Claims - April 2015

The difference in the use of adjusters will also depend upon the insurer’s ability to find qualified personnel. Many in the claims industry have recognized that a large number of qualified esti-mators/appraisers are retiring, and the number of replacement adjusters coming up in the industry is not meeting the need. This may lead to different outlooks in the industry, and may require the use of specialized vendors in many areas to achieve a desired and efficient outcome.

Coaching policyholders
on preparing for catastrophes

Insurers can also provide information and guidance to their policyholders to help them through the catastrophes. This not only helps the policyholder emerge from the disaster in potentially better condition, but also helps the insurer in its claims service to achieve a better outcome for all parties.

Insurers should regularly communicate with their policyholders on disaster preparation and response, especially if policyholders are in potentially dangerous areas. Those include, but are not limited to, coastal areas which have a greater propensity for hurricanes, the Midwest and parts of the Southeast where tornadoes are more likely, and dry forest areas that may experience wildfires. The information and guidance, which can be easily disseminated via e-mail, could include items such as: •;Home;and;business;evacuation;plans.

•;Emergency;kits.

•;Mitigating;the;loss;after;the;event.

•;Maintaining;inventories;of;personal property (lists, photographs, and receipts).

•;Maintaining;your;property;to;avoid additional losses (e.g., removing dead or;declining;trees;near;the;residence).

•;Protecting;your;property;after;an event.

These and many other topics can help policyholders before and after a catastrophe or even when a relatively minor loss occurs, which will potentially save lives and property while making the claims handling and resolution process much easier.

The pre-event planning and preparation for catastrophes may be even more important than the claims services that occur after the event, since inadequate planning may make it virtually impossible to handle the resulting claims appropriately. Insurers, IAs, and policyholders all have a responsibility following these losses, and insurers, through their planning and information-sharing procedures, can direct all parties to a more favorable and beneficial response.

Gary Jennings, CPCU, ARM, ALCM, AIC, ARe, SCLA, is the principal consultant at Strategic Claims Direction LLC. He may be reached at Gary.Jennings@ StrategicClaimsDirection.com.

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