In a perfect world, every insurance claim fully verifies on the first inspection, and clients pay expenses paid appropriately in full. Of course, we wouldn’t need insurance coverage in a perfect world. Instead, we live in a world where disasters and mistakes are commonplace. When a client’s claim is not everything they understood it would be, claim disputes and requests for reinspection arise. At this point, clients become frustrated. While claim disputes are no one’s idea of a good time, you can also make an effort to make them as painless and straightforward as possible. You can absolutely improve customer experience in a claims dispute and retain your troubled clients by handling each dispute and reinspection with speed, clarity, and diplomacy.
Let’s look at a few ways that an insurance agency can improve the already difficult client experience when claims disputes occur.
Why Reinspection and Claims Disputes Arise
- An offered claim does not meet customer expectations or understanding of their policy
- Customers were incorrectly held responsible for certain damages
- The previous adjuster missed details or took inaccurate measurements
- Inaccurately estimated repair costs
Your insurance clients may dispute a claim or request a reinspection when a claim does not meet their expectations. When clients file a claim, they usually have an idea of coverage and how much to expect to take care of necessary repairs or recovery expenses. When a claim doesn’t pan out, they ask for a reassessment of the situation. Sometimes, they are correct and something critical was overlooked or incorrectly estimated in the first inspection. At other times, they misunderstood the policy and will need gentle customer care in a difficult situation.
Understanding where your unhappy clients are coming from is the first step in improving their claims dispute and reinspection experience.
Provide Prompt, Professional, and Thorough Reinspection
Don’t make your unhappy clients wait months or even weeks to schedule their reinspection. These are people who likely have home damage in need of funds to cover the expenses – every day they wait might be a worsening situation. Instead, work with a network of professional third-party adjusters who are available nationwide to ensure that every disputed claim sees a reinspection as immediately as possible.
Go Over the Policy Details to Re-Secure Expectations
Expectations management is essential in the insurance industry. Unhappy clients come from people who thought they had coverage only to realize that their policy and situation do not align. The better clients understand their coverage before a disaster, the fewer claims disputes will occur. Once you file a claim dispute, ensure your client – and your claims adjuster! – understands the details of coverage and assessments.
Have someone sit down with your client and review the policies – not like a remedial class but in the light of “Let us check what’s covered and compare it to your situation”. This will ensure that policy details are fresh for both parties when reinspection occurs.
Take Careful Measurements the Second Time
The first inspection might have been rushed. Perhaps there were distracting factors or bad weather. For your reinspection, make sure everything is perfect. Work with a claims adjuster you know is precise and thorough with both taking measurements and recording what they find. Get photographic and video evidence for later. If necessary, bring in a specialist to assess specific damage – and determine if it is disaster or maintenance-related.
A reinspection should leave nothing in question, and no need for a third inspection when the reinspection is complete. Share the thorough results with the client as well, so they know that their situation has truly been managed with the attention to detail that it deserves.
Collect All the Information on Repairs and Expenses
By the time a reinspection rolls around, clients have often needed to take care of repairs out of their own pocket. One cannot simply leave a roof gaping open or medical needs unattended while deciding insurance claims. Be sure to collect all the information on both already-paid and predicted expenses. Be thorough in the assessment – pair estimations with existing damage and market research on realistic local repair costs. This ensures that the final claim does not underestimate the financial need and appropriate coverage for each client.
Keep Your Client in the Loop
Last and absolutely not least is to make sure your client never feels abandoned in the process. While you may need to run the numbers back at the office, avoid “ghosting” your client. Let them know how the reinspection went. Share your notes and documentation of the damage and expenses. Give them an update on coverage based on the damage findings. Let them know you’re re-processing their claim as per their request and when to expect to hear back from you.
Clients in a claims dispute also experience a personal disaster and need this level of engagement to ensure that someone addresses their situation quickly and professionally.
Make Reinspection and Claim Disputes a Better Customer Experience
Ready to upgrade your claims adjustment and reinspection customer experience? Contact us today to connect with a national network of highly accomplished and thorough claims adjusters who can help ensure your customers get the attention to detail that each case deserves.
