Claims technology creates the most value when it strengthens human expertise rather than replacing it. According to Koen Molenaar (Sales & Innovation Manager at Van Ameyde), the real opportunity lies in giving claims professionals better tools to make informed decisions and focus on the cases that need their judgement most.
With more than two decades of experience in insurance technology, Koen has seen ECHO develop alongside changing claims processes, customer expectations and technological possibilities.
We spoke with him about why ECHO was developed, the role of human expertise, and where claims technology is heading next.
The story of ECHO started with a practical need.
Around 2005–2006, Van Ameyde was looking for technology capable of supporting complex claims handling while providing the level of process automation the organisation required. When the right solution could not be found in the market, the decision was made to build it internally.
Since then, ECHO has continued to evolve. Its current generation is modular and service-based, with development shaped closely by the people working with claims every day.
“ECHO is built by and for claims handlers.”
For Koen, that connection with claims expertise is fundamental: technology should follow the claims process rather than force the claims process to follow the technology.
Not necessarily. One misconception Koen sees is the idea that claims technology is primarily about replacing claims handlers. His perspective is different:
“It is not about phasing out claims handlers. It is about phasing out unnecessary manual work.”
Routine activities such as data entry, claim routing and status updates can increasingly be automated, giving claims professionals more time for complex cases, client interaction and decisions that require expertise.
Human judgement therefore remains an important part of the process. Particularly in complex liability decisions, Koen sees technology and AI as tools to support decision-making rather than automatically taking responsibility for every decision.
For Koen, implementing technology is not an objective in itself. Its value becomes visible when it improves the wider claims operation.
That means looking beyond individual tools or isolated automation and considering the complete journey: how information enters the organisation, how claims are triaged, how handlers are supported, and how data can be used to improve decisions.
ECHO has been developed around that end-to-end perspective, bringing processes, information and claims expertise together within one environment.
Koen expects AI and data interpretation to play an increasingly important role in claims management, particularly during intake and triage.
More information can be collected, enriched, and interpreted before a claim reaches the handler, enabling better-prepared files and more consistent triage. At the same time, organisations need transparency about how AI-supported recommendations are produced. A clear audit trail, human oversight and explainable decision logic will remain essential.
For Koen, that points towards a future in which technology and expertise increasingly work together. Not by removing the human element from claims management, but by ensuring human expertise can be used where it matters most.
Discover how ECHO helps claims organisations gain more control, efficiency and consistency.
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