March 20, 2020 by Adam Malik
All Northbridge employees are working from home and the company doesn’t expect any disruption on service levels, according to the carrier.
Northbridge told Canadian Underwriter that its top priority is the health and wellness of its employees, brokers, and customers. “As a proactive measure to help curb the spread of COVID-19, all of our employees are now working remotely,” a company spokesperson said via email. “There will be no interruption of service and brokers and customers can continue to contact us through our regular methods of communication.”
When it comes to claims payments, proof of loss forms, or sending and receiving proof of ownership and keys, Northbridge said, “We are continuing to pay customers via electronic funds transfer where possible, and cheques are being issued regularly. We are accepting digital images (scans or photos) for the majority of claims forms, and only requiring notarized proof of loss forms for a small number of cases. We are still accepting physical mail, so ownership forms and keys can be mailed or couriered to our offices.”
The company has created a resource page related to COVID-19 with resources and links to websites that can help customers and brokers through a pandemic. It includes links to a Government of Canada website on resources for businesses as well as tips from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business on keeping safe as threats from the virus continue.
Northbridge has also created a link to help organizations understand business continuity plans. It outlines the general nature of a business continuity plan and what the key risks are for a business, including information about what to do during a pandemic. Its recommendations are:
And if you don’t have an emergency contact list, Northbridge has created a template for businesses. Information like manager and employee info, emergency numbers beyond 911, insurance information and other important contacts can be included.
“As the situation evolves, we’ll continue to monitor developments and provide updates and additional resources through this channel,” the Northbridge spokesperson said.
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