Liberty Mutual Insurance's commercial property claims unit has  introduced two new technologies, allowing it to inspect and estimate claims virtually. 

One allows customers to stream video from damaged properties to Liberty Mutual's commercial property claims specialists, allowing the insurer to better and more quickly understand the damage. 

The other is a Liberty Mutual app, allowing customers to provide images of the damage from a smartphone or tablet. Claims managers can use this to accurately measure the impacted area, speeding claims estimating and adjustment.

Liberty Mutual stressed that there are times when in-person damage evaluation is the best approach to helping a policyholder quickly rebound from a loss, and promised the technologies will not replace in-person visits in such cases. 

In many cases, however, in-person visits may not be necessary, with the new technologies speeding up the claims process. "When commercial property is damaged, every minute counts," said Liberty Mutual manager of commercial property claims, Taylor Archambault. "Liberty Mutual has invested in technology, infrastructure and processes to quickly, accurately and safely adjust property claims remotely. Our customers can rest assured that our expert resources will leverage the right resources based upon the complexity and severity of the claim."