Holiday Season Prime Time for Adjusters to Organize, Review Career Goals

While the holiday season is often bustling for retailers, it can be a quiet time for claims departments. It’s also the best time for adjusters to clean up their desks, settle claims and take stock in their career, said Kevin Quinley, the founder and principal of Quinley Risk Associates.

“Claim volume fluctuates this time of year,” said Quinley. “For a lot of claim departments and adjusters…the holiday season really marks a ramp down in the pace of business.”

While the pace may be slower, holidays are a prime time for boosting productivity.

The seasoned claims expert offered 10 productivity tips for adjusters to use during the holidays.

Tip 1: Purge materials no longer needed.

“Ask yourself, if I really needed this material is there someplace I could go to retrieve it,” said Quinley.

Tip 2: Organize and declutter workspace.

“That includes your work surface, your desktop, your desk drawers, your reference materials,” Quinley said.

Tip 3: Plan professional goals for next year and diary out to monitor progress.

“Write out your professional goals for the next year,” said Quinley. “Put on calendar…monthly or quarterly.”

Tip 4: Reflect on the current year.Consider whether career direction is on track and advancing or if a job change is necessary.

“It’s useful to look backwards,” said Quinley. “Step back and think big picture about your job as a claims person and career direction. It’s a good time of year not only to plan and look forward but to look back.”

Tip 5: Network. There are plenty of holiday events to socialize with those who may have dropped off the radar. Make sure to nurture key professional relationships, both internal and external.

“The holidays provide a way to do this,” said Quinley. “Think about your network and how to work that network.”

Tip 6: Update contacts. Make sure to keep a backup copy in case of job loss.

“This is a good time of year to go through your contacts list,” Quinley said. “Update phone numbers, email addresses, locations. Clear the cobwebs off of outdated contact information.”

Tip 7: Make job contingency plans. Quinley said it’s important for adjusters to update their resumes just in case.

“Freshen up your resume. This is a handy exercise to do periodically…just in case circumstances force upon you the need to do a job search or a new opportunity comes up,” said Quinley.

Tip 8: Plan personal goals too. Consider health, fitness, family goals as well as vacation time off for the upcoming year.

“Think about your personal goals outside of work. Block out time for next year’s vacation and put in your request now for time off,” Quinley said.

Tip 9: Contact key clients and maintain relationships.

“Reach out to key customers. Let them know that you appreciate them. Use the holidays as an opportunity to submit and reinforce good customer relations,” said Quinley.

Tip 10: Get ready for 2016 by organizing, planning ahead and settling claims.

“Use any lull in the ebb and flow of work volume to get organized and plan ahead,” Quinley said.

Listen to the podcast in its entirety for more valuable tips.