Many in the Northern Hemisphere are celebrating the arrival of summer, but for the southeastern U.S. and Caribbean regions, this time of year ushers in the perils of Atlantic hurricane season. Sedgwick’s repair solutions team has many years of experience helping homeowners, business operators and property managers restore residential and commercial properties in the aftermath of storm-related damage. This blog will outline the important role of repair solutions in the claims and restoration process and proactive steps businesses can take before disaster strikes so they’re better prepared to weather catastrophe this hurricane season.
Benefits of a repair solutions partner
Adjusters play the role of quarterback when it comes to claims. They juggle a lot under normal circumstances, but their workloads are especially hectic when responding to catastrophic events and the resulting influx of urgent claims. A big part of what we do in repair solutions is to support busy adjusters, so they can keep claims involving repairs on track and tend to other pressing needs. Ultimately, this not only helps insurance carriers take better care of their policyholders while controlling claim costs, but also ensures that damaged residential and commercial properties undergo the highest quality repairs with minimal delays.
Repair solutions specialists serve largely in a facilitation and project management capacity. We do everything from photographing the extent of damage and ensuring all documentation is properly filed to arranging status meetings with property managers and communicating with repair contractors. We also verify that estimates are in line with industry guidelines, as well as the terms and conditions (T&C) required by the carrier covering the loss. Data from Sedgwick’s repair solutions program indicates that our project oversight and careful reviews of estimates and bills yield savings of 5-18% for our carrier partners.
Repair solutions specialists understand the construction industry and have established relationships with contractors experienced in repairing damaged properties. Sedgwick’s repair solutions team maintains a managed repair network of over 2,200 skilled and credentialed contractors across the U.S. who perform commercial and residential repairs for the insurance industry. These partnerships help to facilitate prompt and high-quality service for policyholders; this is especially important following a CAT event, when demand for construction vendors tends to outpace availability.
Steps toward CAT season preparedness
There are critical and proactive steps businesses can take to support their readiness for the possibility of a weather-related disaster. We highly recommend that every business regularly review their insurance policies to ensure they are up to date and reflect the needs of the current state of the organization. The impending arrival of the annual hurricane season is a great reminder and opportune time to conduct this review.
Additionally, businesses should have an emergency plan in place prior to CAT season. Oftentimes, these plans are relegated to the back burner until it’s time for insurance renewals, but they are too important to leave unattended for so long. Your business’s emergency plans should include industry best practices for disasters like hurricanes and align with your insurance carrier’s specific terms and conditions. During the Hurricane Ian recovery efforts, we unfortunately encountered a few repair projects where T&C had to be renegotiated with contractors midstream. This ultimately caused delays and created friction in the claims process. We also encourage businesses to name a preferred repair solutions provider in their plans; doing so allows the vendor partner to get engaged on claims as early as the first notice of loss (FNOL). Finally, property and facilities managers must familiarize themselves with the outlined emergency plans and have a clear understanding of how to properly adhere to and execute them.
Having thorough emergency plans and current policies in advance of a catastrophe offers distinct advantages for minimizing business interruption and expediting restoration and resolution.
Caring counts
Being a part of Sedgwick’s repair solutions team allows me to fulfill my greatest passion, which is helping people. My grandfather owned a repair and remodeling business, so I’ve been around this kind of work since I was old enough to hold a paintbrush. My family connection, combined with my service in the U.S. military, gave me an appreciation for how deeply homes and business facilities in good working order contribute to people feeling whole and secure. Our team plays a pivotal role in getting people out of subpar living and working conditions as quickly as possible after a loss and restoring a sense of normalcy.
In addition to assisting policyholders, we also support carrier clients, adjusters and restoration contractors in doing their jobs well. By overseeing projects, building relationships, facilitating connections, promoting efficiency, and reviewing quality and pricing, we enable various claim stakeholders to do what they do best. Empowering a high level of performance throughout the lifecycle of every claim we touch yields tremendous returns for policyholders we serve and their damaged properties — and brings us a rewarding sense of job satisfaction.
As part of the Sedgwick claims ecosystem, we’re able to work seamlessly with our fellow in-house specialists in loss adjusting, forensic engineering, building consulting, temporary housing and other disciplines to meet the wide-ranging needs of policyholders and the properties we’re repairing. In line with the company’s caring counts philosophy, we collaborate to keep claims moving toward resolution, streamline processes, and deliver excellence. Whatever this hurricane season may bring, we are prepared to bring our full range of services to bear to help homeowners and businesses weather the storm and to show our clients and their policyholders how much caring counts.
> Learn more — read about Sedgwick’s repair solutions for the U.S. market; visit sedgwickrepair.com for resources for homeowners, business owners, contractors and insurance professionals; and refer to our CAT resource center for the latest information