Top 5 Characteristics of A Great Subject Matter Expert for Electronics Claims
Subject matter experts should know so much about a topic that people look to them as the go-to authority on it. You may be a subject matter expert on claims adjusting and insurance best practices. That doesn’t necessarily make you a specialist on electronics and specialty equipment. It’s important adjusters like you partner with someone who is an expert in assessing these items when they appear in the claims you’re settling.
Here are 5 characteristics of a subject matter expert that you should look for when choosing an assessment vendor.
- They are backed by experience and skill.
This is an obvious characteristic of a subject matter expert but also the most important one. Insurance partners should only be considered the authority if they have in-depth knowledge and experience on something. That means working with the equipment daily and completing necessary training.
An electronics assessment partner should employ technicians who have proven they know everything about the equipment as well as professionals who are experts in writing reports, making appropriate repair and replacement recommendations, and providing market-value pricing.
- They are forward-thinking and stay up to date with trends and technology.
It takes more than a one-time training to be a subject matter expert. Education should be ongoing, which ensures your assessment partner has a thorough understanding of electronics and how they are evolving. The televisions of the 1980s, for example, are not the same as they are today. Having decades of experience with tube-style televisions versus the more modern plasma flat-screens would be of no help to you. Make sure that your assessment partner has relevant and up-to-date knowledge.
Another way to stay current is by improving assessment processes and keeping up with technological trends. Printed questionnaires can provide consistency, but they aren’t efficient. Assessment subject matter experts should have an application or program that can be integrated into systems to enable technicians to upload consistent answers and photographs in real time. This shortens the wait for the assessment report.
- They use their knowledge to solve problems.
It’s one thing to memorize facts and figures. That makes you a great trivia partner. Being able to apply that information to solve problems makes you a subject matter expert. It may be easy for vendors to say they know everything about electronics, but it does you no good if they can’t look at a damaged component to decipher cause of loss and provide options to return the insured to pre-loss condition.
Another aspect is considering assessments individually. Each claim doesn’t have the same problem, and insurance carriers don’t need identical solutions. Being a subject matter expert is being able to tailor to needs. This could mean assessing residential components and commercial equipment, inspecting multiple items from the same claim, or being able to provide onsite assessments as well as more general desktop claim reviews – all in a short time with accurate results.
- They have a network of subject matter experts.
A third-party electronics assessment partner can be a subject matter expert as a company. It should be a brand you trust to provide correct and thorough solutions. However, it should be noted that it takes a network of experts within the company to have earned that.
National partners should have professionals in every state who are ready and skilled to do the work. They should prove they are knowledgeable about the equipment they are assessing – and can pass a background check.
- Their skills should include customer service, too.
OK. This isn’t really a trait that a third-party assessment partner must have to be a subject matter expert. But it is a feature you should expect. You look to subject matter experts to complete timely, accurate, and comprehensive assessments. They should also provide positive customer service to insurance professionals and policyholders because that’s just good business.
StrikeCheck is a proven subject matter expert for electronics and specialty item assessments for insurance claims. The company was founded decades ago to provide the most comprehensive, accurate, and objective claims assessments that enable insurance carriers to quickly make settlement decisions.
StrikeCheck’s nationwide network of technicians and professionals must regularly prove they have the knowledge and experience and can apply it to each residential or commercial claim scenario while also providing ideal customer service. Assessments, including onsite inspections and desktop claims reviews, are tailored to adjuster needs. Plus, innovative technology is at the forefront to ensure StrikeCheck is ahead of the trends.
Submit a claim to make StrikeCheck your go-to authority on insurance assessments for electronics and specialty items.
