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CCarr
Canada
1200 Posts |
 Posted - 05/22/2003 : 10:49:38
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Newt, I have some generalized observations of your "plan". Hopefully others with a much greater tenure than myself directly in cat claims will reflect on what you have laid out.
(1) Expenses that will burden your overhead and minimize any chance of net profit ("mad money" for partners)
(a) your flight
(b) your rent a wreck (whether short term or for storm duration)
(2) Possible impediments to anticipated productivity
(a) (your '3f') you may not know "the area you will be working" (area specific) until the storm meeting and assignment of claims. Therefore, "suitable quarters" could be undetermined until that time
(b) depending on the vendor a/o carrier "systems", you may not be assigned your new claims before the "orientation meeting".
(c) your "58 claims" may have 10 or 15 different agents amongst your 'pile'. A "precall" of this nature to each agent is unproductive, you have nothing of "value" to tell an agent at that time
(d) "Roof work will be done using handy talkies and 'hp's, with one on the ground doing the recording", is an unproductive use of 2 people at the loss site
(3) Possible ways to improve productivity
(a) get your daughter doing a lot more admin and clerical functions from her home base. Review and consider Bryan Newell's 5/15 post (1st paragraph) in this thread. Explore all the things that people like Jan Brestel and Lisa Adair offer; and focus those functions as your daughter's responsibilities
(b) define and split loss site duties with your grandson, including (and quite important) who is the "site boss" who wraps everything up.
(c) Define and split "motel office" duties with your grandson
Based on your comments, you personally are not in this venture / adventure for the money. However, past the initial venture, your "partners" may want more "fruit" to be harvested for their efforts; and to keep their interest level high past the first foray into the field. |
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Newt
USA
657 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2003 : 20:53:20
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The first three ore fourhundred claims, we don't expect much profit. We have discussed this and all agree, we train hard and then when we think we are ready we will split up into three adjusters and my daughter will still stay with the phone. My wife is in poor health and Linda will take care of things at home. Her son who is also licensed, will remain at his present job until the second job comes along. He is 30 and is Linda's son. I sent this tribe to Texas to school and all are ready for the task. I will be the site boss.
The first quarters will be temp. near the meeting site. As I didn't make myself clear on the next quarters they will be central to the job area. All I want that first night is a place to sleep.
As for defining the office duties, we have been through this and share work. We talk as we work and discuss what we are going to do.
I would probably only have 21 hr or less to get to the meeting after packing, if I take a couple of hours to get ready and load and get the p/u truck on the road. That is an average of just over 57mph to get there at meeting time. If I get there 30 minutes early to find parking(maybe)I have to average more. So if I want to work and want the be ready for the meeting it would make sense to fly. I like to make an impression on my first meeting as being alert and I know it will be a big chunk of money out of the pie but you do what you gotta do. As for the rent a wreck, that is optional and we may or may not need one depending on the ammount of travel we need to be doing.
I will weigh that when I arrive and if I have more than two hundred miles a day, it makes sense to rent. I have done a lot of travel in my former work so I am familure with costs in that area. My old truck still looks new and I want to keep it that way. It also uses more gas, so the advantage of renting sometimes outweigh driving your own.
The first assignment will be a learning experience, and using two people doing the roof will give both some hands on experience. As we get more proficient, we will split and only one man will go to a site.
We know this will be an unusual way to do things but we have to get the experience, and it will come at a price.
In the future we hope to get a motor home and market ouselves as a three man team.
I am falling behind in my study, so many things came up lately and my wife has been having surgery and other problems that kept me on my toes. I am glad I got all the CEU's I need, I have 37 for the first year, I only need thirty for two years so I got ahead of the curve.
Continueing education is great if it is done properly. As a PCO I was required to spend three days at Auburn Univ. or Purdue Univ. every quarter to maintain my certification. We got a lot out of those three days. |
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CCarr
Canada
1200 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2003 : 21:34:48
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Newt, I recognize you are working from the opening post scenario. I wasn't sure of something you said in your post this morning at 08.23, but with your latest post, it seems that you have the math wrong concerning the time you have relative to your 'plan' in accordance with the opening scenario post.
The original post has "you" hanging up the phone following your deployment phone call at about 09.30 AM Saturday, agreeing to be at a storm meeting 1200 miles away on Sunday at 8.00 PM. This is 34.5 hours. So you take 2.5 hours to load and say goodbye, that still leaves 32.0 hours to do 1200 miles; that is an average of 37.5 mph. |
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Newt
USA
657 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2003 : 09:16:25
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Clayton, you are right and thirty hours would give enough time to get there and be ready for the meeting. I am not focused enough on this right now, my wife just had an operation and radiation treatment, Grand Daughter #1 just had surgery, and I am in the middle of selling this place so you know where my head is at. Sorry to take up the time of you guys and gals with my wrong answers, and thanks for pointing out the mistakes, Clayton. I have a one track mind and can only concentrate on one thing at a time, family comes first. My wife had lung cancer and she has not been doing well lately. I know you folks understand my problem because so many have been going through trying times lately.
I may not be as active for a while, but I will continue to check the forum, I just wanted to explain why my participation has been off. Hope you all have a hundred claims under you arms, and all your clients have a smile. Later.
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Hines57
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2003 : 08:31:31
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Just to drag this thread back up from the bottom, and to add one thing that I had to learn the hard way. Check with your doctor to try and get a 90 day supply of any meds that you take. It can be a time consuming hassle to try and get 'scrips filled on location.
Also take batteries and extra phone cord. I carry condiments with me, salt, pepper and hot sauce, etc. so I don't have to buy them there.
My first night in the extended stay, I usually buy the front desk people a pizza. I want them on my side. I also try and hire one of them to do data entry for me. Most of the time they are not that busy later in the evening and are happy to have something to do. I offer $20 cash a night to enter 10 to 15 claims. If I am receiving faxes at the front desk, I offer them a ream of paper.
I have seen how screwed up life can get if you treat the hotel people poorly. I make a point of getting them on my side. |
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KileAnderson
USA
875 Posts |
Posted - 09/24/2003 : 20:49:15
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| As far as the prescriptions go, I find that if you can use Walgreens at home there is a Walgreens in everytown I have ever worked in. They seem to be all over the south, midwest and east coast. There are 2 within a mile of my house. I can go online and order my refils and choose which store I want to pick them up at anywhere in the country. I'm sure that there are many comunities not serviced by Walgreens but so far they have not failed me yet. I don't have to show my insurance card or anything. I just log in at night and place the order and the next day I walk in, give them my name and it's all ready, I just pay my co-pay and I'm done. I don't own stock in the company or anything, but it is one of the few things in life I've found where service has exceeded all expectations. I highly reccomend them. |
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Just got 58 new claims, what do I do now?
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