When I was a teenager, I was in a car accident. At the time, there was an adjuster who handled my claim and showed me so much kindness throughout the process. That experience always stuck with me.
So, when it was time for me to look for a job, I knew I wanted to help others the same way the adjuster helped me. And for many years, I did just that. I worked in claims and had the chance to make the same impact on others’ lives.
Today, as a recruiter, I help our claims team recruit many of the positions I once held. Claims are complex, which means there are many different career paths you can take. If you’re new to claims, there’s a claims adjuster trainee role, or if you’re experienced, we have adjuster roles in auto damage and bodily injury to name a few—all of which offer training, competitive compensation, and benefits.
The role that sticks with me the most in my claims career is our adjuster handling attorney-represented bodily injury claims—or as we like to call them at Progressive, ARBI reps.
As an ARBI rep, you handle claims where an injured party has elected to have legal representation. You represent our customers, working with the injured parties’ attorneys. This can be a nerve-wracking experience for our customers because it can sometimes take months to work toward a settlement.
As you can imagine, there are many different skills that can help someone navigate this role while supporting our customers throughout the process.
Empathy
For our customers, hearing that an attorney is involved in their claim can feel scary. As an ARBI rep, it’s your job to acknowledge the stress this can cause and guide them through the situation by answering their questions, being transparent about what to expect, and maintaining communication. You want them to know they’re supported along the way.
Effective communication
In this role you’re talking to a lot of different people, many of them attorneys. And you may find that you talk to a lot of the same attorneys in the region you support over and over, which means building good relationships will be key to handling claims.
Because you’re communicating with legal professionals, you’ll also need to be careful how you word things. A comma in the wrong place can make a difference in how your message is interpreted!
Attention to detail
Most of your days are spent reviewing medical bills and records, demand letters from attorneys that contain legal terminology and conditions, and claim files. Strong attention to detail will be key to getting all the information you need to negotiate and work toward settlement of the claim for our customers.
There are many factors that can impact the value of the claim, and you need to assess each claim holistically. This requires a thorough review of coverage, liability, damages, and any aggravating factors that could significantly influence the value of the injured party’s claim.
Confidence in your own abilities
In this role, you’re representing our customers. There’s a lot of negotiation and influencing, and sometimes challenging conversations. For these reasons, it’s important to have trust in your ability to weigh all the factors that impact the claim and present your findings in a way that is intended to result in a settlement agreement that’s best for all parties involved.
Find your purpose
At the end of the day, it was always such a good feeling knowing I was helping our customers as an ARBI rep. Hearing the relief in their voice when I could tell them a final settlement was reached gave me purpose and is something I’m proud to have done for so many years.
Looking for a career that gives you purpose? Whether you’re an experienced claims professional or are new to claims, there may be a career path for you at Progressive. Visit our Claims jobs page to learn more and take a look at our current openings.
