The Role of Insurance Assessors

The primary role of Insurance Assessors is to assess damage. This individual is also tasked with the initial appraisal of risk.

The Risk Assessor mainly deals with the cover options, the risk set up and risk management aspects.The Claims Assessor will essentially focus on the claim situation and he or she will determine whether it fits within the scope of the cover and what the repair or replacement cost is.

Who employs Insurance Assessors?

There are 2 types of assessors, namely:

Assessors belonging to an external company which outsources itself to insurance companies and brokers.
Assessors appointed “internally” who are employed by the insurance company.

They are generally employed to assess the value of property, machinery, furniture, art, jewellery, motor vehicles etc for such purposes as sale, purchase or insurance. They may work in offices, auction rooms, art galleries or museums, jewellery shops or even antique shops. They may travel frequently too.

What do you need to qualify as an insurance assessor?

There are some formal qualifications available as well as associated professional bodies, such as the Institute of Loss Adjustors.

Expertise depends on the field of expertise relating to the job, while in the industry, experience is more important than having a formal qualification.

Being in the insurance industry means that assessors have to keep up with constant changes, so the role involves continual training.

Additional aspects that are important in the role of insurance assessors:

Service delivery– A good assessor must be able to deliver accurate assessments, based on skill and relative industry expertise.

Appearance – Assessors should be well-groomed and neat.
Time-keeping skills– This role often involves deadlines, so assessors need to be highly efficient.
Process management – The individual needs to be thorough.

Communication style – Dealing with numerous people means that communication skills must be excellent in order to relay messages and assessments accurately.

Qualities that make for successful assessors: