The profession of “Claims Adjuster” could easily be categorized as unusual… apart from the norm… not your typical 9-5. Throughout the year, we respond to and interact with people who have undergone (more often than not) strenuous and emotional ordeals. In an earlier post, I wrote about the importance of having empathy when dealing with those affected by the losses we adjust. I want to spend a little extra time on that thought as we have just passed the one-year mark of Hurricane Michael that slammed onto the Florida panhandle last October. When dealing with a storm of that intensity, losses are rarely simple, and they include more than just property loss. Hurricane Michael was responsible for more than two dozen deaths and decimated millions of acres. People lost their homes, their livelihoods and their loved ones.
For those whose only association with Michael was through the national media, it’s easy to say, “Oh that’s just horrible, but you just need to look on the bright side,” or, “behind every dark cloud is a silver lining.” I realize people who say those things do 
truly mean well, but bright sides and silver linings are about as easily to spot as Nessie herself, especially when the loss is so horrendous, unstoppable, and unavoidable.
As a claims adjuster, you’re put on the front line of the battle to recover from a Mother Nature sucker punch. At this point, there’s no need to look backward toward Michael, but forward to all the other events that WILL come down the pike.
As you make contact with the insured, don’t just ask the standard questions as though you were an emotionless automaton. Get the answers you need for your Narrative, but then…get personal. Ask how they are doing, but ask with genuine care and concern in your voice. Many times a person who has experienced a loss wants nothing more than just a sympathetic (translated empathetic) ear to bend…a shoulder to cry on. You can afford to spend an extra 20-30 minutes if that tiny sliver of time can bring much-needed rays of hope back into the lives of those who have lost.
Your time as an adjuster is valuable…I get that. But if the tick of the clock and the rolling over of the all-mighty dollar odometer is the ruling force of your life, then you’re cheating not only those you interact with, but you’re also cheating yourself. We live in an age of self-centeredness, but that doesn’t mean you have to fall into that category. You don’t have to profess Christianity to understand this passage from the book of Romans: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. (Rom. 12:15)” It doesn’t mean you have to start bawling with someone, but it does mean you help take their hurt and show them (translated empathize) that you 
are ready and willing to be their emotional support, if only for the short time you are on site for the inspection.
This isn’t a topic covered in any of the state exams to receive an adjuster’s license, but in my opinion, it should be. Most homeowners can cope with their losses, but you know as well as I do that there will be others who cross your path that need more than just someone to write an estimate to rebuild. Be that someone.