It is Tuesday morning in Columbus, Ohio, and what once stood as a single-family, colonial home with a white picket fence is now a mixture of rubble, debris, partially visible contents, and a half-burnt wooden frame. The fence is still there, but what it surrounds is no longer recognizable. In the front yard of the devastated area stands a group of people. Their goal is to help make everything whole again. 

Comprising this group is a family man, the policyholder, still in shock from the event that occurred just two days before; an experienced claims adjuster, who has seen this all too often; and a field inventory specialist. The latter specifically understands that the sooner she is able to do her job, the sooner the adjuster can move on to the next claim and the policyholder can move on with putting his home and family life back together. Although this specialist serves both the adjuster and the policyholder, today the primary focus is on the insured. 

Setting the Tone
Compassion and understanding are key concerns at this first meeting. Building trust is crucial to completing an accurate inventory as the inventory specialist begins to sift through the rubble to identify contents, often a hazardous task that is better undertaken by a specialist rather than the insured. This initial rapport and trust will set the tone for the entire claims process.