We have tools by which we teach adjusters to recognize various types of storm damage, i.e. Haag. Would it not be beneficial to hold seminars that would teach the adjuster how to deal with an insured most effective, teach the adjuster that timely reporting is very important by making sure the reports are submitted every day and the QC people need to process them and forward them to the staff ASAP. That is a big issue that comes up almost daily. AS for company adjuster vs independents. I worked cat claim from 1974 till
now and I have seen many adjusters reports and I find a company adjuster to be as profecient if not more than a independent.
I agree the challenges are greater now in adjusting claims arising from large catastrophes; I disagree on why. Having managed several recent major catastrophes for a top rated carrier I note the issues leading to increased litigation are the independent adjusters who just want to be estimators and not adjusters. Inherently staff adjusters are trained and sent thru continued training for customer service, recognizing and documenting coverage issue and customer communication. Today’s staff adjuster who leaves a carrier and begins cat adjusting does a much better job of communicating and documenting the loss investigation unlike the seasoned cat adjusters who have slipped away from the essential skills of communication and thorough documentation. We have found the seasoned cat adjusters are the ones who just want minimal communication and doc very little, if any.
The issues of large claim volumes makes me laugh because anyone who is currently employed with a major carrier knows the workload is heavier there than what any of the dinosaur, excuse me, seasoned cat adjusters could ever dream of handling.
And the other excuses named above are just as funny; you think an older seasoned cat adjuster will fare better at coping with damaged infrastructures than a younger one will?
The real issue is the increase in frustration of people not used to having to take responsibility for their own mis-fortunes and blaming everyone else for the storm causing the disruption in their life. That’s a shift in our societal expectations; its not my fault so it must be someone else’s.
Its really just the latest target of plaintiff attorney since they lost out on the foundation and mold claim suits they used to profit from.
Don’t you dare try and blame it on our newer generation CAT adjusters – the new ones are way better than most of the lazy season ones!
All adjusters, company and/or independent need to appreciate what the responsibility of their job is. In my humble opinion after 30 years it is to become involved in the lives of others we term as “insured” or “claimant” as a result of an event that usually involves human emotions and expectations of help and assistance. That expectation of help and assistance is most likely exaggerated because the “insured” hasn’t read their policy and the “claimant” is angry at the unexpected event. This is my explanation of basic claims handling and I believe should dictate every adjusters first contact whether they are handling a personal lines glass claim, a third party fatality or any catastrophe claim. Take the time to know the person in front of you and respect them. They did not chose you as a person to help them and are already fearful they’re expectation will not be met. It is your time as an Insurance Professional to shine. This of course includes providing your client(s) with appropriate timely reports. In the end, your job will be easier, your client company will have a happy client and you will get repeat business. In 30 years, I’ve handled a lot of claims and have never been sued. At least not yet. No customer service, no customer. The rest is mechanics, everybody first needs to understand their responsibility.
Denise, interesting article. From an experienced property adjuster’s perspective with 9 years adjusting experience and 1 year as a re-inspector for a major carrier, this is a good reminder to document your file and make sure your scope of damages is accurate. When I was a re-inspector, I found that most of the claims I re-inspected werefar lower than they should have been because of inadequate training on the company’s part to train their adjusters. Since I have a degree in construction mgmt, experience as a journeyman carpenter and general contractor as well as expired certifications as building inspector and plans examiner, it was frustrating for me to write new estimates on a regular basis due to the lack of knowledge adjusters and agents had in writing accurate estimates to repair damages. Imagine how frustrated the policyholder could be. The focus should be on making the policyholder whole after a catastrophe, not saving the company money.
The carriers get what they pay for with their company adjusters.
As a company adjuster myself with 24 years experience and having worked IKE and an onoging local hail CAT here in Colorado, I can tell you that I was assigned 400 claims last year. My pay is at the top of their scale, but it is still not nearly enough. Compared to the never ending daily grind on the “inside” the CAT work I did in Houston folloing IKE was easier.
It is ironic, the carriers save as penny and waste a dollar when it comes to staffing levels and paying their staff. The weather does not care about the state of the economy. Running inadequate staffing in a claims department is silly.
