A Day in the Life: Insurance Claim Representative, Major Insurance Company was originally published on Firsthand.
An insurance claim representative provides services for a product that people find necessary to purchase, but, typically, never want to use. Claim representatives need to possess expert knowledge of insurance rules and regulations, as well as any differences in policies, because they are often handling claims in several states at the same time. The representative must also be able to explain all options and coverages to customers in a clear, concise, and professional manner. All claim representatives at the company I work for rotate a certain number of weekend days a year and late shifts as well. Our work is metrically charted, and measured on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Members of management review our progress weekly, and a monthly recap of our work is available for all peers to review. A typical day for a claim representative begins as follows:
8:00 AM: Arrive at the office. I pull up my electronic project schedule for the day. Then I review daily memos of any system problems, and recent legislation or regulation changes. I review requests from either the manager or my peers to take care of any project problems that have been assigned to me. I begin to work on these requests and take care of any problems that may arise.
9:30 AM: I take a brief, fifteen-minute break and grab a cup of coffee.
9:45 AM -10:00 AM: We have a Team Huddle. My manager goes over recent changes in policies with my fellow team members and I, and the manager may also go over new company procedures.
10:00 AM -12:00 AM: I'm very busy during this time, handling phone calls from customers, reviewing and assessing new claims, and juggling all of this while trying to fit in completing other projects as well.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: I occasionally attend a Lunch & Learn session on an interesting topic, participate in an Employee Resource Group, such as Toastmasters, or help mentor new employees through a new training group. Most of the time, I bring my lunch, eat, take a walk, and get back to my desk by 1:00 p.m.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: I'm typically working with customers on new claims and assist newer employees with problems they may be having as they handle their customers’ claims.
3:00 PM: I take an afternoon break. There are usually employee achievements, milestones, and birthdays that we celebrate, at least a few times a week in the midafternoon. Sometimes, someone brings in a treat for us all to enjoy, just for fun.
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM: I am back to work, working with customers on new claims, and trying to finish up the projects I had scheduled for the day.
As a claim representative, I do have to deal with some extremely difficult and stressful claim situations throughout any given day. My daily goal is to give every present and future customer a prompt, professional, and positive claim experience he or she will never forget.
