Supporting our customers means understanding their actual and potential risk exposures. It also means keeping the underwriting teams for Zurich and our Program Administrators up to date on those exposures so they can provide solutions and customize the competitive coverage to meet our customers’ needs. On both ends, that requires thorough risk assessments, using advanced technology and resources.

Of course, we also want to ensure what we offer in our risk assessment “toolkit” is a good fit with the needs and budgets of the Program Administrators we work with.

A recent addition to that “toolkit” has proven to be a game-changer on all these fronts. Using iAuditor by SafetyCulture™, Zurich is creating a robust reporting system that meets customer, underwriter and Program Administrator needs while improving the assessment focus, ordering, reporting and recommendation follow-up processes. Our Programs team has found tremendous value from iAuditor in both performing assessments and in empowering underwriters to see the assessments as they are completed in real time.

iAuditor is a management software system and assessment app that can be used easily in the field or in the office via handheld devices, tablets, laptop or desktop computers. It allows Zurich’s Programs team and customers to collect consistent data, standardize assessment operations, and send and receive reports easily.

The tool also has a powerful analytical platform that can be used by Program Administrators and managers alike to identify areas, locations and items that are causing exposure to loss. This valuable data facilitates reports unique to the exposures of each specific program and allows the PA to drive future decisions and support needed for their customers.

SUITELIFE Underwriting Managers is the Program Administrator for Zurich’s program placing coverage for boutique hotels, 4- and 5-star full-service and resort hotels. Janet Wright, Director of Risk Management for SUITELIFE, says her team has seen great improvements in efficiencies through use of iAuditor.

“Previously, Underwriting or Risk Management would need to reach out to our Zurich Risk Engineering manager to find out the status of a survey, who it was assigned to, or obtain other details,”Wright said. “We are now able to pull a survey at any time and obtain this information. It has substantially cut down on administration time. Surveys are generally completed quicker than they previously were, which allows us to address important and critical risk-improvement actions with the broker and insured in a more timely manner.”

John Welty, President of SUITELIFE, also praised the ease of use of the system.

“iAuditor’s ability to ease updates, change and adapt to a changing workplace greatly improves response time and adaptability,” he explained.

Wright added, “The iAuditor program is very user-friendly and has many features to create quality surveys and easily make updates. The transition from the previous system to iAuditor was seamless, with no downtime or disruption. The final report is clear, easy to follow and very detailed.

The resources/templates provided within the platform are very useful and are additional tools to be used when creating new risk management resources.”

Welty said he also appreciates that the tool allows SUITELIFE to customize risk-improvement actions that are “customer-centric — in our case, guest experience-centric.”

“Customers now feel that we understand their business from their perspective.

” Zurich worked closely with SUITELIFE in helping them implement iAuditor in their business. Wright called it, “truly a team effort.”

“After many meticulous reviews of survey questions and supplemental surveys, we were able to create a series of questions that cover the majority of the exposures that we encounter,” she noted. “We are also able to link resources from the SUITELIFE Risk Management library directly into the program for engineers to share with the broker and hotelier — having a direct impact on the guest experience.”