As any seasoned claims adjuster will tell you, interactions with claimants are sometimes baffling. Perhaps you feel as though you got off on the wrong foot with the customer, yet you aren't quite sure why. Well, there are simple steps claims professionals can take to dissolve ambivalence and defensiveness in order to procure all of the necessary information to process a claim. Claims' Christina Bramlet spoke with the author of The 8 Characteristics of the Awesome Adjuster about his newest release, Gaining Cooperation, for some pointers and learned that customer cooperation is more attainable than you might think.
What is the "cooperation hammer"?
The cooperation hammer is the tool most people pull out to gain cooperation with customers. It usually involves some type of threat or ultimatum. Some examples include, "If you don't sign the medical authorization, then we can't pay your bills," "If you don't release your car, you will have to pay the storage fees," and "If you don't let me take a recorded statement, we will deny your claim."
How can claim professionals avoid using this "hammer" technique?
The best way to avoid the hammer is to remember that we are in the customer service business, and always remember that people will trust us to the degree they believe we are trying to help them. By being cognizant of the fact we are in the customer service business, our language naturally changes. Using the aforementioned examples, we could modify the approach and language to "If you do sign the medical authorization, then we can help get your bills paid," and "If you release your car, then I can help you avoid unnecessary fees."
After that, it is crucial to utilize the three-step process. The first step is to find out why the claimant or policyholder does not desire to cooperate. The second step is to acknowledge that the claimant's reasons are reasonable. The third step entails returning to a discussion of the facts about why we need his or her cooperation.
What is counterproductive to gaining cooperation? Is there a certain faux pas that adjusters or other claims professionals often make?
One faux pas that many adjusters make is trying to prove the customer/claimant wrong in order to change his or her mind.
There is a chapter in your new book titled "Everything You Know Is Wrong." Can you give us a hint as to what you are referring?
I am referring to the fact that many times we attempt to do one thing, and yet end up doing the opposite. Here are some examples in the form of possible dialogue:
- Trying to get a customer to be patient. The adjuster says, "Sir, you're going to have to be patient." The customer hears, "Sir, since I'm not taking your situation seriously, and I'm overworked, and don't really have the time necessary to do a good job for you, you're going to have to be patient." What the adjuster should say is something like, "Sir, I understand the need to get this claim resolved promptly and efficiently for you. I will do everything I can to keep it moving."
- Trying to gain a customer's trust. The adjuster might say, "Sir, you are going to have to trust me on this." What the customer hears is "Sir, I have no reason for the things I do or say. If I did, then I would explain them to you in a way you could understand. So, question everything I tell you and for heaven's sake, don't trust me." What the adjuster should say is something along the lines of "Sir, you have every right to question the process. You, like me, want to make sure you get everything to which you are entitled. I'll do my best to make things clear."
- Trying to get a customer to calm down. The adjuster says, "Sir, I don't know if there is any reason to get excited over this." The customer hears, "Sir, you have no reason for your actions, and your feelings have no value. What a hysterical moron you are." However, what the adjuster should say is this: "Sir, I can understand why you are frustrated. Let me see if I can help."
Does this build upon the tenets of your first book, The 8 Characteristics of the Awesome Adjuster?
Yes. The same basic concepts of providing excellent customer service are there. This new book expands on the concept that gaining cooperation is a true interpersonal skill. It offers much more detail about the basic three-step process for gaining cooperation. In addition, it introduces some important negotiation maxims to which I adhere.
- Negotiation Maxim #1: Great negotiators never argue with reasons; they argue the facts.
- Negotiation Maxim #2: You never have to prove anyone wrong; you only have to prove yourself right.
- Negotiation Maxim #3: People will consider what you have to say, to the exact degree you demonstrate you understand their point of view.
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