Drive client loyalty with great customer service

Connecticut Edition/February 2010
Drive client loyalty
with great customer service
Property damage emergencies
Tips to help your policyholders cope
By John Capponi, CR, WRT, ASD
Y
our services will never be more
in demand than when your
policyholder is dealing with a
property-damage emergency. Whether
it is a water, mold or fire-related loss,
policyholders feel a real sense of
confusion and panic when their home,
the place where they feel most safe,
has been in jeopardy. Often priceless
personal items—such as photographs
and family heirlooms—are damaged,
causing further emotional distress and
a sense of hopelessness.
It is in the best interest of the
professional agent to be sensitive of
their clients’ emotional needs after
damage has occurred. In order to meet
those needs, agents need to prepare the
policyholder for the recovery process;
help choose the provider to complete
the work; familiarize themselves
with the mitigation; and restoration
process so they can educate their
clients and maintain a constant flow of
communication throughout the process.
It is steps like these that will build
a compassionate, yet professional,
relationship with the policyholder, and
ultimately, retain their business.
Prepare the policyholder
Before the mitigation and restoration
process begins, the insurance agent
should explain to the policyholder exactly
what the process will entail. The agent
should be empathetic, emphasize that
the damage will be taken care of, but
never pass off the restoration process as a
casual routine. Give examples of a similar
incident and how the job was completed
to the policyholder’s satisfaction. That
will give them reassurance that you have
dealt with these types of incidents before
Professional Insurance Agents/February 2010
17
and the confidence in knowing that
you will get everything completed
as promised.
In order to prepare the policyholder
for the process properly, it is crucial that
you, as an agent, fully understand the
work that will need to be done. Every
insurance agent should know the dos and
don’ts of the mitigation and restoration
process so that they can educate their
policyholder, ease their concerns,
and manage their expectations. By
understanding the process fully, insurance
professionals will be better equipped to
recommend the restoration company to
successfully take care of the job.
Help choose a provider
Since finding a property restoration
provider is not a usual practice
for a policyholder, the process of
recommending a trustworthy and well-
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regarded company often falls to the agent.
To provide excellent policyholder service,
the insurance agent should research
restoration companies to find a service
provider that is consistent, efficient, and
ethical, and that can perform the services
that will suit the policyholder’s needs
best. Insurance agents should look for
restoration companies that have been
in the industry for an extended period
of time and have maintained a great
reputation for responsiveness, exceptional
restoration service and compassion.
When researching companies, it is
crucial to think about the same questions
your policyholder would want to know:
• Is this company professional?
• Are their employees well trained?
• Are their employees honest? Can I
trust them?
• Do these people show care
and respect for the homes they are
working in?
• Do they treat the policyholder
with care and concern?
It is important for them to feel
comfortable with the company selected
to do the mitigation or restoration work
and in order for that to happen you
must also feel comfortable with the
quality of employees within that
company.
Educate your client with
the restoration process
Even though a professional property
restoration company is expected to walk
the policyholder through the recovery
process, it is important for insurance
professionals to understand basic
property damage procedures. This will
allow you to educate them about the steps
to take to ensure the safety of all residents
and prevent further damage in a property
damage scenario.
A water emergency. Water losses
often occur after weather-related
disasters and many times results in
flooded home with contaminated water
that is unsafe for not only the residents,
but the restoration technicians and
adjusters as well. By learning about the
dangers associated with this type of loss,
insurance professionals can educate their
policyholders about safety.
Professional Insurance Agents/February 2010
In case of water damage caused from
within the home (i.e., faulty appliance,
broken pipes, etc.) the policyholder
should immediately turn off the water
main, which can reduce claims by more
than half, and move all wood furniture
off of wet carpet to protect both the
furniture and the carpet and place
aluminum foil or wood blocks under
the furniture legs to prevent damage
to the dry surface. If a shop vacuum is
available, the property owner should
try to get rid of as much excess waste
and water, which can help prevent any
additional problems. Since policyholders
typically are only able to address about
one-third of the problems themselves, it
is crucial for agents to encourage them to
hire a professional restoration provider to
analyze the damage and fully restore the
loss properly.
A fire emergency. A fire loss often is
more severe than a water loss and special
attention to safety is imperative. A few
simple and initial questions from the
insurance professional at the beginning
will help to address the problem as
quickly as possible. Is there any structural
damage? Is there a lot of smoke? Advise
the policyholder that young children
and the elderly need to leave the home
immediately as they are more susceptible
to health issues related to the air quality.
After a fire, the agent should also be able
to educate the policyholder about how
spending a few hundred dollars to “pretreat” metals in a home (i.e.: faucets,
pipes, hinges, light fixtures, etc.) can save
thousands in unnecessary replacement
costs in case of a future fire loss.
Communication is key
Overall, the most important thing to
understand about helping a policyholder
cope with any type of property loss is
that communication and hand-holding
through the process is just as important, if
not more, as writing a check for the loss.
An open flow of communication between
the insurance agent and the policyholder
is crucial to ease their worries.
Prior to the start of the restoration
process, the insurance agent should
explain to the policyholder exactly
what the process will entail. If they
are going to be displaced for a period
of time or if they are not comfortable
staying in the home during the recovery
process, make sure they have appropriate
accommodations. If the expected
completion of the restoration has to be
moved back for any reason, give the
policyholder fair warning.
The agent needs to make sure the
policyholder is comfortable with the
recovery process. This includes comfort
with the restoration workers who are
in the home and the work that is being
done. Maintaining an open flow of
communication with the policyholder
throughout the process is as important as
the recovery itself.
Understand that each policyholder
will go through five steps of grief and
anticipate that anger will turn up one
way or another—if the agent expects this
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Professional Insurance Agents/February 2010
19
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emotion, he or she will be prepared to
help the policyholder cope and restore his
or her sense of calm.
Furthermore, regular and ongoing
communication between the insurance
agent and the restoration service provider
is critical to ensure that all parties
are on the same page. The insurance
provider should make sure the restoration
company is aware of the severity of the
situation—both the structural condition
of the property and the emotional
condition of the property owner. In turn,
the restoration provider should provide
timely feedback to the agent to ensure
that their policyholder relationship
remains unbroken. After all, this is the
moment your policyholder decides that
service is more important than price. Your
policyholder retention is ensured if you
follow these steps. Maintaining an open
relationship with the restoration company
can help develop a long-standing bond
that can be utilized for future property
emergencies.
Capponi is vice president of operations
for PuroClean. He brings with him a wealth
of industry expertise gained from nearly
35 years of experience. His expertise
extends to operations systems design and
development, project management. Capponi
holds industry certifications including: IICRC
Journeyman Cleaning Technician, Master
Restoration Technician, Water and Fire
certifications, Certified Restorer® through
ASCR/RIA and more.
PuroClean is a leader in property damage
restoration and has earned the trust of property
owners, insurance professionals and home
service providers throughout the U.S. and
Canada since 2001. In 2009, PuroClean trained
more than 8,500 insurance professionals
nationwide to help them earn their continuing
education credits. For more information on
PuroClean visit www.puroclean.com.
Professional Insurance Agents Association of Ohio, Inc.
20
Professional Insurance Agents/February 2010