3 Keys to Preparing for a Successful SaaS Implementation

Congratulations! You’re ready to transform your company’s claims management system with a digital-first, cloud-based claims platform that will simplify your claims process and delight your customers. Your organization is nimble, forward-thinking, and ready to get things up and running, as quickly as possible. All you need to do is set up your account and start processing claims, right?

Not quite…

While SaaS product implementations can (and should!) be significantly faster than an on-premise approach, they aren’t automatically successful. You’ll need to prepare for and manage your implementation plan correctly if you want to develop and deploy the full power of an intelligently automated, end-to-end claims process – in just a matter of weeks.

Here are three key steps your team should follow to help get your digital claims operation up and running quickly:

1. Assign an internal Claims Product Champion.

Your Claims Product Champion will be responsible for understanding how the platform works, as well as ensuring the configuration fits the goals of your claims organization. They will “own” the success of the implementation and be involved in every aspect, from understanding the various configuration tools to working with the implementation team to optimizing the platform.

As your Claims Champion will be deeply invested in the success of the launch, they’ll become a driving force within the team to ensure that everything and everyone is ready for the go-live date. In addition, their role as a de facto product expert will allow them to address any questions about the platform that may come up, either during or after the implementation. This in-house knowledge will allow your organization to be less reliant on the third-party platform provider, enabling you to ramp up faster, iterate more efficiently, and use the system to its full potential.

2. Define the organization’s claims goals and use them as your “North Star.”

Modern SaaS platforms allow organizations to quickly provide capabilities that are typically absent in their existing systems, while also positioning the company to provide a best-in-class claims experience for its stakeholders. However, distinguishing between the tangible benefits you can achieve at launch versus all of the benefits you ever hoped for can be a challenge.

It’s very easy to get distracted thinking about all of the “what if” scenarios, e.g., the platform fields you could create or vendor integrations you could leverage. The fact is, many of those capabilities are ‘nice to have’ and might not drive the same magnitude of value as implementing additional automation or customer engagement options, for example. To launch quickly and truly unlock business value, you need to identify the most impactful drivers of your digitized claims transformation and ruthlessly pursue them.

 

3. Align your resources before the implementation begins.

Multiple stakeholders are involved in a successful claims transformation, from technical and business subject matter experts to operational leadership – even end-users play a critical role. And every one of these parties needs to be prepared for what’s required of them, before the implementation begins.

For example, for your technical resources, determine who needs to be equipped with any API documentation available from the vendor to begin the policy admin system integration mapping as early as possible. For end-users, align on what the claims operating model will look like for launch so everyone knows their role. This includes internal staff as well as any third-party staff that may be part of your claims process. Think through who will need to be trained, what they will need to be trained on, and how to ensure they will practice in a test environment before going live. Trying to make these decisions during the implementation will add time and cost to the project and increase the chances of a disjointed launch.

Launching a new SaaS claims platform and transforming your claims organization can be done in a matter of weeks. But doing it successfully requires strategic planning, preparation, and focus. Look for a claims vendor who knows what a successful claims transformation looks like and is willing to partner with you in your journey.