You've heard the saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” butthese showers also bring hail storms. And, these hail storms bringinsurance companies huge quantities of damaged property needingestimates.

In fact, the current price tag for 2016 hail damage in NorthTexas alone is near $3.4 billion, and it's still early in theseason.

This influx in damage causes insurance companies to becomeoverwhelmed with claims. In the meantime, customers are emotionalbecause there is likely more than one type of property damaged— multiple cars, roofs, siding and the like.

Car dealers

Aside from property damage, auto dealerships are often one ofthe most hard-hit businesses when it comes to hail.

As perfect targets for storms, many times damage is so bad thatdealers have to offer inventory at a discount to move it off thelots faster. To deal with the mass damage, these businesses willoften hire an appraiser to come out to their lots and estimate afew different vehicles. From there, they then apply that estimateto all of the cars on the lot.

Related: Hail-related insurance claims by thenumbers

Although this method works for car dealers, unfortunately, it isnot applicable to insurance companies that need to provideindividualized service to their customers, since each customer hasa different policy.

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After a major hail storm, companies frequently set uptemporary sites to adjust claims more quickly. (Photo: P.Harman/PropertyCasualty360.com)

Tent estimates

Alternatively, to keep up with the large quantity of auto damageclaims that come in, insurance companies will set up tents forcustomers to drive through to get their claim handled quickly.However, these setups require an overwhelming amount ofmanpower.

After major storms hit, insurance companies are already swampedand many times under-staffed. What may seem like an easy fix canactually create more headaches for overtaxed insurancecompanies.

One way insurance companies can handle these situations involvesworking with independent appraisers to complete estimates quickly.An appraisal company with a national network has the ability topull in appraisers from other parts of the country so cases canclose faster. If your company is already sending staff to hard-hitareas, independent appraisers can help backfill areas where thestaff becomes too thin.

Hail damage can stretch beyond cars. Find an appraiser that isversatile. A good appraiser estimates one type of property well. Agreat appraiser can estimate multiple types — autos, homes,RVs, etc. — exceptionally. Be sure to check which servicesindependent appraisers provide to make sure they will be able tohandle all types of claims. They should be willing to work sevendays a week if necessary, until the backlog of claims has beenreduced, and should be familiar with estimating platfoms, as wellas any mobile tools that will allow them to assess claimsfaster.

The right independent appraiser will be knowledgeable and helpto effectively supplement your existing staff, while completingclaims in an accurate and timely manner.

Ken Loose is the chief operations officer at Forth Worth,Texas-based Property Damage Appraisers. He can bereached at [email protected].

Related: Severe storms bring rain, hail andquestionable claims