Third Party Case Management & Administration
Dispute Settlement Services

Third Party Case Management & Administration

Single Source Management
The National Center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS) believes that a key to maintaining quality control in our dispute settlement services is a single, centralized case administration center. We also believe that we can best achieve consistency of administration, responsiveness to the parties, and uniformity and timeliness of agreements and decisions through a single source management approach.

Our Operations Centers, located in Dallas, Texas and Clinton Township, Michigan handle case administration services for NCDS throughout the nation. The operations centers operate on a just-in-time approach: staff enters new cases as they arrive. Each step of our administrative process operates on tight timelines to enable NCDS to maintain a 35-day timeline from receipt of case requests to closure.

NCDS dispute settlers in all 50 states receive their assignments and report their results to the operations centers, where all requests for dispute resolution in a variety of industries are received, logged, evaluated, and assigned.

NCDS believes that it is our responsibility to help our clients continue to improve their results. NCDS clients require frequent access to case information as well as frequent access to specialists: administrative, computer, and executive. Our single source management approach makes frequent access possible.

State of the Art Executive Information Systems
Information management is an essential part of a successful dispute resolution system. Manufacturers need to know not only which vehicles are involved, but also such detailed information as: the specific mechanical system, part location, year and type of vehicle and assembly plant, just to name a few.

Manufacturers also need to have easy access to accurate, up-to-date information about the status of dispute resolution claims within the system. Manufacturers also want their Customers to understand where their individual claim is in the process: Is the vehicle eligible under the warranty? When is my claim scheduled for dispute resolution? When can I expect a decision?

NCDS uses a state of the art Executive Information System that addresses both manufacturer and customer needs for information, processing and management. Working with our automotive customers, we have developed a comprehensive system of classifying and coding vehicle claims, and providing detailed information that will improve the resolution of warranty disputes.

Customers calling our toll-free 800 line will be relieved to find that our Call Center professionals are able to quickly inform them of the exact status of their case. From their first telephone contact with NCDS, customers also appreciate that they are dealing with a truly professional, neutral, impartial, yet responsive organization that cares about their claim.
The NCDS Call Center Toll Free 800 Line
The NCDS Call Centers represent one of the most valuable resources in our dispute resolution practice and is staffed by experienced professionals trained in quality, professionalism and customer service, who understand that they are the first point of contact for customers who are requesting help.

• Our integrated telephone and computer systems enable our staff to quickly identify customers and their complaints.
• Case Administration Staff, trained in customer service, information retrieval, collection, and analysis, help customers understand that their case is receiving complete, professional, and prompt attention. In fact, as many as 17% of all claims are resolved by phone.

Call Center Professionals are familiar with the legal requirements in various states, and familiar with the Warranty Eligibility requirements of each manufacturer. Our Call Center staff act as a true intermediary between the manufacturer and the customer, and is attentive to the needs of all who call.

Dispute Settlement Services

NCDS is a full service ADR firm, handling thousands of cases a year in a wide variety of sectors, including but not limited to the following: construction, consumer, commercial, labor, domestic, and employment. NCDS' service's include mediation, arbitration, hybrid mediation/arbitration, facilitation, and interest-based bargaining.

Mediation and Arbitration
Mediation is a process in which a professional neutral assists the parties in negotiating a mutually acceptable solution. Mediation permits disputants to participate in creating their own agreement and controlling the resolution to their conflict.

NCDS also promotes the use of hybrid mediation/arbitration processes ("Med-Arb") for select disputes. In Med-Arb, the neutral dispute settler first attempts to help the parties resolve their dispute through mediated negotiations. The parties agree in advance that the dispute settler will arbitrate any unresolved issues. The Med-Arb process combines the flexibility and satisfaction of the mediation process with the advantage of closure that arbitration brings.

NCDS also provides final and binding arbitration, recognizing that some disputes require a quasi-judicial process that will result in a final andbinding decision. Arbitration can also, by agreement, be non-binding.

Local-Regional-National Panels
NCDS maintains local, regional, and national panels of professional dispute settlers with expertise in a wide variety of subject areas:

	Consumer
	Construction
	Insurance
	Labor
	Real Estate
	Domestic Relations/Family Law

NCDS Administers ADR Rules and Procedures for:

	Insurance Disputes
	Commercial Disputes
	Workers Compensation
	Property and Casualty Claims
	Warranty and Product Liability Claims
	Construction and Real Property Claims
	Domestic Relations Mediation and Arbitration