The upside of a claim rep....?

Question

I am in training to be a claim rep through the company that I work for. I am not sure what to expect for start out salary and is it really all the good pay? What do you make? Come on, I have no idea who you are....

Thank you! I really enjoy hearing what eveyone has to say! I look forward to the new challenge!

Answer 1

Pay really depends on the company you work for and where you are located. In the P&C end of it in my area (south east)- starting w/o experience is probably going to be in the low 30's.

My Daddy was a claims man until he retired - I'll tell you the
same thing he told me when I entered the biz - "You'll never be rich but you will always be able to support your family." And it's true.

I've been an adjuster for close to 12 years and I'm doing a good bit better than starting (now starting was lower when I started out too). However, I've changed companies a few times and that resulted in pay cuts (I went from inside adj to field adj) - So I took the pay cut to get a better opportunity. Now I can handle auto and homeowners claims (including writing estimates), injuries w/ and w/o attnys. If it's P&C, I can do it. That gives me a lot of job mobility if I need it.

The company I work for is not one of the big payers in the industry. But what they offer their employees is more than money. We really are family oriented and take care of each other. Even though I could go else where and make a good bit more than I do now, I have no intentions of leaving the company I am with.

If you don't mind me getting on my soap box just a little:

That's the thing about claims - how you like your job depends on the company you work for. Some companies treat their people like cr@p. I started out with one of those companies and there is not enough money in the world to make me go back.

If you ended up with one of the bad companies - stick it out for 1 -2 years. Learn as much as you can. Get your experience and then try to get on with a better company. Sometimes it's not the job that's the problem but the company you are working for. And all insurance companies are not created equal when it comes to how they treat their people.

I really encourage you to join your local claims association. You will be able to make contacts at other companies (good to know if you ever get fired or laid off) and at vendors (rental companies, restoration companies, private investigators). This is great if you have a difficult claim - sometimes reaching out to a claims association contact can help you resolve it. You will also learn about opportunities to learn more.

Also take the classes to earn designations (Associate in Claims [AIC], Certificate in General Insurance [INS} and maybe even your CPCU or Claims Law).

Also - remember this - it's not personal. No matter what an insured or claimant says to you or calls you - it's not personal. If they met you on the street in a different situation they would never call you that. So don't take it personally. Insd's and Clmts will take it personally b/c it's their life that is affected but for you its a job -albeit one with big responsibilites. Your job is to investigate, negotiate and settle claims as appropriate. Your job is to help people out when something rotten has happened to them. You walk them through a difficult time in their lives using the policy and law as your guide.

Always treat customers respectfully - even when they don't deserve it. You don't have to tell them what they want to hear. But even when you are having a disagreement with them, be respectful. That is something most adj have to learn how to do.

In the end - being an adjuster is a challenging job. It takes a special kind of person to do it.

Good luck to you.

(getting off soap box now).

Answer 2

Depnds on what type of claims you are working on. Generally, disability pays highest, health and dental is more data entry as most claims are just entering codes on the system.
In Manitoba, Disability starts anywhere from 30,000-40,000 and goes up from there. Health and dental is lower, 20,000 and up.
Good luck to you in yoru new position!