Claims Commandments - Claims Commandment XI
Thou Shall Empathize With the Claimant
Barry Zalma
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Everyone in a claim situation is unhappy, disturbed, shocked, injured either in body or emotionally and needs help. The adjuster must recognize the difference between sympathy and empathy.
Empathy is identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives. It is the ability to understand another person’s circumstances, point of view, thoughts, and feelings.
Sympathy, on the other hand, is the sharing of another’s emotions, especially of sorrow or anguish and includes pity and compassion. It is the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, especially in sorrow or trouble. Sympathy must be limited to the needs of relatives or clergy, not a professional relationship.
The adjuster should avoid sympathy and work to convince the insured or claimant that the adjuster empathizes with the claimant’s situation. Empathy can be shown if the adjuster can honestly express one or more of the following similarities between the adjuster and the claimant and simultaneously establish rapport.
Without this service insurance becomes meaningless.
The liability adjuster represents the insurer and deals directly with the insured. When a claim is made, the insurer provides an adjuster to help the insured understand the policy and comply with its conditions.
The role of the liability adjuster is slightly different to that of the property adjuster.
Insurance Claims Professionals must be people who: Can read and understand the insurance policies issued by the insurer. Understand the promises made by the policy and their obligation, as an insurer’s claims staff, to fulfill the promises made. Are all competent investigators.
Have empathy and recognize the difference between empathy and sympathy. Understand medicine relating to traumatic injuries and are sufficiently versed in tort law to deal with lawyers as equals. Understand how to repair damage to real and personal property and the value of the repairs or the property.
Those in the claims profession must always recognize that as a result of establishing an empathetic rapport with the insured and the claimant, the claims investigation will be completed with ease, the insured or claimant will assist the adjuster, and the claim will eventually be resolved with both the insurer and the insured satisfied with the result.
(c) 2022 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.
Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE, is available at http://www.zalma.com and [email protected].
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