Proper documentation is crucial to closing insurance claims with a positive outcome. As the saying goes, “if it’s not documented, it doesn’t exist!” That’s why insurance adjusters need a full-cycle claims system to help them document all facts relating to liability, damages, coverage, and more. This information is especially helpful if a new insurance adjuster picks up the claim part way through processing.
Tips for Documenting Claims
Documenting claims is a delicate business. Claimants often experience anxiety or lack of focus when attempting to communicate, and notes that make sense to one adjuster may be confusing to another. Below are several suggestions for effective documentation.
- Provide regular training on documentation. The methods for documenting claims continue to improve as claims become more complicated. Training adjusters on the latest documentation procedures is key for quick and efficient claims resolution.
- Log everything. Whether it is a phone call, a face-to-face consultation, or an inspection, the adjuster should keep notes. It is impossible to remember the specifics of every claim so detailed notes are essential.
- Focus on the facts. It is easy to read into a client’s emotions, but this can result in biased documentation. For example, making a notation such as, “The client was distraught,” without the client saying so themselves is conjecture.
- Time-stamp and geotag all photographs and videos. Visual evidence is an excellent way to support written records. However, an adjuster needs to be able to prove when and where they took the photo or video. Recording the date, time, and location digitally crucial.
Maintaining accurate and up to date notes on a claim is an important element of the claims management process. Poor documentation can prolong a claim and affect customer satisfaction and retention. To learn more about effective claims management, contact the experts at Actec.
Insurance companies encounter a number of hurdles on their way to business success. Aside from the inherently competitive nature of the insurance field, companies must also remain compliant with strict regulations as well as meet growing customer expectations. An effective claims management process plays a significant role in a company’s relative success within the industry. In particular, a company’s claims management process needs to find ways to control costs, decrease incidents of fraud, and keep customers happy.
Insured drivers are usually under a significant level of stress when they first contact their insurance company to report a car accident. Their mind often races ahead, and they overwhelm themselves before the process begins. Insurance adjusters can calm frazzled nerves and help guide the insured through the claims process.
As Hurricane Irma recedes from Florida, residents begin to return to their homes to assess the damage. Insurance companies are on high alert, preparing to try to manage the influx of assignment of benefits (AOB) claims. Homeowners need to act fast and file their claims as soon as possible. Insurance experts are also cautioning homeowners to be wary of “bad actors.” These bad actors are individuals who swoop in after a disaster and offer home repair deals that seem too good to ignore.
With Harvey and Irma making landfall over the past 30 days and wildfire racing through the western states, all facets of the insurance industry are in overdrive. As Jose heads north and Maria further decimates the Caribbean, the importance of accurate first notice of loss can’t be overstated. Here at Actec we’ve had multiple Florida-based organizations move all of their calls to our center here in Atlanta. Some of them started as early as 7 days prior to the storm’s arrival.
Insurance companies have to balance several priorities while managing claims. They need to ensure the loss information is accurate, control costs, and keep customers happy. Thankfully, there are several new technologies designed to help insurance providers improve their performance.
Customers never think about insurance until they need it. When it comes time to file a claim, consumers want the process to be fast, streamlined, and accessible. By modernizing your FNOL processing you will be able to improve the customer experience.