THE CLAIMS FIRST CONTACT
The successful claim outcome is dependent upon how the claims professional starts the process. Paramount is the “first contact” with those involved in the claim. In order to guide the claim process to a proper resolution you will want to begin with the following steps:
Review of the initial claim facts
Review and assessment of all parties involved
Retrieval of support documentation
Initial determination of cause or at fault party
(This may change as facts reveal themselves)
Formulate an interview guide (questions to ask) to secure the facts
Secure the following:
What happened?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Who was involved?
Why did it happened
Who witnessed it
Review contributing factors etc.
Once the aforementioned has been secured, then you should have your core content to move forward with the first contact process. Depending on the claim type, (property or casualty) you will move your investigation in the direction that extracts the facts you seek and need. Important questions like “why” mean a lot. Opened ended questions that encourage discussion will lead to more claim information. Effective probing offers many opportunities. Know how to probe comes with experience and the proverbial “gut feeling”. I will write a blog update on this topic in the coming weeks. Think of the aforementioned on your next first contact. Seeya
Robert Carper
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