Meet Steph Farrar, Head of Motor Recoveries
Next in our series of leadership interviews we speak to Steph Farrar, Head of Motor Recoveries. Steph has created, implemented and established sopp+sopp’s Uninsured Loss Recovery (ULR) service as a cornerstone of our customer offering. In this interview, she shares insights into her role, and the projects she’s working on to drive continuous improvement at sopp+sopp.
Interview with Steph Farrar
Tell us about your responsibilities as Head of Motor Recoveries?
As Head of Motor Recoveries, I'm responsible for overseeing all aspects of Uninsured Loss Recovery (ULR). Where a fleet driver has been involved in a non-fault accident, my team and I claim back the incurred costs on behalf of our customer.
I joined sopp+sopp specifically to build an in-house ULR service to further improve the value we deliver for our fleet customers. I’m responsible for both the operational performance and strategic growth of the ULR service offering.
The response from customers has been incredibly positive, and I now lead a small but very skilled team of handlers. The fact that we operate as an integrated part of sopp+sopp’s wider accident management services allows us to deliver consistently impressive results for our customers, and we’re seeing demand for the service grow rapidly as a result.
Tell us a bit about your professional background, and how you came to join sopp+sopp.
I studied forensic science at university, and my early career took me through several different industries, trying to find something that suited me, before moving into the motor claims sector.
I first began working in recoveries when I joined the Kindertons Group as a Recoveries Handler. It really suited my skillset, and from there I quickly progressed to a supervisory role. I later moved to Sovereign Automotive, Kindertons’ specialist taxi division, again progressing swiftly through the ranks and eventually taking over as Head of Recoveries. In that role I restructured the department and introduced new processes to improve our efficiency as a team.
sopp+sopp approached me with an exciting new opportunity in September 2023, and I joined in October, ready for a new challenge and excited to be part of such a fast-growing and well-respected business.
What do you find most rewarding about working in claims management?
I’m naturally a problem solver, so what I enjoy most is finding creative ways to overcome challenges that others might just accept as the norm. This industry offers so much scope for creativity and continuous improvement, which I love.
While I am a very analytical person, I also place a lot of value on collaboration, both internally and externally. In this industry, interactions with third parties can often be habitually confrontational, but I believe a cooperative approach delivers far better outcomes and enjoy having the opportunity to build a cooperative network.
In this role, I get to combine my strategic and analytical thinking skills with a focus on building relationships, which makes for a varied and interesting work-life.
Talk us through sopp+sopp’s ULR service? What are the key benefits for customers?
When a fleet driver is involved in a non-fault incident, the fleet company often ends up footing the bill for vehicle hire and repair. Our service ensures they can recover their losses from the at-fault party.
What sets us apart is our processes, which enable us to proactively identify, pursue and recover incurred costs without requiring customer involvement. As part of sopp+sopp’s end-to-end accident management process, we take care of everything ensuring our customers fully recover incurred costs.
We operate a “no-win, no-fee" model, so there’s no risk to the customer and usually no administration time required from the fleet. We also offer full visibility and valuable MI – we can provide insight to our fleet customers around leakage, loss prevention and data capture, as well as identifying drivers or depots with a higher occurrence of non-fault incidents.
How are you enhancing the claims process to better support ULR?
Following extensive scoping, testing, and development, we are in the process of implementing a bespoke ULR system enhancement designed specifically to support our customers' requirements. Built by our very talented in-house development team, it will offer the exact functionality and automation we need to streamline our process further. For example, it will automatically identify new ULR claims, manage workflows, and further improve our reporting and dashboard tools.
As the business grows, we’re also scaling up the team, making sure we recruit the right people with the skills we need, so that we can continue to offer the level of service our growing customer-base have come to expect.
What developments or projects are you most looking forward to in the coming months?
I’m really excited about the continued development of our system, which is going to transform how we manage claims. We’ve also recently expanded our service to include pro-forma recoveries for vehicle damage and loss of use, ensuring customers aren’t left out of pocket following these types of losses. We will continue to expand our services wherever we identify an opportunity to add value to our customers.
