Logging claim communications
Claim communications give each insurance claim a dated timeline of every contact with the insurer, so anyone picking up the case can see what was said and when. This article explains how to add and review communication entries.
Before you start
Adding a communication requires the Transition damage cases permission (damage-management:transition). Viewing the timeline requires the View damage management permission (damage-management:view). Both are held by SystemAdmin and FleetManager by default and can be granted to custom roles. A claim must already exist on the case before you can log communications against it.
Add a communication entry
Open the claim and add a communication to its timeline. Each entry captures when the contact happened, what kind of contact it was, and a short summary.
| Field | Required | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Communication date | Yes | When the contact took place. Entries are ordered by this date. |
| Type | No | The kind of contact, for example email, phone, or letter. Defaults to email if left blank. |
| Summary | No | A short free-text note describing what was communicated. |
The person who is signed in is recorded automatically as the actor on the entry, so you do not enter who logged it. Their user and email are stored with the communication for accountability.
Note: The communication date is separate from the date you create the entry. You can back-date an entry to reflect when a call or letter actually happened, which keeps the timeline accurate even if you log it later.
Review the claim timeline
The communications list for a claim shows every entry with the newest communication date first. Each row shows the date, the type, the summary, and the email of the actor who recorded it. Reading top to bottom gives you the most recent activity first; the full list reconstructs the back-and-forth with the insurer.
Good practices
- Log a communication as soon as it happens so the timeline stays complete and correctly ordered.
- Use the type field consistently (for example, always "phone" for calls) so entries are easy to scan.
- Keep summaries short but specific: note decisions, amounts discussed, and any commitments or deadlines the insurer gave.
- When the insurer sets a deadline for a response, also record it as a case deadline so it is tracked and flagged if it becomes overdue.
Tip: Pair the communication timeline with the claim's status field. Update the status to reflect the claim's current stage, and use communications to explain what drove each change.
Related
- Assigning an insurer and opening a claim
- Maintaining insurance companies
- Setting and tracking case deadlines and reminders
