It’s a statement that seems almost too obvious to state: When you need a job done well, turn to trained professionals. This point is especially true with property claims. An independent adjusting firm like Friedline & Carter, with its team of specially trained property adjusters, is ideally suited to identify root causes of loss and place a value on damages.

But the emergence of new technologies—namely smart phones and artificial intelligence (AI)—is leading some companies to withhold field adjusting to save time and money. For example, some companies now settle claims based on photos taken by their policyholders, relying on software and third parties to desk adjust them.

This tech-based approach can be successful for simple claims where the scope of damage is easily discernible because it provides basic visual evidence of surface damage and dimensions. But there can be hidden costs and missed opportunities. Field adjusting property losses with a trained professional does carry a cost, but this cost is worth it, for a number of reasons including:

• Establishing the Right Tone
  A good field adjuster can help set a positive tone, building trust with the homeowner and helping to bring a claim to successful settlement. This personal touch can go a long way. Simply put, sending a field adjuster to a home is just a good service.
• Leveraging the Power of Local Knowledge
  Selecting a contractor to make repairs is a critical aspect of the claim process that is often overlooked. Claims can go horribly wrong for homeowners who don’t hire a reputable contractor. An experienced field adjuster often knows the key contractors across a given territory and can provide invaluable guidance to carriers and policyholders.
• Enhancing Accuracy
  A properly-trained field adjuster with construction knowledge can ensure that claims are appropriately scoped and accurately valued. Over-reliance on technology-enhanced self-documentation of damages virtually guarantees that many claims will be paid inaccurately. Insurance companies won’t ever know about any over payments, and under payments will erode policyholders’ trust, which in the long run will cost more money.
• Managing Risk Effectively
  A well-trained field adjuster can act as an underwriter’s eyes and ears, identifying problems related—or unrelated—to the loss before they turn into more losses. The process also provides a unique opportunity, overlooked by some companies, to assess the risk condition and character of an insured.
• Detecting Fraud
  Unfortunately, some insureds are not honest and will document only the things that they want the insurance company to see. By asking pointed questions and then observing an insured’s behavior, a good field adjuster can identify areas of potential fraud.
• Minimizing Errors and Omissions
  As appropriate, a field adjuster will typically document all exposures on a residence premises, for instance, auxiliary dwellings built on the property but not disclosed to insurance companies and their agency partners. Identifying these gaps in information reduces the risk of errors and omissions.

At Friedline & Carter, we embrace technology that improves the speed, accuracy, and overall value of the adjustment process. One such example is our use of drones to adjust roof losses using AI to capture dimensions and material take-offs that integrate with Xactimate, resulting in faster and more accurate settlements.

For these reasons and more, choosing Friedline & Carter, an independent, full-service adjusting firm, to investigate and adjust property losses simply makes sense. We help our carrier partners settle losses fairly and promptly, and ultimately, we can help them better manage their risk.