The role of a loss adjuster is highly technical, which encompasses a range of specialist skills and knowledge. That does not, however, mean that entering the adjusting arena requires specific qualifications or for a person to have selected a particular educational path.
“Choosing to enter the graduate training program at Crawford following university was not an obvious career route,” says Chloe Nickless, Major and Complex loss adjuster at Crawford. “I had been studying politics at the University of Northampton in the UK and had spent some months following working as an intern at the House of Commons. However, the adjuster role looked like a potentially exciting challenge and 10 years on I’m still learning new things and taking on new challenges.”
That is a key aspect of the role of the adjuster –it is a position that will always throw different things at you, whether in the form of new functions that change your day-to-day regime or unprecedented losses that place a whole new set of demands on you.
“There is huge variety in my role,” Chloe explains. “In an ‘average’ week, you are balancing site visits with admin/reporting, and liaising with claim stakeholders, with sales/review meetings with clients. Some weeks might be admin focused – with reports to complete following onsite inspections; while others will see me travelling the length and breadth of the country conducting site visits following a major flooding event.”
One such major event which stands out vividly for Chloe is the Cumbria floods of 2015, which saw floodwaters devastating large parts of the region in the aftermath of Storm Desmond.
“That event sticks in my mind because despite the scale of the destruction there was a real sense of community that developed, both amongst the Crawford adjusters and our clients, and also within local communities affected,” she says. “Surge events are a real chance to show how much we can help people when they need it most and make the insurance claim process as painless and smooth running as possible.”
And that is what for any adjuster provides the greatest sense of job satisfaction – not simply the successful resolution of a particular claim, but rather that they have been able to help an individual, business or community get back on their feet in the aftermath of often a very trying situation.
“As an adjuster, you have to be able to balance professionalism with compassion,”
Chloe believes. “Adjusting is a constant learning curve and you never know what is around the next corner. Handling a variety of domestic and commercial claims, I have acquired a breadth of knowledge of different industries and have an insight into the lives of a very varied mix of individuals. And armed with that have an opportunity to truly help people during what are usually very traumatic periods.”
And at the end of what can be a long day when the situation demands, it’s always good to have a few different ways to unwind.
“I’m almost as active outside of the workplace as I am inside it,” she explains. “I enjoy skiing, hiking, playing rugby and hockey, and also pulling on my running shoes. But when I want time to relax, I find music can provide a great release as I play the saxophone, piano and clarinet, and also sing in a group. And of course, there is no better way to unwind than spending time with my two gorgeous children.”