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We have tools by which we teach adjusters to recognize various types of storm damage, i.e. Haag. Would it not be beneficial to hold seminars that would teach the adjuster how to deal with an insured most effective, teach the adjuster that timely reporting is very important by making sure the reports are submitted every day and the QC people need to process them and forward them to the staff ASAP. That is a big issue that comes up almost daily. AS for company adjuster vs independents. I worked cat claim from 1974 till
now and I have seen many adjusters reports and I find a company adjuster to be as profecient if not more than a independent.
I agree the challenges are greater now in adjusting claims arising from large catastrophes; I disagree on why. Having managed several recent major catastrophes for a top rated carrier I note the issues leading to increased litigation are the independent adjusters who just want to be estimators and not adjusters. Inherently staff adjusters are trained and sent thru continued training for customer service, recognizing and documenting coverage issue and customer communication. Today’s staff adjuster who leaves a carrier and begins cat adjusting does a much better job of communicating and documenting the loss investigation unlike the seasoned cat adjusters who have slipped away from the essential skills of communication and thorough documentation. We have found the seasoned cat adjusters are the ones who just want minimal communication and doc very little, if any.
The issues of large claim volumes makes me laugh because anyone who is currently employed with a major carrier knows the workload is heavier there than what any of the dinosaur, excuse me, seasoned cat adjusters could ever dream of handling.
And the other excuses named above are just as funny; you think an older seasoned cat adjuster will fare better at coping with damaged infrastructures than a younger one will?
The real issue is the increase in frustration of people not used to having to take responsibility for their own mis-fortunes and blaming everyone else for the storm causing the disruption in their life. That’s a shift in our societal expectations; its not my fault so it must be someone else’s.
Its really just the latest target of plaintiff attorney since they lost out on the foundation and mold claim suits they used to profit from.
Don’t you dare try and blame it on our newer generation CAT adjusters – the new ones are way better than most of the lazy season ones!
I’m a new Adjuster with a P&C background. How do we get training and experience ? Thank you.
All adjusters, company and/or independent need to appreciate what the responsibility of their job is. In my humble opinion after 30 years it is to become involved in the lives of others we term as “insured” or “claimant” as a result of an event that usually involves human emotions and expectations of help and assistance. That expectation of help and assistance is most likely exaggerated because the “insured” hasn’t read their policy and the “claimant” is angry at the unexpected event. This is my explanation of basic claims handling and I believe should dictate every adjusters first contact whether they are handling a personal lines glass claim, a third party fatality or any catastrophe claim. Take the time to know the person in front of you and respect them. They did not chose you as a person to help them and are already fearful they’re expectation will not be met. It is your time as an Insurance Professional to shine. This of course includes providing your client(s) with appropriate timely reports. In the end, your job will be easier, your client company will have a happy client and you will get repeat business. In 30 years, I’ve handled a lot of claims and have never been sued. At least not yet. No customer service, no customer. The rest is mechanics, everybody first needs to understand their responsibility.
Denise, interesting article. From an experienced property adjuster’s perspective with 9 years adjusting experience and 1 year as a re-inspector for a major carrier, this is a good reminder to document your file and make sure your scope of damages is accurate. When I was a re-inspector, I found that most of the claims I re-inspected werefar lower than they should have been because of inadequate training on the company’s part to train their adjusters. Since I have a degree in construction mgmt, experience as a journeyman carpenter and general contractor as well as expired certifications as building inspector and plans examiner, it was frustrating for me to write new estimates on a regular basis due to the lack of knowledge adjusters and agents had in writing accurate estimates to repair damages. Imagine how frustrated the policyholder could be. The focus should be on making the policyholder whole after a catastrophe, not saving the company money.
The carriers get what they pay for with their company adjusters.
As a company adjuster myself with 24 years experience and having worked IKE and an onoging local hail CAT here in Colorado, I can tell you that I was assigned 400 claims last year. My pay is at the top of their scale, but it is still not nearly enough. Compared to the never ending daily grind on the “inside” the CAT work I did in Houston folloing IKE was easier.
It is ironic, the carriers save as penny and waste a dollar when it comes to staffing levels and paying their staff. The weather does not care about the state of the economy. Running inadequate staffing in a claims department is silly.