Allstate opens campus to teach claims handling with hands-on auto labs

Allstate Claims University has opened in Dallas, where the insurance company says claims professionals will receive immersive training on real-world home and auto damage scenarios. 

The 33,000-square-foot training campus is designed to help claims teams sharpen their skills before they arrive at a customer’s home or assess a damaged vehicle, a news release states. It adds that more accurate damage assessments can help customers better understand what needs to be repaired, make informed decisions and move through recovery more quickly and efficiently. 

“The investment in Allstate Claims University starts with our people and ends with our customers,” said Mike Fiato, Allstate executive vice president and chief claims officer, in the release. “When someone’s home is damaged by a storm or their vehicle is involved in an accident, they need more than a claim processed: they need an expert who can understand what happened, explain what comes next and help them move forward. By investing in our teams, we’re helping ensure customers receive the expertise, care and confidence they need when it matters most.”

According to the release, the university’s centerpiece learning sites are the hands-on Auto Lab and Property Lab. The Auto Lab includes nearly 30 vehicles that help claims professionals better understand evolving vehicle technology, repair methods, and complex damage scenarios. The Property Lab features two full-scale, two-story homes that recreate a range of damage scenarios. 

“The Auto Lab was designed using insights from more than 3.5 million claims data points,” the release states. “It includes electric, hybrid, and conventional vehicles selected to represent common and complex damage scenarios.” 

Claims professionals train on collision, flood, hail, and structural damage as well as repairs involving airbags, cameras, sensors, and advanced driver assistance systems, the release states. 

“Hands-on access to diagnostic tools and repair demonstrations helps them understand how new vehicle technology can affect damage assessments and repair decisions,” the release states. 

Inside the Property Lab, the two homes allow claims professionals to examine both visible damage and what can happen behind walls, ceilings, and floors. One home recreates damage caused by water, fire, wind, hail, and structural impacts. The other exposes building systems and materials that are typically hidden from view. 

“Severe weather, evolving construction methods and increasingly sophisticated vehicles are making claims more complex,” the release states. “Allstate Claims University gives claims professionals practical experience before they arrive at a customer’s home or assess a damaged vehicle.”

Hands-on training teaches claims professionals how increasingly sophisticated vehicle technologies can influence repair decisions. 

“That preparation helps teams make more informed assessments, explain repair recommendations more clearly and provide a more consistent experience throughout the recovery process,” the release states.

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Photos courtesy of Allstate