Multi-Level Customer Service: An Insurance Adjuster’s Reality
Before anyone worked in the insurance world, they were insurance customers. The same holds true for so many industries –– everyone is a customer at some point. That’s why stellar customer service can set one company apart from competitors. It truly is a basic expectation and a customer requirement. For insurance adjusters, great customer service begins with being the type of person that you would want to do business with. And that holds true whether we’re talking about the insurance company, the adjuster firm, or the policyholder.
Quintessential Customers
Policyholders are the first people we think of when we’re talking about customer service. They’re paying a premium to be sure that when something goes wrong, they’re protected. They’ve done their due diligence and purchased a policy, now it’s up to the insurance provider and the adjuster to do right by their trust. Since we’re all policyholders, it’s not hard to imagine how customers want to be treated: they want their claims handled quickly, smoothly, and to their satisfaction. The speed and efficiency of how an adjuster handles a claim might depend on their personal skill set, but whether the outcome is what the customer was hoping for is another matter.
Regardless of how things turn out though, honesty and candor always pair well with empathy. Clearly laying out facts for clients while still lending a compassionate ear is key and could end up helping to retain a client for an insurance provider.
When interacting with a provider’s clients, here are some key things to strive for:
Get In Touch: Quickly establishing contact with a policyholder via a friendly phone call can give them confidence that the claim is in capable hands.
Encourage Communication: Ask questions and do a lot of listening. Keeping detailed notes of a policyholder’s concerns will help you to work on their behalf.
Facilitate Knowledge: Give the policyholder clear information regarding your contact information and availability. Set their expectations from the outset.
Build Trust: Deliver on promises, but don’t promise more than you can deliver. If you stick to what you say you’ll do you will create an ally, not an enemy.
If a policyholder feels comfortable with the claims process and assured of your advocacy on their behalf, they will likely be more willing to work through any potentially difficult situations.
Businesses Are Customers Too
Insurance providers are, of course, businesses. They’re looking to make profit over time. But they also know that they will inevitably have to pay out claims to their customers. The two interests are generally at equilibrium, especially if they are able to retain a customer long term.
As an insurance claims adjuster you can have a profound effect on how a provider’s customers view them since you are, essentially, the face of the insurance company. As the person who the customer interacts with the most during the claims process, your efforts to address a client’s concerns can go far to recommend their insurance provider.
When it comes to satisfying the insurance provider during the claims process, here are some things to remember:
Educate Yourself: The provider expects you to know the details of their policies, because it’s likely that policyholders don’t. So going in, be sure you know the limits and fine print and can discuss them confidently. Get back to the customer if you aren’t sure of something.
Act Fairly and Professionally: When there’s negative news to deliver, doing so with empathy and compassion reflects well on you and on the insurance provider you’re representing. Doing all you can to help the customer reach their desired outcome will leave them feeling respected and valued, and that builds loyalty.
Use Creativity and Caution: Yes, there is a rule book. No, situations don’t always fit neatly into boxes. So use your vast know-how to handle claims in the best way possible, employing individualized reasoning when appropriate. You’ll still want to make sure that documentation is thorough and that all actions are both legal and transparent.
If you apply the same concept of reciprocity to insurance providers as you do to policyholders you can keep both ‘customers’ satisfied. And when you do your best for all parties involved, you will earn loyalty all around.
Customer-Centric Philosophy
At the Bar List insurance network it’s our goal to help independent claims adjusters find positions with insurance companies. We’re proud to have gathered a pool of thousands of highly skilled insurance claims professionals. And as we work on pairing these experts with companies who are searching for their particular skills, we’re always interested in knowing how their work reflects on us. We just love hearing that an adjuster we listed had the impeccable customer service needed for an especially challenging claim.
You’re our customer, but in some ways, we’re yours too. It’s a cyclical relationship of sorts. And now that you've brushed up on your customer service skills, rest assured –– we will do you proud. You can rely on The Bar List insurance network to put your information in front of the right insurance companies. Our job is to then make sure that those insurance companies request your services. We’ll hold up our end, and we know you’ll handle yours. So get in touch today and learn how you can benefit by listing your information with us. Or, if you've already done your homework, apply to list your information with us. We’re ready to help.