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If you had to... - 9/30/2006 1:52:34 PM
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Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
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...improve one thing about the adjusting process for a catastrophic storm, what would it be?
Mine:
I would provide (or help provide) affordable lodging for adjusters--at the least, for those adjusters whom I know will be out in the field writing claims from day one--as close to ground zero as possible.
Would this improve overall response time for say, a Katrina? Have you paid a $90 per day premium for a motel room near a storm, or $1,000 per month to park your motor home, or slept in your truck until you start to stink?
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Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
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RE: If you had to... - 9/30/2006 2:11:32 PM
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ranger
Posts: 186
Joined: 11/20/2004
Home base: Bonham, Texas
Status: offline
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When I arrived to work Katrina claims my Cingular cellphone service was terrible. I would suggest providing a list of cellphone services that are working so that you could contact your assignments and begin making appointments.
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RE: If you had to... - 9/30/2006 2:19:15 PM
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dcmarlin
Posts: 145
Joined: 2/10/2006
Home base: Morrison, CO
Status: offline
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For Katrina, the carrier I worked with provided a tanker truck so we could get gas. That was great until the stations got back on their feet and the lines went down.
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RE: If you had to... - 9/30/2006 3:12:29 PM
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trader
Posts: 1203
Joined: 4/19/2004
Home base: Houston, TX
Status: offline
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Claim adjusters are down the list and should be. The power people have many rooms blocked off as close as possible. The National guard for traffic control and looting. The Red Cross. The local , national government people etc. The first week- ten days are for public relations not claim settlements and should be treated as such. The cell phone towers are a top priority and the workers have to have a bed and hot shower to keep going.
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RE: If you had to... - 9/30/2006 6:13:49 PM
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yebolu
Posts: 50
Joined: 2/10/2006
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Action,
Yes I have had to pay $90 and more a night to sleep in a motel that was not all that in Delray Beach FL and that was because the manager was doing me a favor as normal rent was about $120 a night. That was before I got familiar with the area and I found another place for $75 a night which was just about the same level of comfort with the other place in Boca Raton.
As a female adjuster, if I had the power, I will mandate that vendor companies deploy female adjusters within the same area so they can split bills and have some sense of security if they are working by themselves. I was green with envy to come in every night and pass by a roomful of guys (auto adjusters) who not only share a room (cut costs) but had each other as a resource and for company.
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If you grow, you will glow!
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RE: If you had to... - 9/30/2006 9:16:05 PM
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Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
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Thanks for the experiences and ideas.
The tanker was great. They had their thinking caps on. Kind of like fighter pilots lining up for refueling. Heh.
On cell phones (and laptops): I'm sure we have had some posts on satellite communication but I'm soliciting short comments and recomendations for this post--costs, the how to's,... Wouldn't this be the answer to bypassing local land tower outages--at the least for EMAs and FEMA.
Trader: And how about those hotel, parking lot parties? I'll take the fifth on that.
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Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
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RE: If you had to... - 9/30/2006 11:29:20 PM
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PvtNvestigator
Posts: 120
Joined: 7/26/2005
Status: offline
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I guess that mine would be to provide a service available to Cat Adjusters to make their initial contact calls and schedule the damage inspection appointment. This could all be based on parameters agreed to between the service provider and the Adjuster. The service provider could map out your daily schedule via your perferred mapping software and email you appropriate diary information based, again, and parameters that you require. They would provided the Insured your contact information and access your your personal website. The fee could be based per claim. I know some Adjusters that have set this type of service up personally for themselves and wouldn't have it any other way. I know a one major company that is heading towards scheduling their Adjusters appointments based on the company's requirements and not the Adjusters. I see a bunch a trouble with that concept during Cats. I believe that the Adjuster is the only one qualified during the Cat to manipulate his schedule based on his location, traffic, his/her skill, ect.
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William "Bill" Roberts
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 12:06:42 AM
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gordon1
Posts: 89
Joined: 9/16/2004
Status: offline
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Not that my 2 cents is worth anything more than 2 cents, but I agree with PntNvestigator that scheduling should be done by the adjuster's parameters.Before I was married to my wife ( and not the job), I had hired a local college student to make my phone calls & input basic data into the estimating software. It was great. Now my wife does it & boy does she run a a tight ship !!!She really knows how to keep me moving. It would be cool for the single adjusters(or those travelling alone) if the adjusting companies had deals in place with temp. agencies for the clerical & phone end, so they can adjust & not spend so much time doing essential but non-adjusting tasks.Personally, I would like to see a coherent set of guidelines from the carrier with a sample report to show how they like things, instead of getting the 1st 5-10 files kicked back.The few times I was fortunate enough to get a coherent set of guidelines & sample report, I didn't have any kicked back.It would also be nice if all of the examiners were consistent from one to the next as far as what they will accept(of course aside from knowing how to handle claims).I am sure a bunch of you other adjusters have had to edumacate the examiners, which really shouldn't be our job. I had an examiner once ask me what debris ("s" was not silent when they mentioned it)removal was for.And lastly, an open bar wouldn't be so bad either.
