Cover your ass!

Pardon my French, but if you've been adjusting for a while then you will understand what I mean when I say "Cover your ass!"

Sad to say that the insurance adjusting industry is primarily played by office politics.  The guys who see many re-deployment opportunities are the guys who give the appropriate face-time with management and document their inspections and conversations with policy holders accordingly.  Many insurance carriers have implemented some sort of file note system for adjusters to document inspection results and anything else that is relevant/important to the claim.

If it's not in the file notes, then it never happened!  If you have a conversation with an insured, be sure to document it ASAP!  Too many times have I seen a conversation or inspection go sour and then the insured called the adjuster's manager to complain before the adjuster has the chance to upload his/her file notes to the system.  Just like in elementary school when a child "snitches" on his/her classmate, the teacher is most likely going to believe whomever they heard from first.  This holds especially true when adjusting!  It would be a good idea to start creating a habit out of uploading an inspection file note within an hour of completing the inspection of the claim.  You will have a much clearer file note this way, as the inspection results will be fresh in your mind!




Document the crap out of contractors!  I cannot stress this enough!  Many contractors are going to try to go behind an adjusters back to receive O&P or overhead and profit.  Document why O&P is or is not warranted and wither or not the contractor is in agreement with the adjuster's scope, inspection results and estimate price.  This puts the contractor on the hook for any disagreements that may arise later on in the claim process.  Once the contractor agrees with the adjuster, then it might as well be written in stone.  (this does not apply if additional damages are found when repairs are being performed)  You are going to deal with a lot of crooked contractors, there is no getting around that.  Be sure to document everything accordingly!

Don't be afraid to call one of your superiors to seek advice when handling difficult claim situations.  Management likes to see an adjuster make an effort to perform every action necessary to provide the insured with the best inspection results possible.  Remember, managers are likely to re-deploy adjusters that cause them the least amount of trouble in the long run!  So be sure to introduce yourself when arriving on storm site, show up to the office to socialize often; and most importantly.... cover your ass!

For more information, see: 5 Important Tips Every Insurance Adjuster Needs to Know & How to Create a Personal Property List (Contents Inventory Summary)