By Jon McNeill, CEO, Enservio

Think about everything you have in your home--from your TV tothat antique roll-top desk, to all of the clothing and shoes andaccessories for you and everyone else in the home--then figure outhow much it's all worth. Sound daunting? It is--and it's somethinga policyholder shouldn't have to deal with in a time of strife, butall too often they do.

Consider this: According to ISO's Property Claim Services unitand the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. endured 28catastrophes in 2009. The losses for these catastrophes totaled$10.6 billion. For your clients, getting back the contents of theirhome after a loss is one of the most important aspects of pickingup the pieces and putting their lives back together.

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Most people don't think to prepare for the unthinkable, butagents can arm their clients with tips and shortcuts so they willbe ready should the unthinkable ever occur, whether it's acatastrophic loss or a few inches of water in the basement of theirnew home.

Finding and keeping clients ultimately comes down to superiorcustomer service and gaining trust. The process begins the momentyou sit down with a new prospect or client and begin advising himon insurance products and policy options. Getting smart on contentsclaims and the types of services available will help agents matchclients with the right policies. Taking the extra time to educateclients on contents claims also builds trust, peace of mind, andthe assurance that in the event of the unthinkable, clients willknow what to do and who to turn to for advice and assistance.

Agents can prepare policyholders for both large and small lossesby advising them to take a few simple steps.

Advise insureds to take photos of every room in their house,including the basement. Capture clear images of furniture,appliances and electronics. When photographing the basement, getimages of the water heater, heating and air conditioning systems.This is an easy yet important step for both homeowners and rentersto be optimally prepared.

Insureds can even go the extra mile by taking photos of specificitems that are sentimental, particularly valuable or unique. Thenthey can upload all these photos onto a Web-based photo sharingsite, such as Shutterfly.com, where they can be housed forsafekeeping. By providing clear, photographic evidence of all theinsured's belongings, much of the guesswork will be taken out ofthe inventory process in the event of a loss.

Agents and brokers can also alert their clients to the value ofadding contents claims options and services to their insurancepolicy. Contents is a more specialized service, so agents should beaware of specialized companies that work closely with leadinginsurance carriers to improve the accuracy and efficiency of thecontents claims process for both small and large losses. To findthe best insurance policy for clients, agents need to be wellversed in the contents claims expertise and services carriers canoffer.

For small losses, there are self-service websites where theinsured can simply enter a list of missing or damaged items andquickly receive valuation assessment for replacing the lost items.For larger losses, some carriers offer services to dispatchcontents field agents who go directly to the property and workclosely with the insured, walking them through the creation of adetailed inventory of the missing or damaged items. This promotesaccurate valuation and swift replacement so people can get back totheir lives as quickly as possible. Some carriers even offerservices and field experts for handling fine art, collectibles andunique items that are hard to value and can tie up the entireclaims process.

Here's a checklist for agents to keep in mind when advisingclients on contents:

1. Take photos of:

• Furniture
• Appliances
• Electronics
• Basement
• Water heater
• Heating/air conditioning systems
• Sentimental items
• Valuable items
• Unique items

2. Upload photos to web-based sharing site (ie:shutterfly.com)

3. Get smart: Alert clients to the value of adding contentsclaims options to their insurance policy.

• Small Losses: Advise clients to use self-service websites -entering a list of missing or damaged items
• Large Losses: Utilize carrier services that dispatch fieldagents for an on-site inventory creation of the missing/damageditems

4. Provide clients with contents claims resources.

Jon McNeill is chief executive officer of Enservio, aBoston-based firm specializing in inventory creation, valuation andreplacement. In 2002, Fast Company magazine named him one of the 10most innovative CEOs in the country.