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 9:47:39 AM
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Bob3300
Posts: 5
Joined: 9/23/2006
Home base: Holiday, Florida
Status: offline
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Would like to see a reduction in some of the field duties placed on us:
1.) Wanting us to obtain, from a local web site if available, if not then drive to the county’s clerks office, the property tax information and such for the insured’s premises seems to be more of an underwriting function than an adjusting function.
2.) Waiving the Proof of Loss form on all claims that are clearly storm damaged. After all, a P/L is merely an ex parte statement from the insured to begin with.
3.) As mentioned above and maybe a good subject for another thread. Some kind of uniformity in these “file reviewers” who for the most part are, unknown to us. We have no clue as to their skill level, education, credentials, experience, etc. As far as I know, they do not have to be certified or licensed for anything, but they to some extent have total control over our work product.
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 10:48:18 AM
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KLS
Posts: 7
Joined: 4/19/2004
Home base: Carthage, Missouri
Status: offline
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For all the storms over the years I have worked, I have had one CAT Manager that communicated better than anyone else to the adjusters on his storm site. If a question is asked, the question and the answer are copied to all the adjusters on site. This cut down on him having to answer the same thing over and over, but more importantly we were all on the same page with what the carrier wanted and sometimes we then had the answer out in the field before we faced the situation or made an error in an estimate that would cause it to be kicked back. Over the years, I always jumped at the chance to serve on this manager's storms. Thanks Butch at PCS.
KLS
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 12:57:11 PM
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Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Bob3300
Would like to see a reduction in some of the field duties placed on us:
1.) Wanting us to obtain, from a local web site if available, if not then drive to the county’s clerks office, the property tax information and such for the insured’s premises seems to be more of an underwriting function than an adjusting function.
2.) Waiving the Proof of Loss form on all claims that are clearly storm damaged. After all, a P/L is merely an ex parte statement from the insured to begin with.
3.) As mentioned above and maybe a good subject for another thread. Some kind of uniformity in these “file reviewers” who for the most part are, unknown to us. We have no clue as to their skill level, education, credentials, experience, etc. As far as I know, they do not have to be certified or licensed for anything, but they to some extent have total control over our work product.
I agree with the general "overload" theme here. But then, we are paid very well for being available 24/7. I'm sure some more experienced, dedicated adjusters can remember episodes of working through the night until they finally crash. Some who have partners can scope more or perform more of these extra activities. I've never had to track down tax info at the local court house, but I do know adjuster friends who were required to travel more than 200 miles to scope one claim, then back to their local scope area again. I think also, there is little conformity from independent to independent and their size dictates their capabilities and what they lay on the adjuster--from the tools and supplies you are expected to bring on the scene yourself, to inside support.
I've worked inside and outside in my short career, and in varying capacities--not only as adjuster. The bigger independents work hand-in-hand with their contracted IC, and checks and balances are in place from experienced file examiners to the end "hard copy" acceptance of the finalized claim by (essentailly) a clerk(s) with a check list. The claim is sent back to the adjuster for correction, if required.
Here's another small (but they add up) idea:
You're downloaded 50 to 100 claims. Do you call all of them within the first 24-48 hours and then call back for scope appointment, or do you call once and make the appointment (even if two to three weeks out--you can always reschedule). I think the latter makes more sense. And why not have an inside coordinator make these appointments for you and fax or e-mail you the appointment list???
_____________________________
Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 1:29:29 PM
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Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: PvtNvestigator
I guess that mine would be to provide a service available to Cat Adjusters to make their initial contact calls and schedule the damage inspection appointment. This could all be based on parameters agreed to between the service provider and the Adjuster. The service provider could map out your daily schedule via your perferred mapping software and email you appropriate diary information based, again, and parameters that you require. They would provided the Insured your contact information and access your your personal website. The fee could be based per claim. I know some Adjusters that have set this type of service up personally for themselves and wouldn't have it any other way. I know a one major company that is heading towards scheduling their Adjusters appointments based on the company's requirements and not the Adjusters. I see a bunch a trouble with that concept during Cats. I believe that the Adjuster is the only one qualified during the Cat to manipulate his schedule based on his location, traffic, his/her skill, ect.
I did not read your post first, so excuse any redundancy. This would be one headache less for adjusters, enabling them to focus more time on organizing and scoping. The "scheduler" could start three weeks out and work their way back on the calender, and per your preference--do you like to scope every other day or all scopes each morning with a day off to catch up; do you want to schedule every 2 hours or every 1.5 hours...do you want to call the first 5 or 10 for appointments yourself for those first couple of days...etc. And yes, the adjuster manipulates according to his time. During Wilma, I found myself moving appointments up, especially if I was in the same area and finished a scope early. I was never turned down. The scheduler/coordinator would be calling for "Adjuster John Doe," give your contact/voice mail number, ask pointed questions about the damage and priors, have insured fax you food spoilage list, ALE info, contents loss... Forms pick up and faxing could be done from the nearest insurance agency/office. I asked insureds to take photos and in a couple instances, they e-mailed me digital photos. Adjusters should know what to expect before the scope and cut say, a two hour process down to one hour. Next!
