Case study
How Robin Assist expanded its global payment capabilities with Acclaim
Global travel insurance TPA
Robin Assist is a global travel insurance TPA providing 24/7 claims and assistance services for insurers and travel protection programmes around the world.
- Faster payment options
- More claimant choice
- Improved payment visibility
- Built for global programmes
- 3 weeks
- to the first live payments
- 3 days
- of development for the API integration
- ~25%
- of potential second payments prevented
- Hours
- for funds to arrive, sometimes minutes
Overview
As part of that work, Robin Assist coordinates payments to claimants, hospitals, medical providers and other suppliers across multiple countries and currencies.
As Robin Assist continued to expand its programmes internationally, the team wanted to broaden the payment methods available to claimants and make greater use of local digital payment options.
A new Canadian programme created one of those requirements: support for Interac e-Transfer.
Robin Assist’s existing payment infrastructure did not support Interac, so the team evaluated several additional payment providers and selected Acclaim on speed of delivery, breadth of local payment methods, cross-border cost and the ability to integrate with its existing claims platform.
What started with a specific Canadian requirement quickly developed into a broader partnership.
The opportunity
For Robin Assist, the claims payment experience is an important part of the overall customer journey.
Claimants may be receiving reimbursement following a medical emergency, cancelled trip, lost baggage or another unexpected event while travelling. Once a claim has been approved, Robin Assist wants the payment process to be as fast and straightforward as possible.
International payments can also vary significantly by country. A traditional international wire may be appropriate in one situation, while a local digital payment method can provide a much better experience in another.
Robin Assist therefore wanted to add greater flexibility to its existing payment capabilities.
The priorities included:
- Support for local payment methods, including Interac e-Transfer
- Fast delivery of funds
- Greater choice for claimants
- Secure collection of claimant payment information
- Clear payment status and validation
- Competitive cross-border payment costs
- API connectivity with Robin Assist’s existing claims platform
- The ability to support different insurance programmes and branded customer experiences
Acclaim provided those capabilities.
Implementation
Robin Assist took a phased approach to implementation.
The team initially used Acclaim alongside its existing payment processes, allowing Robin Assist to begin supporting the new payment methods quickly while the API integration was completed.
The first payments were live within three weeks.
The subsequent API integration with Robin Assist’s claims platform took just three days of development work.
This allowed Acclaim to become part of Robin Assist’s existing claims environment rather than requiring teams to adopt an entirely new workflow.
Approved payments could be initiated through the existing process, while payment status information could flow back into Robin Assist’s systems.
For Robin Assist, this was particularly important. Acclaim added another capability to its global payments infrastructure without requiring significant changes to the way its claims teams worked.
“We’ve been genuinely impressed with Acclaim’s ability to move quickly, implement with us and customise the solution around our needs.”
Results
As Mark explained:
“Speed to payment for the customer is the number one priority.”
Additional payment options for claimants
Adding local digital payment methods means many claimants can receive approved claims payments considerably faster than through a traditional international wire.
Depending on the country and payment method, funds can arrive within hours and sometimes minutes.
More choice for customers
Claimants can securely enter their own payment information and, where available, select the payment method that works best for them.
This creates a simpler customer experience while reducing the need for sensitive banking information to be exchanged directly with Robin Assist.
Co-branded payment communications can also reflect both Robin Assist and the insurance programme it is administering, helping customers understand who is making the payment and why.
Claimants noticed
One of the clearest indicators of the impact came directly from customers.
During the first six months, Robin Assist received unsolicited emails from claimants commenting positively on the payment experience.
One claimant wrote:
“I received payment on my claim today. Very slick payment deposit process.”
For Robin Assist, that kind of feedback is particularly valuable. Claims payments are usually the final stage of a customer’s claim, so making that experience simple and fast can leave a lasting impression.
Better payment validation
Acclaim also provides validation before a payment is issued.
If payment information is incomplete or incorrect, the issue can be identified before funds are sent, with greater visibility into what needs to be corrected.
Robin Assist estimates that this validation has prevented approximately 25% of potential second payment issuances, avoiding unnecessary payment attempts and making the experience smoother for both claimants and operational teams.
Better payment visibility
Payment status information is integrated into Robin Assist’s existing environment, giving finance and operational teams clearer visibility throughout the payment lifecycle.
This also supports reconciliation and reporting across different insurance programmes and payment accounts.
More efficient cross-border payments
Local payment methods can also be more cost-effective than traditional international payment methods.
As Robin Assist has expanded its use of Acclaim, it has been able to use the most appropriate payment method depending on the programme, country and claimant rather than relying on a single approach to international payments.
Expanding the partnership
What began with a requirement to support Interac e-Transfer in Canada has expanded across multiple Robin Assist programmes.
Acclaim now forms part of a broader payment infrastructure that Robin Assist can use alongside other payment capabilities depending on the needs of each client and market.
As Mark explained:
“Acclaim has become one of our preferred payment solutions. It gives us another way to get money to customers quickly and gives us the flexibility to support different programmes and markets.”
For Robin Assist, the partnership is ultimately about giving customers a better experience while continuing to build a flexible global claims operation.
As Robin Assist adds new programmes, countries and partners, that flexibility becomes increasingly important.