On top of that, I’m very passionate about team member engagement. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. You simply can’t build a successful business without a team that feels valued, and I’m delighted to be part of a company that genuinely prioritises creating a great work culture and environment, and very much enjoying contributing to the projects that make this possible.
Uninsured Loss Recovery at sopp+sopp…
In-house Motor Recoveries team
sopp+sopp’s in-house Uninsured Loss Recovery provision empowers our fleet customers to minimise the costs associated with non-fault claims.
Our Motor Recoveries team works closely with our accident management specialists to ensure at-fault parties are identified swiftly and accurately, and engaged consistently to facilitate the best possible outcomes for our customers.
Minimising non-fault claims costs for our fleet customers
Our team works proactively to minimise the cost of non-fault claims for our customers. From the moment the incident occurs, they work to account for any costs incurred as a result, and engage third parties and their insurers to recover them wherever possible.
Steph comments:
“sopp+sopp’s uninsured loss recovery service ensures that our customers are not left out of pocket following a non-fault accident with another road user. Where the at-fault party can be identified, we will seek to ensure that all costs are recovered from them or their insurer, wherever possible.”
‘Pro-Forma’ Loss Recovery
Sometimes, your fleet might not wish to repair the damage to your vehicle immediately, or indeed at all. For example, if the repair could be scheduled in-line with expected service or maintenance, the damage is only cosmetic, or if the vehicle is due to be retired or de-fleeted in the near future.
However, your fleet can still reclaim costs from at-fault parties in these cases, even if the vehicle has not been repaired.
To achieve this, we can use pro forma estimates calculated and validated by our in-house engineers to invoice at-fault parties, based on the damage the vehicle has sustained, and how much it would cost to repair it in-full.
Liaising with third parties & their insurers on your behalf
sopp+sopp liaises with third parties and their insurers on your behalf to recoup any costs eligible.
We’ll ensure third parties remain engaged throughout the process, and are invoiced consistently for any costs for which they are liable.
Tailored & adapted to your fleet
Having our ULR function in-house enables us to tailor the process to your fleet’s unique requirements and policies, putting your brand and its reputation at the heart of our strategy.
We collect and utilise data throughout our partnership to identify your fleet’s specific challenges, obstacles, and opportunities - using this intelligence to promote an adaptive, responsive ULR service.
Steph explains:
“As everything is done in-house, in a custom-built process designed to plug-in seamlessly with our existing operations, customers can expect a coherent, end-to-end service, putting their vehicles back on the road and money back in their pockets.”
Seamless integration with your accident management process
Our ULR provision is integrated seamlessly with the rest of your accident management process, meaning we can work quickly to capture costs, identify liability, and settle eligible claims directly.
“By offering this service as part of our wider accident management provision, we can streamline claims from inception to settlement, commencing investigations into liability and insurer involvement as soon as a new claim is reported.
This means settlements can be obtained faster and more efficiently once invoices become available.”
Robust Litigation Strategy
As well as a dedicated in-house team of recoveries specialists, we are also supported by a panel of expert solicitors, with whom we work closely to enable us to take effective legal action against any insurer with whom we cannot agree settlement of your losses, or resolve liability in your favour.
This process ensures that all recoverable losses are settled fairly, and that insurers cannot simply ignore your claim. This helps to maximise recovery of costs, as well as keeping claim lifecycles lower by forcing insurers to action where they have been refusing to engage in negotiations.
Operated on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ basis
We perform Uninsured Loss Recovery on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ basis for our customers, meaning there’s no risk to their brand of business no matter the outcome.
This means they can harness the cost-saving benefit of ULR without the need for excess administration fees, or additional service outlay.
To learn more about sopp+sopp’s Uninsured Loss Recovery provision, or any of our other Fleet Accident Management services, get in touch today for a no-obligation chat!