Bracing for the Claims Storm
On the Front Lines
For James Michael Smith, a field adjuster and technical specialist in commercial property for St. Paul-based St. Paul Travelers ($112 billion in total assets) who has been stationed in Mobile, Ala., since Katrina hit, such technologies help him to do his job on a daily basis. "Every morning when I get up I can check my claims roster online with my wireless laptop," an IBM T42 equipped with a Sprint (Reston, Va.) VZ Access Manager wireless card, he relates. And, once he's in his car, Smith continues, he maximizes his windshield time by using Microsoft's (Redmond, Wash.) Streets and Trips GPS system, which identifies the location of the claim through electronic mapping. "I always cross-reference the technology when there aren't street signs by using a map or calling the claimant," he explains, noting that St. Paul Travelers' adjusters in Mobile rely on both Verizon (Bedminster, N.J.) and Sprint cell phone service since many telephone towers in the area remain down.
Once Smith has reached his destination, he begins to evaluate the loss. Smith uses a digital camera to take photos of the damage and downloads the digital images over a secure connection to St. Paul Travelers' photo repository, Photoweb, where they can be accessed in real time by the carrier's claims professionals and call center representatives.
Smith relies on estimating software to calculate the price of the damage based on real-time material costs. "We use an estimating system called XACTIMATE made by Xactware [Orem, Utah] that helps us estimate the price lists and estimate the cost of the claim," Smith explains. "The information from this technology is reliable, and it [results in] a lot less guesswork," he says. "It has increased my productivity from about 25 claims a month to 50."
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