Integrate Technology Thoughtfully

The 2024 Workers' Compensation Benchmarking Study, which managed-care firm Rising Medical Solutions published in August 2025, provides claims leaders with a practical map for the changing workplace landscape: rapid digitization that integrates seamlessly with the existing workforce.

The report, part of an ongoing research program that surveys claims leaders and frontline practitioners, builds on responses from more than 1,300 claims professionals and a series of executive focus groups to demonstrate how high-performing organizations are leveraging technology to refine workflows. The study found that professionals are redesigning roles so that technology performs predictable, transactional tasks, enabling people to focus on exceptions, clinical judgment, and relationship work that drive outcomes.

Cisco's 2025 global study of nearly 8,000 business and technical decision makers, The Race to an Agentic Future: How Agentic AI Will Transform Customer Experience, reveals that organizations are planning sweeping shifts toward agentic automation, forecasting that advanced, semiautonomous tools will absorb a large share of routine customer interactions in the coming years. Companies expect machines to handle scale; humans must preserve nuance.

Rising Medical Solutions' research supplies organizations with actionable strategies to make that happen. The report highlights increased hiring, expanded training, and broader access to technology for frontline staff.

"Training initiatives should not only focus on technical claims management but also prioritize soft skills like empathy, active listening, and cultural awareness," the report explains. "Incorporating soft skills development alongside technical skills are crucial for building stronger relationships with clients and navigating complex cases."

Along those lines, customers have expressed frustration with the way organizations handle customer service. According to 2025 research by Pega, an artificial-intelligence platform provider, 77 percent of 4,000 consumers from North America and the UK believe businesses need to invest more in improving customer interactions, despite advancements in customer service technology.

One solution, according to Rising Medical Solutions' research, is to leverage technology for talent optimization. The report notes that organizations can use technology and predictive modeling to identify training needs, analyze past audits, and develop custom learning content. Doing so addresses multiple problems by streamlining workflows and enabling professionals to focus on customer-centric roles.

The report also suggests expanding recruitment pools, enhancing career path transparency, and investing in comprehensive training programs.

"To achieve true transformation, organizations need to invest in an ecosystem future with new technology that will rapidly advance digitization and automation to support better customer experience," the report notes.