5 Steps to Stabilize Your Operations When Claims Volumes Spike 

The phones are ringing. Your inbox is flooded. And your team is already stretched thin. 

When claims volumes spike—whether from wildfires, severe storms, or an unexpected surge in events—insurance leaders face a familiar challenge: how to maintain speed, accuracy, and trust without sacrificing compliance or burning out your team. 

According to Munich Re, the pressure is very much real. Insured losses from secondary perils like floods, severe storms, and wildfires reached a record $98 billion in 2025. Unlike major hurricanes, secondary perils tend to happen more frequently and with less warning, and— from what we’ve seen—their financial impact is growing. 

If we zoom out, we’d see that global insured losses hit $100 billion in the first half of 2025 alone, the second-highest first half on record, according to Aon’s 2025 1H Global Catastrophe Recap. In other words, we saw six months of unprecedented volume, 

And the workforce is already under strain. Many claims teams were running lean before the surge—and now they’re being asked to do more with the same capacity, or sometimes even less. 

When capacity isn’t able to meet the demand for catastrophe claims response rises and capacity doesn’t, operational stability can become the difference between maintaining customer trust and risking regulatory scrutiny, errors, and churn. 

Here are five steps insurance leaders often take to stabilize operations when claims volumes spike. 

Step 1: Assess Real Time Capacity and Prioritize Triage 

One of the first moves many organizations make is understanding what they’re working with right now, in real time. 

This often means evaluating current adjuster and examiner bandwidth against incoming volume: 

• Where are the bottlenecks?  
• Which claims are sitting the longest?  
• Which may require immediate attention due to severity, regulatory timelines, or customer impact? 

Some organizations establish clear triage criteria so team leads can make faster, more confident prioritization decisions. Not every claim requires the same level of scrutiny or speed, and treating them all the same can create unnecessary delays. 

This step matters because speed and prioritization tend to impact customer satisfaction directly. In a recent Celent study of automobile claimants, 68% of those who said their claim closed quickly also said they loved their insurer.. Half of those customers loved their insurer so much they would stay even if it cost them more. 

For our partners, triage supports the most critical claims and helps them move forward without getting stuck behind lower-priority files. 

Step 2: Activate Flexible Staffing Models 

Once capacity gaps become clear, many organizations look for ways to close them—quickly. 

Surge staffing options like contract adjusters, temporary examiners, or cross-trained internal team members can help step in during high-volume periods. Remote and hybrid resources may expand capacity without the constraints of geography or long-term overhead. 

But speed and vetting often need to be balanced, especially in a regulated environment. The goal is to add capacity that integrates smoothly, rather than creating more work for existing teams. 

This is particularly relevant right now. The U.S. insurance industry lost 1,400 claims adjuster positions in August 2025 alone, according to Celent. That’s one month. And it reflects a broader trend that claims leaders have been reporting for years: they’re perpetually understaffed, often relying on the same stretched teams to handle increasingly volatile workloads. 

The labor market for experienced adjusters has tightened, and replacing that expertise quickly isn’t straightforward. Flexible staffing models can help organizations scale up during catastrophe claims response periods and scale back when volumes return to baseline—without the long lead times or commitments that come with traditional hiring. 

---

READ NEXT: Compliant Modernization for Data and AI in Insurance

---

Step 3: Streamline Workflows and Remove Friction 

Even with the right people in place, inefficient processes can create unnecessary drag. 

We’ve seen successful insurers take a closer look at their workflows during surge periods, asking themselves the following questions:  

• Where are the manual handoffs?  
• Which approval steps might be creating delays?  
• Are there duplicative tasks that could be consolidated or automated? 

According to Celent, adjusters today face information overload, pulling data from weather reports, accident records, fraud detection tools, medical reviews, telematics, and more. At the same time, claims complexity is rising due to catastrophes, social inflation, and emerging risks like cyber threats.  

Based on what we’ve seen, technology can help by automating routine tasks like document intake, status updates, and basic validations—freeing up skilled staff to focus on complex claims and exceptions. 

Some organizations simplify decision-making paths for straightforward claims. If a claim fits clear criteria and doesn’t involve red flags, empowering adjusters to move it forward without multiple layers of approval can reduce bottlenecks. 

Streamlining workflows removes friction so teams can do more of what matters—handling the cases that require judgment, expertise, and care. 

Step 4: Maintain Quality and Compliance Standards 

When volumes spike, there’s often pressure to move faster. However, speed and accuracy don’t necessarily have to be at odds. 

Many organizations reinforce quality assurance checkpoints during surge periods, especially for high-risk or high-value claims. Keeping documentation standards intact, even under pressure, can help protect against errors, rework, and compliance gaps that may be more costly than the time it takes to get things right. 

We’ve noticed that if claims cycle times stretch too long, customers, regulators, and internal stakeholders may start asking questions. According to Celent, claims cycle times can become “unbearably long” without proper capacity and process controls, leading to regulatory scrutiny and customer dissatisfaction. 

Building quality into your surge response can help protect your organization from risk down the road, as well as protecting your team from burnout. 

Step 5: Communicate Transparently with Customers and Stakeholders 

During a surge, silence can create anxiety. Customers often want to know their claim is being handled, even if there’s no resolution yet. 

Setting realistic expectations with policyholders about timelines and providing proactive updates—even if it’s just to confirm that their claim is in queue and being reviewed—can help build trust and reduce escalations. 

Internally, keeping teams and leadership informed on volume trends, capacity status, and any emerging risks helps everyone stay aligned and can help prevent surprises. 

A bad claims experience can lead customers to switch carriers at renewal—especially if rates go up at the same time, according to Celent. Oftentimes, communication may be the difference between a customer who stays loyal and one who starts shopping around. 

Frequent, honest communication also tends to help internal teams feel supported. When everyone knows what’s happening and why, it’s can be easier to stay focused and move through high-pressure periods together. 

Building Resilience for the Next Surge 

Spikes are part of the reality of running insurance operations. As we see it, catastrophic events, seasonal patterns, and unexpected trends will continue to test capacity and agility. 

But the organizations that can stabilize quickly during surges have built the muscle memory to respond. They know how to assess capacity in real time, activate flexible staffing, streamline workflows, maintain quality, and communicate transparently. 

Leaders who build these capabilities now may be better positioned for future volatility. And when the next spike comes, they’ll have the operational agility to protect both their teams and their customers. 

At Insight Global, we work with insurance leaders to provide flexible, vetted talent solutions that can support surge capacity and long-term operational resilience. If your organization is navigating a claims volume spike or preparing for the next one, we’re here to help you explore what might work for your team. Connect with us today to learn more.