The employee benefits market evolves daily. With a near-constant pace of innovation and the dynamic nature of working with customers, The Hartford is laser-focused on adhering to our vision and values. We sat down with Dustin Kingsbury, our head of Employee Benefits Claims, to talk about his work, industry trends and what keeps him grounded professionally and otherwise.
How would you describe your role at The Hartford?
DK: In the simplest terms, I lead The Hartford’s Employee Benefits Claims organization. My team and I are accountable for the claim journey from start to finish, whether for a short-term disability leave, a state family leave claim or even a life insurance claim.
I see my role as transformational to how our industry supports people during life’s critical moments. Beyond the operational scope of managing claims, we set the vision of a claims experience in which people feel cared for. I work to equip and empower my team to deliver on our promise of making the claims process as easy as possible, while layering it with compassionate experiences for claimants. It’s a big responsibility and a privilege. We have the chance to humanize the insurance and help people when they need it most.
How would you describe the work your team does?
DK: The work my team does is dynamic and grounded in human impact. Every claim is a life event in motion. One day, we might be handling a parental leave claim for a growing family, and the next day we might be guiding someone through the loss of a loved one by facilitating a life insurance claim. Our work runs the gamut from the joyous to the tragic. We handle the operational process of employee benefits claims, while also being accountable for the experiences customers have in these sensitive moments when we’re working with them. It’s more than just paperwork and transactions; it’s a journey we’re facilitating with each claimant.
We focus on experience creation, deliberately crafting how the interaction feels for the claimant. We aim to bring ease, empathy and expertise to each claim and to humanize the insurance claims process. Our goal is for our customers to feel like they were truly cared for in a way that makes challenging and complex moments a little bit easier.
How does your team achieve success?
DK: Success isn’t just a metric; it’s an ongoing standard for each interaction we have internally with our colleagues and externally with our customers. We achieve that by maintaining a clear vision and living our values consistently.
Our values are defined by a vision of a customer-first experience that anticipates needs through a proactive, personalized and guided claims journey supported by our people. That experience is informed by data and enabled by technology. The employee benefits market is ever-changing, with new products and technologies in constant development, but the latest trends aren’t always aligned to our vision. We have the discipline to remain focused on innovations that keep us on track toward our customer-centric goals.
Part of maintaining alignment with our customer-first experience is a commitment to our values internally as well. Our claims analysts and front-line staff are asked to genuinely connect with each customer, which requires patience, active listening and empathy. I can’t expect my team to treat customers with compassion and go the extra mile if I, as a leader, am not doing the same for them. My priority is to create a culture of empathy and trust on our team by spending time together, listening to ideas and concerns and making my teammates feel valued. I believe that when our employees feel cared for and supported, they pass that on to our customers.
What trends are you paying attention to in the employee benefits industry?
DK: One of the biggest trends in our industry right now is the push toward digital self-service and automation. Insurance and benefits companies are constantly rolling out new digital and AI-driven tools aimed at amplifying speed and convenience. This is in-line with market expectations, and embracing these innovations is critical for meeting employers’ needs. However, a counter trend I’m paying close attention to is a renewed focus on the human element of the claims experience.
The Hartford’s Future of Benefits Study tells us that 58% of customers prefer working with a person when requesting a leave of absence, compared to 36% who prefer working with digital tools.1 Those statistics reinforce that if companies lose the human touch, they risk alienating the people they seek to serve. Customers appreciate convenience, but they want to know there’s an empathic human ready to help when they need it. They want someone who is knowledgeable and caring to listen and guide them through the process.
Another trend I’ve noticed is an increased focus on data-driven insights. The industry has more data about customer needs and behaviors than ever before, and leading companies know how to use that data responsibly to anticipate those needs and offer proactive support. For example, if certain patterns in claim data suggest a customer might benefit from outreach or an additional service, we know to proactively reach out instead of waiting for the customer to call. This is a relatively new practice, but it’s gaining traction.
The most compelling trend is using great technology and great people to better serve customers. In my view, that combination is the future of our industry.
What opportunities do those trends present?
DK: The opportunity lies in striking the balance of utilizing technology while doubling down on our goal to offer human-centered customer service. When our technology works seamlessly, our claims team has more time and energy to provide a high-quality, empathic experience.
We’ve all had experiences as consumers where we wanted to speak to a person but couldn’t reach one, and that’s incredibly frustrating. We’re strategically investing in the right technologies that allow us to use our data insights to anticipate those moments. And we’re incorporating systems to create seamless experiences that weave in technology and human engagement when it matters most.
The opportunity lies in making investments that maximally connect tech with human interactions and then translate them into a claimant experience defined by strong outcomes and trust.
What’s something from your personal life that allows you to show up at your best in your work life?
DK: My family gives me the emotional energy to show up as the leader I want to be. I’m very grateful for that, and they are a huge part of why I can be fully present and effective in my role at The Hartford. Conversely, being fulfilled at work makes me a better husband and father at home.
My wife is my rock and my biggest supporter. No matter what’s going on professionally, I know she will be there to listen, encourage and give me a reality check if needed.
My kids also play a big role. They keep me grounded, give me perspective and motivate me to do my best every day. Their patience and understanding about the demands of my job mean the world to me.
I make it a point to prioritize family time and personal time to recharge. Whether it’s coaching my kids’ sports, having dinner with my wife or even just catching a movie together, those moments refill my tank and remind me why I work so hard.
