With a new spring and summer storm season approaching, claims adjusters all over the country will be preparing for deployment to areas hit by hail, tornados, hurricanes, wild fires, and other natural disasters.

As an adjuster looking for CE credit, you may have noticed the wide variety of offerings. Because there are so many CE providers and options today, selection often comes down to “What are my cheapest and most convenient options?” Ask yourself, are the courses you are selecting actually providing you with any take-away value, or are you just putting in the required time and taking the easiest and/or cheapest route to completing these requirements?

You may also want to ask yourself the following when selecting your CE courses, “Will this help me become a better and more effective adjuster?” Be sure to perform a personal skill assessment to determine where you may need to build up your skill set. For example, do you need to understand insurance law better? Do you need to learn more about building envelope construction to prepare faster and more accurate estimates? Do you know all the different types of roofing, and the special nuances of each type that may affect the accuracy your damage assessments? Find specialty courses that help expand your expertise and sharpen your skill set. Look for respected industry and subject matter experts who offer CE in the areas where you want to expand your knowledge and understanding.

Industry Certifications

Now that you are up to speed on carrier customer service standards, estimating software and your policy/coverage training, how confident are you in your damage assessment skills and knowledge? Are you able to confidently and efficiently perform your inspection and then defend your findings to the insured or your superiors? Will your assessment stand up to a potential re-inspection, if requested by the insured?

In today's business environment having the competitive advantage is everything. One popular and effective way of gaining the advantage in the claims field today is by earning industry certifications through education/training to build up your resume. Furthering your education will not only sharpen and diversify your skills, but make you and your opinion even more respected and valuable to your customers and employer, and make you a more efficient and accurate claims professional.

Industry certifications add to the credibility and experience you already bring to the job site. Some specialized certifications may even be required by your employer to adjust certain types of claims. So, it's fair to assume that certified adjusters will have the potential for more work over those who don't earn and maintain special certifications.

When you arrive at a job site, explain your qualifications and certifications to a homeowner, mitigation specialist, or contractor. This will help establish your credibility and experience to handle their claim with accuracy and efficiency. Establishing your credentials early in the claim leads to less conflict with contractors and/or customers during the adjusting process.

When looking for a CE provider or specialty training company, always consider who the author(s) and presenter(s) of the program are. Do they have industry experience and respect in their area of expertise? Will they give you access to the instructor or developers for additional questions that may arise while you are on the job site? Is there continued follow up and assistance with furthering your understanding and learning after you have successfully completed one class? If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, then you may want to look elsewhere for your training.

Industry certifications can increase your value to your employer. Your ability to quickly and accurately assess, and rectify the claim is an issue important to any customer whether it be a homeowner or insurance company. Making an investment in earning industry certifications and advanced training will give you confidence in the field, make you a better adjuster, and help you provide superior service to all of your customers.

Reference Books and Tools

If you are new to the adjusting world, then you may not have the time to invest in training between now and your first deployment. What are you doing to prepare yourself to do the best job you can do in the field? Every adjuster carries a laptop, a measuring tape, writing utensils and other necessities for adjusting different types of claims. Take the time before the storms to do some research into other tools or reference material that are available to make your job easier once you are called into the field.

Create an easy to transport bag or collection of reference materials, damage assessment guides, tools, tool belts, and safety equipment and have those ready at a moment's notice. If you know the company you will be working for, then be sure you know if they require any special equipment—shingle gauge, digital inclinometer, and so on—and have those things in your possession to avoid having to find them or purchase them at the last minute. Also, some items are only available from limited sources. Don't wait until you arrive to the CAT to purchase your required tools, because they may be hard to find or require expedited shipping charges to get them to you quickly.

Prepare yourself for what could be a busy storm season by sharpening your skills through training and industry. Gather the references and tools you will need today to help you be a more accurate and efficient adjuster tomorrow.

Ryan Holdhusen is the vice president of Haag Education, LLC, a subsidiary of Haag Engineering Co. Haag provides damage assessment training by our experienced professional engineers. Become Haag Certified today! Visit haagcertifiedinspector.com and haageducation.com to learn more.

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Training, Certifications Essential To Claims Handling Accuracy and Confidence

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