Your customers should not have to fight for their interests all alone

When water damage warped Laura’s floor, making it unusable, her studio was facing nothing less than a full blown crisis.Available only from one supplier in the US, it’s specially designed for dancers and is very expensive. As a key part of any dance studio, the floor is key to the studio’s income.This situation first came to our attention when Laura filed a claim last July which was settled in January. Upon receiving the claim closing notice, we thought everything was settled. However, in May we reopened the file because Laura had contacted us to express her discontent with the settlement.Because she was dealing with some very serious challenges in her personal life, insurance was not top of mind for her at the time, and it took her a while to contact us. Nevertheless, we could not refuse to help her because we understand that life can throw a curve ball at any time.Laura was unhappy because the contractor her insurer had commissioned to repair her floor did not meet her needs. Because the contractor did not have access to the special American flooring, it was pushing the wrong materials onto Laura.The insurer wasn’t much better, essentially refusing to go the extra mile to meet Laura’s needs and trying to wash their hands of the issue by pushing a cheque on her.So we cut the excuses and stood Laura’s ground with her. We convinced the insurer to pay Laura a higher amount so that she could go to the States and get the flooring herself.She had previously indicated she would be okay with this, as long as she got what she needed.Eventually, we reached a new settlement and Laura is off for the US in a few weeks.Despite this positive outcome, it’s unfortunate that it took so long to address her concerns. Granted, there were factors outside everyone’s control, but we must use this experience as a learning opportunity for ourselves and all our partners.From what we understand, flawed communication lead to delays and breakdowns. First of all, the adjuster assigned to Laura’s claim simply kept leaving messages on her phone.Considering the difficulties she was facing at the time, dropping an email or voicemail is not good enough. When dealing with customers, it’s critical to get on the phone (or face to face) to actually hear out their concerns. Indeed, Laura expressed that she was upset because no one was listening to her.Interestingly, we also found it difficult to reach the adjuster. It must have been even more frustrating for Laura. It goes to show that the way we do anything is the way we do everything.Going forward, we’re going to be mindful that the end of a claim may not be the end. It may be the end for adjusters, but the reality can be completely different for policyholders.Sometimes customers agree to settle under duress or because they think they have no other choice.This is where we come in. Customers shouldn’t have to fight for their interests because that is our job. Give us a call to find out how we can advance your interests.