Those who have been CAT adjusting for many years likely remember the olden days ofthe paper files, landlines, Polaroids and handwritten estimates.My, how far we've come!

To illustrate the advances technology has afforded adjusters,let's take a look at a typical day-in-the-life of a CAT adjusterfrom 15 years ago. Deployed to a storm site, driving anywhere from24 to 48 hours upon arrival, he or she receives a large, heavystack of paper files. Next the adjuster begins making contacts andsetting appointments. If not lucky enough to have a cell phone,then the adjuster will spend hours in the hotel room making callsfrom a landline. Often the adjuster would need to leave a message;the policyholder would call back and leave a message at the hotel,leading to a maddening round of phone tag.

Mapping out each inspection location using his or her newlypurchased Bible-sized local map book the adjuster ensures they'veorganized appointments in a logical fashion. Back then the adjusterscoped multiple losses over several days, writing estimates on“paperwork day.” Photos needed to be mounted, letters written,calculations completed, and so on. Invariably, the adjuster wouldhave to revisit a loss or two to retrieve a missed measurement.Finally, the estimate would be given to the policyholder andpayment issued. Simple hail claims would take several weeks to besettled. The issues with this system are easily identified. Today,however, technology, when used properly, allows the adjuster to decreasecycle times, provide better customer service, and maximizeproductivity.

A Look at Estimating Software

The biggest advances in estimating software have occurred only in the last five to10years. These programs have greatly increased productivity,organization, accuracy, and efficiency. Estimating software noweliminates much of the work that used to be done by hand, such as:drawing diagrams, calculating square footage, creating statementsof loss, depreciation calculation, and so on. Tasks that once tookhours can be done in minutes. Mapping is made easy by exportingloss addresses all at once into GPS programs, and laser measuringdevices can take accurate measurements, which are imported directlyinto the software.

Claims Management Systems

Claims Management Systems (CMS) allow principals to managetheir company more effectively. Among the tools of a good CMS are:reporting functions for predicting and analyzing trends, managingperformance data, claim assignment capabilities, and cycle timetracking. CMS enables the company to view real-time data, examinecustomer service indicators, and provide feedback to the adjusterto confirm that they are aware of their service levels andexpectations. Having all this information readily available in oneplace enables management to respond quickly to any issues thatarise. This also allows management to make necessary adjustments toensure they are moving forward to meet or exceed service levelgoals.

CMS gives adjusters the ability to be more productive than everbefore, accessing claims information remotely, setting up diaries,time logs, file notes, on-demand claims information, and automatedsystem alerts.

Centralized Handling

The increased use of centralized or in-office claims handling within the past 10years has been astounding. Many losses that weren't consideredcandidates for phone handling five years ago are routinely handledin those operations. With that, the demand for adjusters speciallytrained to work in these environments has also increased, as wellas the accuracy and quality of these adjustments. Carriers havealso created units to handle specific elements of losses, such asbusiness interruption (BI), contents, and replacement costbenefit payments that specialize in these areas to yield a moreaccurate claim file and a more efficient adjuster. Additionalbenefits of centralized operations include better customer service,shorter cycle times, ability to handle a higher volume of claims,and better utilization of resources.

Aerial Imagery

An exciting innovation to the industry is the advent of aerial imagery. These services can be utilized to obtainmeasurements when a roof is deemed unsafe, or unusually steep andhigh. Many companies claim 99.9 percent accuracy with regards topitch and square-foot measurements. These dimensions can beuploaded directly into many of the estimating platforms, whichresults in incredible time saving. Aerial imagery is also useful incentralized environments for estimate reconciliation and avoidingthe need to send another field adjuster to inspect the loss. Thissaves time and money, as well as leads to quicker claim resolution.Keep in mind, while most imagery is very accurate, there aresituations when it is less reliable. This is especially true ininstances where a roof does not conform to the norm, such aseyebrows, roof line covered by another roof line, differentmaterials, heavy tree coverage, and so on. This tool, however, willcontinue to advance over time.

Smart Phones

From scheduling, mapping, and checking email to text messaging,dictation, taking photos, and more, cell phones have become an invaluable component of the adjustertool-belt. Imagine this: an adjuster receives a claim via email.They get the message instantly on their cell phone and can contactthe insured to set up an inspection immediately. The loss locationcan be mapped with the cell phone as well. The inspection can becompleted using a mobile estimating utility. Most estimatingplatforms have applications that interface with cell phones, soinspection data can be directly uploaded to the software. Anexciting emerging technology is measuring applications for smartphones. There are several available now, but the accuracy is notyet precise enough for estimating purposes. However, in the nextfew years, cell phones will likely be used as measuring devices. Nodoubt, the future holds the possibility that a cell phone may bethe only tool an adjuster will need.

Internet and Social Media

The Internet is a valuable claims handling resource. Fromproduct identification, to cost comparisons, to detailed propertysurveys and photos, the Internet provides a wealth of information.Social media sites provide a great deal of information as well.Pre-loss photos posted to Facebook can be used to replace damagedproperty. Also of value are the by-stander photos taken while aloss is occurring. A home is burning, for example, and someonetakes a photo or video of it and posts the images or video onYouTube. Depending on the timing of the photos, the cause,origin, duration, pre and post loss conditions, and so on, may bedetermined. The adjuster can also gather valuable informationsearching videos on YouTube in close proximity to the event.

Fast forward to the present and look at the typicalday-in-the-life of a CAT adjuster, who may be deployed to a CATsite, or a centralized or in-office claims handling operation. Ifthe adjuster reports to the field, claims can be assigned to him orher while en-route and they can begin making contacts immediately.Messages can be left and accessed instantly for greater efficiency.This allows the adjuster to begin scoping and closing claims assoon as they arrive on-site, leading to higher production andsuperior customer service. No doubt the adjuster will utilize a GPSto map all losses and schedule appointments accordingly. Theadjuster may not even need to physically measure the entire roof onsite, he or she may just simply verify a few key measurements foraccuracy, thanks to aerial imagery. There's no need to make a paperdiagram of a loss any longer either. Estimating software isavailable Photo mounting? Forget about it, all photos are digitaland attached electronically to the claim file. In many instances,the adjuster can create an estimate, settle on the spot, and issuethe payment. The result: closed claim, happy policyholder, happycarrier, and happy adjuster.