Claims professionals are responsible for a lot of things, from staggering caseloads to complex investigations. We're in the business of resolution, of helping restore a sense of normalcy to policyholders who have suffered tremendous loss.

This involves utilizing various hard skills, technologies and resources; however, one too often forgets that it also involves refining “soft skills,” such as empathetic listening and customer service.

Carl Van, ITP, president and CEO, International Insurance Institute, Inc., realizes the crucial role that soft skills play in the claims process. He is the author of more than 75 technical and soft skill workshops being taught throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Van is also the Dean of the School of Claims Performance and has earned many industry distinctions. Above all else, he is an enthusiastic educator, one who knows how to help managers inspire their troops to achieve optimal results.

At the 17th annual America's Claims Event (ACE), Van will share his knowledge to help other claims managers catalyze and educate their teams. When asked about the scope of his presentation, “The Three Driving Factors for Improving Claims Employee Performance,” Van stressed the attributes of exceptional claims professionals and the fact that claims is, and has always been, “a customer service business.”

Below are some of the highlights of our conversation. For more information about cultivating soft skills within your claims organization, be sure to attend the session, which takes place on June 19, 2013 at 12:45 pm, or one of the many networking events at this year's conference.

What is your definition of a truly exceptional performer?

A truly exceptional performer is one who understands the big picture of what he or she is supposed to be accomplishing. This person cares about doing an excellent job, and has the job knowledge and skil setl to do it well. Exceptional performers question the status quo but don't waste time waging war on company policy or procedures. They are “givers” rather than “takers.”

Explain how this definition applies to claims professionals.

In claims, we have an issue with the “big picture” part of that definition. Usually, in our claims customer service courses, we ask claims professionals to use words or phrases to describe their jobs. They will say things like: “investigate,” “negotiate,” “answer the phone,” “handle mail,” and “complete diary tasks.” They may also relay that they “write estimates” and about a thousand other things. What is almost never uttered, however, is “customer service.”

Claims is a customer service business. We don't build anything. We don't make anything. We are a 100-percent customer service business. We don't fix cars; someone else does that. We don't mend wounds; someone else does that. We don't rebuild houses. We arrange for those things to happen, and that is the customer service component. Sometimes we pay people, and other times we don't pay them but explain why. Even that is part of the customer service we provide.

The very best claims professionals are those who are technically sound, but it the end, understand we are here to help people. An adjuster who doesn't understand that will say, “If you don't sign this form, we can't pay you.” An adjuster who does understand that will say, “If you can sign this form, we can begin paying you.” An adjuster who doesn't understand that will say, “It sounds like you're confused. An adjuster who does understand that will say, “Maybe I didn't explain things clearly, let me try again.” An adjuster who doesn't understand that will say, “We're going to take depreciation.” An adjuster who does understand that will say, “Let me help explain why we take depreciation.”

What are the “three driving factors for improving claims employee performance” that you will talk about at the America's Claims Event this coming June?

Performance is made up of two things, Attitude and Ability. Attitude is 80 percent, and ability is 20 percent. It's the Pareto Principal; the old 8020 rule. Driving up that performance can have many avenues. I will be speaking on these three areas: Creating a culture of customer service awareness; setting a standard that improvement is part of the job; and providing the training and support for people to reach their potential.

Many claims organizations will say they do all these things already, when the truth is that it is their greatest weakness.

In what tangible ways can these ideas be implemented at the office?

Every interaction in a claims office is a potential training opportunity. Office meetings, break room conversations, casual conversations about procedure changes, etc. are all perfect times to create a culture. Declarations in newsletters, emails, memos, wall signs and the like are very weak methods to garner support for a culture improvement compared to an open discussion in an office meeting.

What is the one key takeaway that you hope audience members will get from your talk at the event?

That improvement is possible, available, and much less expensive than not doing anything. You can hire all of the talented people you want, but in the end, if there is not a system in place to shape that talent, it's all a waste of time. In management we seem to accept that it is normal to have only a couple of exceptional performers, rather than believe we are in control of creating them.

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ACE Sneak Preview: &quot;Claims Is A Customer Service Business&quot;

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