Back when many of us began our careers investigating claims, wedid it the old fashioned way. There was no Internet, cell phones were the size of suitcases, and email had yet toreplace inter-office memos. Somehow, we managed to get by using therelatively scarce resources available at the time.

The key to success was a combination of intuition, tact, andperseverance, where significant time was spent knocking on doors,canvassing witnesses, and searching for the truth. If it wassuspected that a claim was a fraud, there was no such thing as link analysis technology tovalidate the hypothesis. Rather, clues had to be gathered and puttogether like a jigsaw puzzle.

Prior injuries and unrelated vehicles weren't readilyidentifiable, but nosy neighbors and bitter exes made the job alittle bit easier. Skip tracing was a manual process, and the localsheriff proved to be an invaluable ally when trying to enforcejudgments.

Fast forward 20 years and these things seem so routine. With theclick of a mouse, we can locate people, assets, jobs, personalproperty, and an array of other things that make investigatingclaims a little easier. Is this technological advancement, however,a detriment to fundamental blocking and tackling?

Technology, along with people and processes, serve as a basicfoundational element to any organization. However, technology canalso be used as a crutch to explain away organizational gaps,breakdowns, or failures.

People are the most crucial element in anysuccessful endeavor. As a result, they must have the training andskills necessary to properly execute basic fundamentals. Technologyshould be considered nothing more than a tool to make them betterat what they do.

Technology, in particular social networking, can also be a distraction to those notproperly trained and monitored on utilization. Certainly seeing theinjured party with “significant limitations related to theaccident” on YouTube in some type of contradictive behavior can addsignificantly to an investigation. That said, employees chatting onFacebook about plans for the weekend doesn't serve to improveorganizational quality.

The key to successful utilization of technology begins withmanagement, where expectations guide organizationalcalibration.

According to a study by Salary.com, employees spend an averageof two hours per day on the Internet. This can be good, bad orsomewhere in between, depending on what they are actually doing.Monitoring Internet usage with a variety of tools available can providevaluable insight, as well as limiting company losses that occurwith uncontrolled access. Aside from the potential for wasted time,unrestricted Internet access can open the network to viruses,spyware, and other security problems.

From a claims professional's vantage point, there are a numberof online applications that can assist with many aspects of theclaims process. Social networking can give insight into the behavior ofclaimants. Automotive and property sites can be used to assist withthe valuation process. Internet-based investigative resources canhelp root out fraud. Weather resources can identify historicalclimate data and the list goes on.

Perhaps more than anything, claims leaders should recognize thatthe online experience will serve to make their best employees muchmore efficient, while bogging down their worst employees withdistractions.

The great employee will use the Internet to dig deeper, seekingout answers to questions not yet even asked by the marginalemployee. Consider the following example:

Two cars collide at an intersection. Theinsured readily admits fault, saying he didn't see the stop sign.The occupants of the claimant vehicle retain the services of anattorney and get medical treatment from a local chiropractor. Themarginal adjuster may confirm the accident facts with both parties,pay estimates on both cars and move along to the next claim. Thegreat adjuster will recognize that there may be more than meets theeye.

Great adjusters will leverage the Internet to dig deep. Theywill not only ask questions of the parties to the claim, but alsothey will look for discrepancies. They will inquire about not onlytheir medical treatment, but get physical descriptions of theirclinics and providers. The good adjuster will ask for directionsfrom home to the chiropractor's office. They will measure thedamages and look for metal striations and paint transfers. The listof what the great adjuster will do goes on and on and at the end ofthe day may show that this ordinary claim was actually a staged accident.

While the Internet cannot replace basic blocking and tackling,and introspection and intuition, it can be a great resource. Beloware some free sites available on the Internet that can provide awealth of information:

Skip Tracing Websites and Resources

www.spokeo.com

www.411.com

www.pipl.com

www.anywho.com

Social Networking Sites

www.facebook.com

www.myspace.com

www.linkedincom

www.plaxo.com

Weather History

www.wunderground.com/history/

License Suspension Guidelines

www.christidball.com

Real Property, Asset and Liens

www.google.com/earth/

www.salary.com

www.zillow.com

Subrogation Resources

www.ambest.com

www.arbfile.org

www.subrogation.org

Government Resources

www.cms.gov

www.dol.gov

www.noaa.gov

www.nhtsa.gov