Being there when people need us is in Suncorp’s DNA, it’s what our business was built on. While we’re dedicated to helping customers and communities protect what’s important to them, we recognise that sometimes things don’t quite go to plan. Especially when it comes to homes, and natural disasters. That’s where we come in, with our home claims teams working hard to support our customers before, during and after a disaster event. We’re committed to showing up in all the moments that matter.

Behind the scenes support

When Monique Hodkinson came to Suncorp nearly a decade ago, she was led by her instinct to help people. Initially looking after customers from our contact centre, she soon moved into leadership roles and transitioned to disaster management. After a stint as Customer & Community Lead, Ms Hodkinson moved to the Suncorp Control Centre (SCC), a division she leads today, managing the technology that supports our customers.

She’s done her time at the coal face, lending a hand after one of the country’s worst recorded weather events, the 2022 eastern Australia floods. Arriving a month after the rain, she spent two weeks in a recovery centre in northern New South Wales seeing the devastation first-hand.

“It was a real eye-opener, but it was an affecting experience to connect with our customers and to remember why we do what we do…it was really rewarding,” she said.

Ms Hodkinson said having feet on the ground provided a valuable feedback loop for other teams across the business, helping the SCC understand how technology can be used to help customers.

“The SCC is a big enabler from a tech perspective within Home Claims and Disaster Management,” she explained. “Our ambition is to the be the market leader when it comes to the customer experience, and technology is a facilitator of that, at every stage of the journey.”

“And finally, using tech to identify and pre-emptively contact customers who may have been impacted by severe weather means we’re having important conversations much earlier, reducing the time to respond and getting them back into their homes faster.

“To me, that’s being there in the moments that matter.”

Help on the line

Cat Grimley is a Major Loss Claims Manager in Suncorp’s Natural Hazards & Events team, connecting with customers at a difficult time. She’s also had a view into life after a catastrophic event, deploying to Bowen, Queensland, when ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie wreaked havoc in 2017. That was a turning point for Ms Grimley preluding the move to her current role.

“It was challenging and confronting but also very humbling,” she said. “It felt so meaningful to be face-to-face with customers and helping them at such a vulnerable stage. It’s one of the best things I’ve done in my entire working life."

For Ms Grimley, being there in the moments that matter starts with the first contact call.

“The claims process after a major event can be long, so that initial call is important. My role is to make sure the customer is safe, then we can start to work out what’s going to happen next,” she said.

She handles all the admin and logistics, like reviewing the customer policy and organising emergency and long-term accommodation, but Ms Grimley said her focus was really listening to the customer – something she picked up as a crisis support counsellor for Lifeline.

“That’s why I always ask, ‘what do you need from us?’. It gives our customers a chance to voice their concerns and helps reassure them that we’re going to do everything we can to get them back in their home quickly.

“My approach is, ‘I’ll take care of your claim, so you can take care of your family.”

Boots on the ground

Getting across the detail is what Ben Bourke does every day. As a Suncorp Building Coordinator, he keeps an eye on current claims projects and makes sure things stay on track.

He started with Suncorp as an assessor, but decided the skills he acquired as a licensed carpenter would be better spent overseeing re-building activities after a weather event, clarifying technical aspects for the customer and ensuring they are always kept in the loop. Along the way he’s learned that every project is different.

Whether reviewing scope of work, quotes and specialist reports or performing on-site audits of repairs and rectifications, Mr Bourke is there for – and on behalf of – the customer, doing what it takes to get them back home as soon as possible.

“When I first started as an assessor, I was probably a bit naïve,” he said.

“I thought every claim would basically be the same, but every event is different – there’s different damage and degrees of building technicality. When it comes to the customer, people’s emotions are different and they communicate in diverse ways.