COLUMBUS, Ga., Feb. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac (NYSE:
AFL), the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the work
site in the United States,
announced today that it is introducing One Day Pay(SM),
a trailblazing initiative that allows the company to receive,
process, approve and disburse payment to policyholders for eligible
claims within just one business day. If Aflac policyholders follow
a few simple steps, they can receive their benefits faster than
ever before.
"When Aflac was founded 60 years ago, we made a promise to each
of our policyholders to be there with a payment in the event of a
covered illness or accident," said Dan
Amos, chairman and chief executive officer at Aflac.
"Aflac's One Day Pay initiative is our way of saying that no matter
what gets in your way, trips you up or slows you down, getting
claims processed and paid won't be one of them. We continue to
proudly stand behind the fact that no one processes and pays claims
faster than Aflac."
The company is not only processing claims faster, but also
simplifying the claims submission process for policyholders. Aflac
SmartClaim®, the company's online claims submission
system, removes the guesswork for policyholders and provides
easy-to-answer questions to guide users step-by-step through the
process. Once the questions are answered, SmartClaim identifies the
supporting documents the policyholder needs to upload. With a few
clicks of a mouse, the claim is submitted and processing
begins.
SmartClaim submission is available for all types of individual
Accident, Cancer, Hospital and Sickness; Hospital Indemnity,
Intensive Care and Specified Health Event claims – regardless of
whether they are simple, moderate or complex claims. If an eligible
claim is submitted via SmartClaim by 3 p.m.
ET, Monday-Friday, with all supporting documentation, Aflac
processes, approves and disburses payment for the claim within one
business day. To receive payments even faster, direct deposit
enrollment is available and recommended.
"One Day Pay is simply the natural evolution of the way we've
always done business," added Amos. "At Aflac, we make it a priority
to process and pay, not deny and delay."
Aflac Duck Doesn't Want Consumers to Wait
To spread
the One Day Pay message, Aflac is launching the largest, most
integrated marketing campaign in the company's history. Using a
variety of new, high-profile and engaging programs, the
campaign delivers the message that Aflac provides the easiest and
fastest claims experience in the industry, reinforcing Aflac's
promise to pay policyholders quickly when crisis
strikes.
Given that 81 percent of Facebook and Twitter users expect a
same-day response from companies to questions and
complaints1, it's clear that speed of service is
something that really matters to consumers in today's digital
world.
"With One Day Pay, if Aflac policyholders follow three simple
steps, they can press submit on a claim and have it processed and
paid within one business day," said Michael
Zuna, chief marketing officer at Aflac. "Other companies may
say they can get your money to you quickly, but what really
separates Aflac from the rest is the speed at which we
process the claims. From start to finish, we're the first
and only company in the industry to say that we can process,
approve and pay claims within one business day."
With the help of the Aflac Duck, the company will bring the One
Day Pay initiative to life in compelling ways across a wide variety
of media. For example, the company plans to skip entire commercial
breaks to bring Americans right back to the television events they
enjoy most without waiting. Viewers watching the E! Live from the
Red Carpet show from 6-8 p.m. EST
prior to the GRAMMY®s on Sunday,
Feb. 8, will get the first look at this creative execution.
The unique approach, designed to accelerate and enhance the
television viewers' experience, will continue throughout the year
with special programming such as:
- Creating humorous skits about speed with Jimmy Kimmel
Live!;
- Reaching the suspenseful endings faster of popular movies such
as The Bourne Legacy on FX; and
- Speeding viewers to the finales of major sports events like the
Daytona 500.
A Peek Behind the Curtains of Aflac's Claims
Experience
Fans of the Aflac Duck on Facebook and Twitter
will get a glimpse of the people behind the claims process through
a series of videos in which real Aflac Claims Specialists share
their perspectives on how processing and paying claims quickly
positively impacts Aflac policyholders every day. All of these
videos, along with photos, quotes and more, will help bring a human
touch to Aflac's claims experience and will be aggregated on
Aflac's new One Day Pay Tumblr page.
For the first time, those who follow the Aflac Duck on social
media also will enjoy a special behind-the-scenes look at
entertaining outtakes and extended scenes from the company's newest
commercial, Eureka! One Day Pay. The bonus content features the
Aflac Duck as well as his new friends: an unassuming mule and two
prospectors. The commercial will debut nationally during the
57th GRAMMY Awards® on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m.
EST on CBS Television Network.
In the new spot, the Aflac Duck and two hikers come across a
pair of prospectors who are mining for claims on a riverbank. The
trio quickly realizes that the dated characters are on a fool's
errand and mention how quickly Aflac processes and pays claims. The
prospector characters joke about "some newfangled one-day pay
machine;" but, little do they know that SmartClaim technology has
made it a reality. Watch to see how the Aflac Duck helps make these
prospectors One Day Pay believers.
To learn more, visit aflac.com/onedaypay.
About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt,
Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For nearly six decades, Aflac
insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to
focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the leading
provider of voluntary insurance at the worksite. In Japan, Aflac insures one in four households.
Aflac individual and group insurance products help provide
protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For eight
consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere
magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2014,
Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best
Companies to Work For in America for the 16th consecutive year.
Also, in 2014, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list
of Most Admired Companies for the 13th time, ranking the company
number one in the life and health insurance category. Aflac
Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac,
visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com.
Analyst and investor contact – Robin Y.
Wilkey, 706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, fax: 706.324.6330 or
rwilkey@aflac.com
Media contact – Kip Havel,
706-243-5543 or mediarelations@aflac.com
1 Consumer Views of Live Help Online 2012: A Global
Perspective, Oracle, 2012.
http://www.oracle.com/us/products/applications/commerce/live-help-on-demand/oracle-live-help-wp-aamf-1624138.pdf
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SOURCE Aflac