Use of the Six “I’s”

We adjusters deal in a world involving words, the key ones of which begin with the letter ‘i’. The first is information. Adjusting is an information-based vocation. We have a professional duty to produce and use information in the proper settlement of claims. The vast majority of information does not exist in cyberspace; it exists because the adjuster investigates and produces the facts that must go into the file if the proper decisions are to be made. Those facts may involve the insurance policy wording, the statements of the parties involved in the claim, or the physical evidence.
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The next word is initiative. We are not in a "fill in the blank" business. It takes our own initiative to get busy and find the information needed to evaluate and negotiate the settlement on behalf of our client. No one is going to do it for us.
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But adjustment of claims also requires individualism,for each of us is different, and we must use our social skills and knowledge to obtain the correct information that we need.
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This is also related to integrity,that sense of wholeness. The word comes from both mathematics and logic; an integer is a whole number. Two and two must equal four; if we try to make it equal something other than the correct answer, then it lacks integrity.
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Insurance is often referred to as a business involving indemnification. That word is defined as "being made whole." Unfortunately, the reality of insurance claims is that the goal of indemnity is rarely met. No amount of money "makes whole" a fatal injury or permanent disability. The value of pain and discomfort, both physical and mental, cannot be calculated on a computer. But in some cases indemnity may not meet the definition of full recovery. Some coverages, such as full cost of replacement in property insurance, leaves the insured in a better position, while an "actual cash value" recovery and deductibles may reimburse only part of the cost to restore the insured or claimant.
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Finally, we must consider the most important tool every adjuster must have and use daily – his or her imagination. We cannot evaluate a loss unless we can envision it, nor understand an insured’s or claimant’s situation without listening to that person and then imagining what the loss means to that person.
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Adjusters must practice empathy, not necessarily sympathy, although that also has its role in a serious loss. Just imagine how you might feel if left in the same situation as the claimant or insured! Imagination is the key to understanding needs and fitting those needs into the first "i" word, information.
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It's interesting to see how all six of these complete the circle of what we do...