Although insurance carriers care deeply about the approval ratings from their policyholders, responses to claimant complaints are often vague, legalistic, and filled with errors. Some of the stodginess and overly humble tone comes from the adjuster being in fearsome awe of the Insurance Commissioner, much in the same way the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow regarded the all-powerful Wizard of Oz. This results in sentences that read, "Please allow the following to explain our position this claim," instead of "Here's how we handled this claim."

The following 12 pointers will help you catch and correct problems before sending out responses to claimants. Keep in mind that every error mentioned in this article was written or reviewed by a claim manager at one of America's leading property/casualty companies.

Tell the "story" of the claim. Think of the claim as a story that you are telling the reader. Keep the narrative flowing so that the reader pictures what you are describing. Telling them what happens next is more compelling than just spitting out facts, mathematics, and testimony.