No-one ever expects to be in an accident, but if something does go wrong, you’re going to want to be protected by an experienced and reliable insurer with the equipment, networks and knowledge to take control of the situation.
With heavy vehicles becoming increasingly expensive and their cargo more delicate, and with clients becoming more time-sensitive than ever before, there’s nothing like the peace of mind that comes with being insured with NTI, Australia’s Specialist Insurance provider.
With over 50 years of experience in the insurance industry, NTI offers premium specialist assistance products designed to protect Australian businesses and families at their most vulnerable and help reduce lost income.
NTI Accident Assist offers support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, giving you immediate access to their in-house services when an incident happens.
Richard Gibson, NTI’s national manager for Repair Quality and Incident Response, said the company’s services are fully integrated and really go above and beyond for their customers in a time of need.
“If a customer calls Accident Assist on 1800-684-669, we provide over-the-phone accident scene management, along with the ability to dispatch specialist services if required.”
By calling Accident Assist, you get access to not only NTI’s in house expertise, but also NTI’s authorised heavy vehicle recovery operators to recover your vehicle using the latest skills and equipment, to prevent further damage and ensure that the scene is cleaned up with safety in mind and returning the environment to its native state.
“We have a list of heavy vehicle recovery operators contracted to us. If we need specialist equipment to help clean up a unique situation, we’ve always got access to someone that will help us out.
“That’s a major selling point for us. It can cost tens of thousands, right through to millions of dollars to clean up the side of the road when you deal with certain chemicals or damaged infrastructure, so we make sure you’re not getting stranded when an expensive bill or complex situation comes along.”
Accident Assist provides many extra services, depending on the situation presented at the time of an accident. It takes the thinking out of “what to do next” during an accident.
A key benefit is that NTI can launch your insurance claim automatically if contact is made through NTI’s Service Centre.
“If you ring the Accident Assist number, you can start lodging the claim process as you go through. It’s very seamless because all functions are integrated.
“In the event of a traumatic experience, Accident Assist can arrange post-incident counselling for the driver if needed. We look after the mental health and wellbeing side of things as well, which NTI is quite passionate about. Included in this is our trauma counselling which is offered during an accident.
“We also have access to registered nurses, so if you are in an accident you can speak to a nurse. They can give you advice over the phone and let you know whether you need further assistance.
“We can relay urgent messages to loved ones if required. If we need to, we’ll also engage with emergency services.
“We can arrange for your driver to be transported back to base, if they are away from home. We even had one on the weekend where that extended to the owner’s dog that was travelling with them as well.”
Depending on the size of the incident, NTI will activate their internal Incident Response Managers to help with an accident scene.
“As an example, we had a livestock incident recently. We sent one of our guys out to attend the scene. Unfortunately some of the livestock on board suffered during the roll over and required attention.
“It was a Sunday and we were struggling to get hold of somebody to help with that, we need expertise that had the relevant licensing etc. One of our service provider pain points is quick payment, especially for operating out of hours. In this instance we had the ability to offer quick payment if they came out, so we were able to get it sorted and the highway opened up again. They are tricky situations you are not expecting to solve when you start your day.”
If an incident has to be reported to the EPA or a relevant government organisation, NTI has an existing relationship that can make the process as efficient and painless as possible. Different states and councils can have different rules in place and require differing levels of response. The more accidents you handle the bigger your contact list gets, and getting access to the right departments helps control the timeline.
“That helps with repatriating the environment the right way, which also controls cost and customer experience. The more you can control these things, the less painful it is.
“At the end of the day, we’re the sort of people you really want to know when you have an accident.”
NTI abide by the principle that they are so much more than “just insurance”.
Gibson continued: “We set out as a business to be bigger and better in the service we provide. We are constantly trying to improve our service to meet the market.
“We treat every claim, assessment and accident like it’s our own situation.
“Having had family go through accidents and trauma in the past, we like to provide the experience that we would provide for our own family. You want your drivers looked after and cared for.
“We don’t want our customers to have accidents, but knowing that they will one day have one, we are there to make the experience as seamless as possible and to remove as much pain as possible.”
For more information about NTI’s Accident Assist, contact your insurance broker or call 1800 684 669 (1800 NTI NOW) any time, day or night.