On the 11^th of March, the World Health Organisation officially declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. In response to this many governments further tightened social distancing and, in many cases, ordered the closure or banning of non-essential shops, services, events and travel. This has had a profound impact on both the general public, but also businesses, who are faced with the increasing challenges of managing and adapting their processes to the changing environment.

One such industry impacted is the insurance market, who are experiencing an unprecedented surge in the number of claims they are receiving from both individuals submitting claims for event and travel cancellations as well as businesses claiming under interruption and a wide variety of other liabilities.

Whilst the insurance industry is no stranger to sudden and uncontrollable surges, the recent flooding in the UK is a prime example, the unpredictability of such events, places insurers and their claims handling teams under pressure to respond and resolve cases as quickly as possible. This pressure is increased tenfold with the current situation because of the added challenges of remote working, reduction in teams due to self-isolation or sickness, as well as time-sensitive time frames for many customers.