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Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 1:50:13 PM
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Action
Posts: 109
Joined: 2/22/2006
Status: offline
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KLS:
He respected the adjuster's, his company's and his own time. No doubt he performed well in other areas to help the adjuster.
I had a field manager that...well, let me put it this way, if I think you're wasting my time, I'll either tell you or keep my mouth shut and move on. With him, the only time he called me was to wonder why I never called him or showed up for his meetings, which were over an hour away, lasted a couple of hours, and he was always late and ill-prepared. I'm not hard to get along with but preferred asking other managers if I had any questions.
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Charlie "Action" Jackson
www.magmagnolia.com
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 4:59:56 PM
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Tiger
Posts: 28
Joined: 5/5/2006
Home base: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Action
Here's another small (but they add up) idea:
You're downloaded 50 to 100 claims. Do you call all of them within the first 24-48 hours and then call back for scope appointment, or do you call once and make the appointment (even if two to three weeks out--you can always reschedule). I think the latter makes more sense. And why not have an inside coordinator make these appointments for you and fax or e-mail you the appointment list???
Action: I agree. Sort your claims out so as to minimize the windshield time and in order of severity if possible.....and give the insureds a window - 8-11 AM,.....10AM - 1PM,.....Noon-3PM. I always overlap because you never know when you might be running ahead of schedule and the 3 hour window protects you from setting up a specific time and being late. Very rarely does an insured complain about the 3 hour window. Usually they are just happy that you made contact.....and definitely have somebody get somebody to make the appointments for you if you can. I've had my wife and mother both help set appointments.
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 5:09:59 PM
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FloridaBoy
Posts: 98
Joined: 8/15/2004
Home base: Ft. Myers, Florida
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: PvtNvestigator
I guess that mine would be to provide a service available to Cat Adjusters to make their initial contact calls and schedule the damage inspection appointment. This could all be based on parameters agreed to between the service provider and the Adjuster. The service provider could map out your daily schedule via your perferred mapping software and email you appropriate diary information based, again, and parameters that you require. They would provided the Insured your contact information and access your your personal website. The fee could be based per claim. I know some Adjusters that have set this type of service up personally for themselves and wouldn't have it any other way. I know a one major company that is heading towards scheduling their Adjusters appointments based on the company's requirements and not the Adjusters. I see a bunch a trouble with that concept during Cats. I believe that the Adjuster is the only one qualified during the Cat to manipulate his schedule based on his location, traffic, his/her skill, ect.
Now that idea is just a brilliant example of STUPID.
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 5:27:36 PM
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khromas
Posts: 611
Joined: 4/19/2004
Home base: Houston, Texas
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: PvtNvestigator
I know a one major company that is heading towards scheduling their Adjusters appointments based on the company's requirements and not the Adjusters. I see a bunch a trouble with that concept during Cats. I believe that the Adjuster is the only one qualified during the Cat to manipulate his schedule based on his location, traffic, his/her skill, ect.
The FIRST time a carrier tried that with me, my initial question to the CARRIER storm manager would be to find out who I needed to contact in Human Resources to set up my company supplied Health Insurance benefits.
Don't you think they would back-track REAL quick on that situation?
The more that a carrier tries to dictate the parameters of how we handle a claim for them the more cloudy the line becomes between a CONTRACT EMPLOYEE and a COMPANY EMPLOYEE.
Ain't ever gonna happen.
_____________________________
Kevin Hromas
_______________________________________
Definition of a LIBERAL: a person who is so open-minded that their brains have fallen out!
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 5:33:52 PM
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newtonclaimstim
Posts: 155
Joined: 4/26/2004
Status: offline
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With the large carriers with 2,500 catadjusters, and a unknown amount of idle staff along with a couple of fully staffed call centers. It might be a mute point. Good Luck
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 5:46:39 PM
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aporco
Posts: 124
Joined: 4/21/2004
Status: offline
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Kevin is absolutely correct about contacting HR. Under FloridaBoy's scenario, we all become employees. The company has every right to set the parameters of the final product, but when they start setting appointments and telling IAs when to be at the loss site we have become employees (IRS rules and WC rules in most states). The good news is your FICA tax will be cut in half and you'll be covered when injured on the job.
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 5:57:16 PM
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FloridaBoy
Posts: 98
Joined: 8/15/2004
Home base: Ft. Myers, Florida
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: newtonclaimstim
With the large carriers with 2,500 catadjusters, and a unknown amount of idle staff along with a couple of fully staffed call centers. It might be a mute point. Good Luck
2,500 warm bodies may go along with it. I won't.
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RE: If you had to... - 10/1/2006 6:00:33 PM
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FloridaBoy
Posts: 98
Joined: 8/15/2004
Home base: Ft. Myers, Florida
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: aporco
Kevin is absolutely correct about contacting HR. Under FloridaBoy's scenario, we all become employees. The company has every right to set the parameters of the final product, but when they start setting appointments and telling IAs when to be at the loss site we have become employees (IRS rules and WC rules in most states). The good news is your FICA tax will be cut in half and you'll be covered when injured on the job.
Agreed. I'll be damned if someone is going to set my appointments... unless they put me on salary.
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