Posted By CatAdjusterX on 15 May 2010 08:49 PM
If these carriers decide to reduce or eliminate our role like with Eagleview and pictography , they have basically told us we are disposable.
If this does come to pass, we all know the limitations of these technologies, such as age of roof how many layers of shingles, quite a few things that cannot be accurately assessed from a sat or plane.
My knowledge can go both ways and I can imagine all the claims that were underscoped and ripe for , shall I say " A second look "
The old 'business standpoint' forces carriers to quickly let those points go to the wayside in the midst of a major event. In Katrina, vendors and carriers alike were sending out blackjack dealers, college students, 'foggers' if you will to just make a phone call and appease the homeowners by eventually becoming physically present. That group, in addition to beginner adjusters with 1-4 years experience, gets eliminated with technology since checks can be issued. It will mainly be up to the experienced adjusters who additionally have the advantage of being well versed in policy language and conflict resolution that will get most of the work.
In the wake of daily claims, carriers are moving towards allowing contractors to generate the estimates along with photos for the rock bottom low price of "FREE". Any coverage issues can be addressed from the desk. With contractors assessing damage, your chances of damage being overlooked are much slimmer than with an adjuster who has much less at stake, financially speaking, than the contractor.
Going back to your point indicating that we are disposable, yes I agree. What we do is not rocket science. We are familiar with how to do many things very well (i.e. read, communicate, measure, assess damage) and know when it's time to select, consult, and manage experts.
One time in my career, I had a thirst for doing commercial claims for one of my vendors because the fee schedule was lucrative. At that point, I was stuck handling ghetto claims with low limits. There was little paperwork, no ITV's necessary, and little or no investigation expected at all (I was often told by the carrier to limit my details and explanations and just provide damage assessments). Per file, these claims paid very little, but I was able to process many more, volume-wise, than the commercial claims I eventually received. The lesson I learned was that I made a boatload of more money doing what appeared to be crummy claims. The commercial work involved lengthy inspections, low damage, and lengthy reports all on a flat rate with little opportunity to revert to TE billing when needed. This work was like getting a fancy title and promotion, but actually making less money per hour because of all the additional hours you spend trying to throw yourself up the ladder.
In conclusion, there have been many posts/forums provided in the past to offer up the best tool or the best list of tools. The most indisposable tool for adjusters who survive the test of technology is not a Disto, but a great attitude. The proper attitude is what propels us to accept the crappy assignments (clean up, lengthy travel, low profit margin, lengthy reports) with the anticipation of eventual change or your eventual acceptance. I have learned that by developing tolerance for tasks or assignments that are excruciatingly difficult at first, I have been able to discover later on that these were some of the better deals. Granted, I've come across plenty of sour deals that just won't ever cut the mustard eventually turned them away.