Case studies : Chartered loss adjuster: Rod

Rod completed an arts degree and went on to work in an insurance company. After three months he moved into claims.

Rod has a genuine passion for the work he delivers in claims and loss adjustment and feels that it is an exciting, unpredictable and challenging environment to work in. Rod has worked in the insurance industry for over 34 years.

Rod says, 'Every day is different. The next phone call could be from a corner shop, someone whose house has burned down or from a business with a large fraud case. Although there is a lot of paperwork, the actual investigative work is really stimulating and has brought me into contact with a wide range of professionals ranging from forensic scientists to fire officers.'

Rod completed an arts degree and went on to work in an insurance company. After three months he moved into claims. After three-and-a-half years he had completed the ACII qualification that enabled him to fast-track from claims inspecting to loss adjusting. The roles are similar, but the key difference between claims and loss adjusting is that claims inspectors deal with relatively straightforward claims, often working for one company, and loss adjusters work for a range of companies and deal with larger and more complex cases.

A day in the life of a claims inspector can involve four to five visits to cases, often locally within a 150-mile radius. Visits can be to houses, businesses, industrial plants or public sector organisations. The purpose of the visit is to establish the circumstances of the claim, meet the people making the claim and to investigate the case to help decide whether the insurer will pay and, if so, how much.

Rod noted that particular skills were necessary for this job: 'You need self-confidence, very strong interpersonal skills, initiative, self-reliance and discipline for this work. It is important to be able to go into a situation, establish a quick rapport with the people involved and marshal the facts very quickly. You need to have both empathy and professional distance in what are often very difficult situations for people. An insurance claims inspector meets people from all walks of life.'

Rod also stressed that an insurance claims inspector must be vigilant about writing up cases and reports, have the ability to read large amounts of information accurately, have good analytical skills and have an eye for detail such as the tell-tale signs of fraud. The ability to prioritise work, manage new and ongoing cases simultaneously and meet deadlines is essential.

Rod feels that career development opportunities are good in this sector. Both the CII and the offer challenging professional exams and qualifications that have brought Rod both technical knowledge and industry respect. There are also opportunities to develop areas of expertise through dealing with particular types of claims, for example: specialist medical knowledge from injury and disability claims; business management, accounts and profitability knowledge from business interruption claims; and English Law knowledge from legal liability claims.

For Rod, the best part of claims work is the unpredictability of each day and the opportunity to meet new and interesting people in acute circumstances after fires, floods, thefts and all manner of accidents. The less favourable part of the work is keeping on top of the paperwork, which requires discipline and application that you just have to come to enjoy!

Rod’s advice to new graduates wishing to enter an insurance claims inspector role is to be determined. 'Show that you are adaptable and always willing to go the extra mile. It is important to be a quick, neat worker, a presentable dresser, and demonstrate that you can respond to a new situation quickly and flexibly. This is an endlessly interesting field of work, which constantly moves and changes, and I continue to be daily more curious and stimulated by this work.'