It’s not uncommon for an independent adjuster to be on the roster of several IA firms. In fact, it’s standard operating procedure. Getting your name in the rotation with several firms provides the greater opportunity to have year-round work and not rely solely on CAT events. Create the reputation for being reliable, dependable, accurate & detail-oriented and you will be on the top of the “go-to” list for those rosters.
The problem, though, comes when you start getting more claims than you can handle without compromising either the carriers’ deadlines or the quality of your work. Suddenly, good-ol’-dependable-top-of-the-list adjuster has moved to the top of ANOTHER list that all IA firms have, and take my word for it, it’s a list you DON’T want to be on. So how do you retain the kind of loyalty from your IA firms that you work so hard to obtain? It’s a fairly simple answer. Learn to say “No” when your plate is too full. It’s okay to turn down work, because doing so will not affect your standing with the IA firm as long as they know you’re looking after their client’s best interest. If you knowingly cannot get to a claim within the industry standard timelines, let them know. As a Claims Operations Manager, I have a great deal of respect and admiration for an adjuster who is honest and up front with me regarding his over-booked schedule. It means I won’t assign THIS claim to him or her, but I’m going to offer them the next one without hesitation.
Most of us got into this industry because it can provide a very nice paycheck, but if you begin having the reputation of an adjuster who is consistently late in scheduling inspections or has to be badgered by the IA firm to upload that estimate for the property you inspected over two weeks ago, then you may as well turn in your tape measure and take up a full-time hobby like fishing or shuffleboard, because in due time your claims are going to taper off from a daily event to becoming an over-my-dead-body-will-I-give-you-another-claim situation. Besides, overloading your adjuster’s plate has a detrimental affect not only on your paycheck, but also on your mental state. You’ll burn yourself out. Before long, you’ll dread getting up in the morning, and instead of producing quality work, you’ll be dreaming about spending the entire day in a terrycloth robe chasing butterflies through a field.
Sign up on several rosters…Build a sterling reputation…Attack every claim like it’s the first one you’ve received…But before you ever accept the first assignment, find a Bible…put your left hand on it…raise your right hand and repeat this statement: “I will not take more claims than I can professionally handle, and I promise to be truthful and inform the IA firm when my schedule is too full to handle any additional claims without timelines suffering as a result.” I promise, you’ll still receive claims and your name will stay on the top of the “atta-boy/girl” list.