Kathy Richards
Washington
Summary
Results-driven business analysis professional with experience in insurance operations, policy servicing, and customer service. Expertise in data analysis and process evaluation, with a strong ability to identify root causes and implement effective solutions. Proven track record of collaborating to define requirements, support successful implementations, and optimize workflows for maximum efficiency. Committed to leveraging extensive industry knowledge to drive continuous improvement and deliver exceptional results.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Policy Support Representative
Farmers Insurance
01.2024 - Current
- Analyze and process policy updates in FWS and related systems to ensure accurate DMV reporting
- Review policy and DMV data to identify discrepancies or missing information and determine appropriate corrective actions, coordinating with agents, customers, and internal teams.
- Ensure transactions align with underwriting rules, state regulations, and internal policies, helping maintain regulatory and audit compliance.
- Maintain accurate documentation and records to support audit, reporting, and process traceability.
- Meet or exceed productivity, quality, and turnaround time standards while prioritizing work based on SLAs and business impact.
- Contribute to process improvement by highlighting recurring issues, system gaps, and potential enhancements to process owners.
- Support training of team members by sharing best practices and clarifying procedures, contributing to knowledge transfer and consistency.
Operations Analyst I
Metropolitan Insurance
01.2017 - 01.2024
- Maintained company and state compliance for insurance reporting, analyzing requirements and ensuring timely, accurate submissions to state agencies.
- Evaluated new state implementations, interpreting regulatory guidelines and partnering with stakeholders to ensure processes and systems were configured correctly.
- Monitored daily vendor electronic feeds and state submissions, identifying delays, missed reporting, and error patterns and working with IT and vendors to resolve issues.
- Managed and monitored state and vendor website access for processors, ensuring appropriate access controls and smooth operational workflows.
- Reviewed and responded to state inquiries, Department of Insurance complaints, and elevated customer requests, researching underlying issues and crafting appropriate responses.
- Maintained and updated work instructions for the Certificate of Insurance team, translating complex requirements into clear, actionable procedures.
- Communicated changes in state reporting requirements to Service Operations and other stakeholders, helping ensure adherence to updated regulations and processes.
- Researched gaps or negative trends in reporting and operations, escalating systemic issues to IT or vendors and providing coaching and guidance to internal partners.
- Collaborated with Service Operations, claims, product, underwriting, compliance, sales, and other business units to reduce unnecessary referrals and prevent negative customer experiences.
- Investigated potential issues identified by the team, performing root cause analysis and recommending process and/or system improvements.
Senior Customer Service Specialist
Metropolitan Insurance
01.1996 - 01.2017
- Participated in cross-functional root cause problem-solving efforts, analyzing issues impacting customers, operations, and compliance.
- Partnered with underwriting and claims to design Coverage Verification and Fast Track Contested Coverage processes.
- Supported the re-platforming of Trexo Servicing Queues, providing operational insights, validating process enhancements, and assisting in issue identification and resolution.
- Acted as a project stakeholder for the Customer Processing Center and Centralized Processing, helping define requirements, review proposed changes, and ensure alignment with compliance and operational needs.
- Supported multiple functional areas within the Customer Processing Center, providing subject matter expertise on workflows, procedures, and customer impacts.
- Developed and maintained an extensive network of business partners across the organization, facilitating effective cross-functional collaboration.
- Provided information and training to peers and the claims organization, translating complex processes into clear, understandable guidance.
- Partnered with the Legal Department to provide data and research for litigation, including affidavits and subpoena processing.
Customer Relations / Customer Service Representative
Metropolitan Insurance
01.1995 - 01.1996
- Handled customer calls regarding policy changes and billing, diagnosing issues and providing accurate, timely resolutions.
Education
Associates - General Insurance
The Institutes
01-2017
Associates - Personal Insurance
The Institutes
01-2017
Skills
- Solutions-focused assistance
- Skilled in conveying information and understanding others
- Critical decision-making
- Data analysis and reporting
- Awareness of regulatory requirements
- Analytical problem resolution
- Requirements gathering and documentation
- Workflow analysis
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Rapid learner
- Mentorship and skill development
- Ability to design and implement action plans while meeting deadlines
- Customer satisfaction
- Escalation handling
Timeline
Policy Support Representative
Farmers Insurance
01.2024 - Current
Operations Analyst I
Metropolitan Insurance
01.2017 - 01.2024
Senior Customer Service Specialist
Metropolitan Insurance
01.1996 - 01.2017
Customer Relations / Customer Service Representative
Metropolitan Insurance
01.1995 - 01.1996
Associates - Personal Insurance
The Institutes
Associates - General Insurance
The Institutes