supply or other issues.
This proactive approach improves efficiency and keeps everyone in the loop, including the consumer, while driving greater productivity and transforming the claims process from a static, sequential chain to a dynamic, interconnected system.
“We’ve developed innovative solutions that neither we nor our customers ever imagined possible.” Nik Ellis
What exactly is Automotive Intelligence?
The term might sound a bit cheesy or unconventional, but it perfectly encapsulates what we do. Rather than merely delivering static PDF reports, we provide real-time data via API directly to our clients’ CRM systems. Innovation like this streamlines the traditional process, reducing the workload for fee earners.
For instance, when a vehicle is deemed repairable, we can instantly alert relevant stakeholders in the supply chain, such as approved repairers or hire car teams, providing them with critical information. Take the hire car team, for example. They often need to know the estimated duration of the hire. With our system, we can provide an accurate hire duration and offer updates on potential delays, such as parts supply or other issues.
This proactive approach improves efficiency and keeps everyone in the loop, including the consumer, while driving greater productivity and transforming the claims process from a static, sequential chain to a dynamic, interconnected system.
How does Artificial Intelligence help the business?
2024 marked the dawn of a world-changing revolution, where businesses were no longer just adapting to AI, they are being completely powered by it. Laird embraced this fully, seeing it more as evolution than revolution.
As a small & very agile company, we’ve always been keen to embrace new technology; indeed, since inception tech has given us a distinct advantage.
Automation has been a big part of this for the last decade thanks to Swiftcase, but over the last couple of years we’ve gone from playing with AI, to having several AIs integral to the business, helping our humans from FNOL to payment & everything in between.
We’ve developed innovative solutions that neither we nor our customers ever imagined possible, streamlining processes and eliminating unnecessary tasks, and there’s more on the way.
It’s great to be at the forefront of a transformative and seismic shift in the automotive industry. It makes our mission even simpler: to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction, while simultaneously driving down costs and reducing friction throughout the entire supply chain.
How does AI help in practical terms?
One of the most significant advantages of AI in the vehicle claims process is the speed at which it can analyse and assess damage. Traditionally, an assessor would travel to conduct an inspection, and provide a detailed report. This approach was time-consuming and costly, often leading to delays in processing claims.
Today, our AI-powered system allows for damage assessments to be conducted remotely. Drivers simply upload images of the vehicle damage via a user-friendly interface, and our AI technology instantly processes the images, identifying damage and, with the assistance of our human engineers in the loop, provides a detailed report.
This not only accelerates the process but also ensures that the assessments are consistent and accurate.
The AI also analyses large datasets of historical vehicle damage and repair data, allowing it to make incredibly accurate predictions about the cost and time required for repairs and reduce supplementary reports. This predictive capability empowers claims managers, and indeed the entire supply chain, with full knowledge and ‘intelligence’ regarding the claim.
What are you currently building?
We’re expanding the use of AI and automation to further enhance the claims and reporting process. In the coming weeks and months, we plan to incorporate more advanced Agentic AI technologies, plus machine learning algorithms that can improve decision-making over time, and enhanced predictive analytics to provide deeper insights into vehicle damage, repair trends and especially supplementary damage.
I’m keen to ensure that the future of automotive intelligence isn’t just about making processes faster or more efficient; it’s about creating a seamless, connected ecosystem where data flows freely, decisions are made in real-time, and every stakeholder is empowered to deliver the best possible service to their customers.
What does the future hold for Laird?
I want us to continue to push the boundaries further and shape a future where efficiency, precision, and customer satisfaction are paramount. I don’t just want to enhancing the claims process but redefine it.
For 2025 we’re committed to building a fully automated, AI-driven ecosystem that empowers every stakeholder, ultimately delivering superior service at every stage. For Laird, the future is not only about technology but about a smarter, more interconnected world of automotive claims, and I’m so proud that Laird are leading the way.
How does Artificial Intelligence help the business?
2024 marked the dawn of a world-changing revolution, where businesses were no longer just adapting to AI, they are being completely powered by it. Laird embraced this fully, seeing it more as evolution than revolution.
As a small & very agile company, we’ve always been keen to embrace new technology; indeed, since inception tech has given us a distinct advantage.
Automation has been a big part of this for the last decade, but over the last couple of years we’ve gone from playing with AI, to having several AIs integral to the business, helping our humans from FNOL to payment & everything in between.
We’ve developed innovative solutions that neither we nor our customers ever imagined possible, streamlining processes and eliminating unnecessary tasks, and there’s more on the way.
It’s great to be at the forefront of a transformative and seismic shift in the automotive industry. It makes our mission even simpler: to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction, while simultaneously driving down costs and reducing friction throughout the entire supply chain.
How does AI help in practical terms?
One of the most significant advantages of AI in the vehicle claims process is the speed at which it can analyse and assess damage. Traditionally, an assessor would travel to conduct an inspection, and provide a detailed report. This approach was time-consuming and costly, often leading to delays in processing claims.
Today, our AI-powered system allows for damage assessments to be conducted remotely. Drivers simply upload images of the vehicle damage via a user-friendly interface, and our AI technology instantly processes the images, identifying damage and, with the assistance of our human engineers in the loop, provides a detailed report.
This not only accelerates the process but also ensures that the assessments are consistent and accurate.
The AI also analyses large datasets of historical vehicle damage and repair data, allowing it to make incredibly accurate predictions about the cost and time required for repairs and reduce supplementary reports. This predictive capability empowers claims managers, and indeed the entire supply chain, with full knowledge and ‘intelligence’ regarding the claim.
What are you currently building?
We’re expanding the use of AI and automation to further enhance the claims and reporting process. In the coming weeks and months, we plan to incorporate more advanced Agentic AI technologies, plus machine learning algorithms that can improve decision-making over time, and enhanced predictive analytics to provide deeper insights into vehicle damage, repair trends and especially supplementary damage.
I’m keen to ensure that the future of automotive intelligence isn’t just about making processes faster or more efficient; it’s about creating a seamless, connected ecosystem where data flows freely, decisions are made in real-time, and every stakeholder is empowered to deliver the best possible service to their customers.
What does the future hold for Laird?
I want us to continue to push the boundaries further and shape a future where efficiency, precision, and customer satisfaction are paramount. I don’t just want to enhancing the claims process but redefine it.
For 2025 we’re committed to building a fully automated, AI-driven ecosystem that empowers every stakeholder, ultimately delivering superior service at every stage. For Laird, the future is not only about technology but about a smarter, more interconnected world of automotive claims, and I’m so proud that Laird are leading the way.
To discuss this further or to see how we can support your businesses, please contact us here.
Reproduced with kind thanks to Modern Insurance Magazine.