• Third-party administrators service for large buyers
• Third-party administrators expertise for small and large buyers
• Third-party administrators overall for large buyers

Cutting-edge technology delivered by colleagues trained to provide customers with quality service help set Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc. apart from the competition, said David A. North, the third-party administrator's president and CEO.

And the technology Sedgwick relies on to provide customers with risk services is largely developed in-house by 300 employees dedicated to that task. That means his company can tailor solutions meeting specific customer needs without relying on third-party technology vendors to do so, Mr. North said.

Sedgwick's size and its acquisition of competitors and other service providers over the past two years or so also have put the company in a unique position to deliver tailored solutions to clients, said Elizabeth Demaret, executive vice president and chief customer relationship officer.

The acquisitions add to Sedgwick's depth of expertise at a time when market conditions demand specialization, Ms. Demaret said.

The TPA continually builds its specialization prowess by listening to customers, tailoring solutions specifically for them, then taking the resulting models and customizing them further to meet the needs of still other clients, she added.

Providing customers with products and services they ask for is paying off for Sedgwick, as it was honored with Business Insurance's Buyers Choice awards in four categories for 2012. The awards are for TPA service for large buyers, TPA expertise for small buyers and large buyers, and overall TPA for large buyers.

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TPA operations make up one of the most competitive segments in the property/casualty industry, Mr. North said. So Sedgwick and its 10,400 employees across the country are proud of the Buyers Choice award recognition, he added.

But Sedgwick also is different from its competitors because it manages property/casualty claims, as well as short- and long-term disability claims, and offers employee leave administration services, Mr. North says.

That has allowed the TPA to “cross-pollinate” or transfer knowledge from one area of its operations to the other. For example, Sedgwick has borrowed lessons learned in the more technologically advanced area of disability management and applied them to its workers compensation practices.

And the TPA continues to make significant investments in expanding its subject-matter experts in areas such as return to work, job accommodation, and legislation, says Steven Penman, executive vice president, specialty operations.