It has been around two months since Hurricane Ian. 

Many public adjusters, roofers, and other businesses are struggling to organize and manage the enormous amount of work Ian left.

However, staying on top of the situation, and doing your best for the property owners should be at the forefront of your efforts.

Businesses that take on as much as possible but do not care about their work quality cast a significant shadow over the whole industry.

Hence, I suggest you read this post and watch the YouTube video to learn more about:

👉 How to prepare for the upcoming months or years.

👉 How to position your public adjusting business for success.

👉 The steps you should take to ensure you avoid making mistakes.

Also, before we go more in-depth. You should know that I get it.

You want to grow your business and now is the opportune time.

However, there is a right way to take more work and the not so good way.

Let us make sure you choose the right way, okay?

To outsiders, it might seem like we are all making truckloads of money without too much effort.

However, public adjusters will know, it is now more stressful than ever.

Plus, our percentage went down during Hurricane Ian’s aftermath.

And it could go down further.

It is worth knowing what you can expect next.

For example, you can now expect undisputed payments from insurance companies.

Unless you follow a high-performing claim workflow and educate your clients at the beginning, they will most likely start to panic when they receive the undisputed payment.

Take your time to explain to your clients this is just a step in the right direction, and lay out your actions to help them get the money they need to repair their homes.

However, undisputed claims also mean more work for you.

Client communication on one side and negotiating with the insurance company on the other.

Undisputed payments are something you should prepare for and expect.

Do not take on too much responsibility and become overwhelmed when you have to negotiate a decent amount with the insurance company.

So, how can you get through this if you are running your public adjusting company?

The first two steps are to:

1. Hire more people
2. And create and optimize processes.

Hiring people is quite a long process, so ensure you hire the right people for the right positions. 

Be rigorous with your hiring process, do not take people on quickly just because there is a lot of work. Hire game changers and invest in training them.

We are in for a long game with Hurricane Ian’s claims. You will need high-performing employees for the upcoming months, possibly years.

Secondly, optimize your processes.

That also includes staying on top of everything. Keep clean and up-to-date documentation of what you submitted for which client and what more you need to submit as proof of loss.

Optimize every possible process. Start with client communication, emailing, accounting, creating content, sales, etc. 

Write all your business processes down and optimize them in a way that improves performance and reduces working time.

Finally, do not forget about personal improvement.

Especially if you are hiring new public adjusters, use a simple workbook to teach them the basics. Investing in yourself and your employees is the cornerstone of every successful business!

You already know that proof of loss can make or break your claim.

And amidst Hurricane Ian’s claims, the proof of loss deadline has been moved to 60 days from the date of loss. Some insurance companies have different but similar requirements.

Regardless of the deadline, it is in your best interest to send proof of loss as soon as possible.

Once you have the proof of loss submitted, you have completed a large portion of the claim process.

What is left is to push the insurance company weekly and ensure they are on top of your claim and have all the required documentation.

Also, include the client in all insurance company-related communication.

Property owners are stressed, mostly out of their homes, and want to know how their situation develops.

Do not keep them in the dark for weeks at a time.

Simply add your client to the weekly reminders to the insurance company.

I understand this is an opportune time to grow your public adjusting business, but I would ask you to stay on top of your game and not overwork yourself.

Take just enough work and stress so you can thrive and not succumb to the workload.

You will start making mistakes if you overwork yourself. And that will reflect badly on your business and the industry.

Do your best, make sure you are working ethically and submitting the proof of loss before the insurance company submits its estimate, and keep your hiring standards high.

Finally, understand that it is now difficult to get 100% of your estimate.

Getting the full estimated amount is tough always, especially now when insurance companies have to pay unimaginable amounts.

So be prepared for some negotiation and prepare the client as well. Your goal is always to get them as much as possible, but both of you should be fully aware of what is possible.