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Technology Has Evolved; So Too Must Adjusters

Estimating and property claims software are only as effective as the adjusters employing them. Enumerating errors that result in over- and under-scoping losses and how to avoid them.

By John A. Postava | Updated on February 29, 2012
What seems like only a couple of years ago—but in reality may have been a decade or two—a claims adjuster could get his or her hands on a computer estimating program, prepare a detailed estimate in a matter of minutes, settle a property loss assignment, and move on to the next one. An adjuster’s life was made easier by the software’s ability to calculate floor, wall, and ceiling areas, and perform “extensions” to determine replacement cost value (RCV), depreciation, and actual cash value (ACV) amounts. Life was pretty good.

Using estimating software these days to handle property claims is not as easy.

Poor Training Yields Poor Results   Like many other technology based industries, estimating and property claims software has evolved into a more complex organism. Although the basic estimating function is the same (the quantity of material required multiplied by unit cost equals total repair cost), all of the additional tools, both software and hardware, have morphed the adjusting process into a high-tech ballet with the adjuster as the lead performer.

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