How To Minimize Pushback From Insurance Adjusters
When dealing with any type of restoration emergency, everyone — restoration companies, insurance companies, and insureds — want to do their part and move on. Often, this is hindered by inefficient back-and-forth communications between restoration companies and insurance adjusters. Those experienced in the industry, however, have learned a few ways to expedite this process. We at One Claim Solution do this every day – working with insurance adjusters and ensuring effective communication on behalf of restoration companies. Here are four tips we recommend for minimizing pushback from insurance adjusters.
Be Respectful And Professional
Respect and professionalism form the basis for any good working relationship. So one of your top priorities when working with adjusters is to show them respect and professionalism by being on time, being helpful, and doing quality work. Putting these priorities first will allow you to establish a strong foundation with adjusters that will benefit both parties long into the future.
Provide Solid Evidence To Back Up All Claims
This may seem obvious, but it’s easy to underestimate just how thorough documentation needs to be to address any questions or concerns up front. For example, when dealing with a water damage disaster, there should be thorough documentation of every single item and part of the house that was affected by the damage. This should include labeled and time-stamped pictures along with written notes. Failing to include some evidence often results in a back and forth with the adjuster can stretch into a delay of several months.
Understand What Adjusters Do
Insurance adjusters can be thought of as investigators. They have specific skills and experience that qualify them to review evidence and the amount that should be paid by the insurer under a given insurance policy. Some adjusters work in the field by actually going to affected locations while others handle more administrative tasks in the officer. They are often directly involved in negotiating settlements and are the main go-between for restoration companies and their clients and insurance companies.
Avoid Opinionated Statements
Opinion-based documentation not supported by hard evidence is of little use to insurance adjusters. They can only base their estimates on the hard facts available. In fact, trying to use opinion-based evidence may even slow down the claim since it will take the adjuster some time to sort through what evidence they can and cannot rely on. It’s also possible to accidentally present facts as opinions. For instance, if furniture upholstery was damaged in a flood, simply saying that the upholstery was damaged due to being in proximity to the flood may not be enough. You should also provide pictures and written documentation of the upholstery along with an explanation of the material and why it is vulnerable to water damage.
It’s in everyone’s best interests to finish the restoration job, settle all financial obligations, and move on to the next thing. We at One Claim Solution specialize in just this. We hope you find the above tips helpful for working with insurance adjusters in the future.
