One of the unexpected consequences that I have observed as a fallout from our current pandemic is that the gift of common sense seems to be as rare to find as a Minnesota Vikings championship ring.
Since March, I have found it so refreshing to work with people and insurance companies who are applying common sense. I can hear the cynics reading this saying that insurance companies have never used common sense, but believe me, there are a lot of good insurance companies who have good people working for them that are doing everything they can to help their clients amidst the chaos of 2020.
One of the areas that has been difficult for insurance brokers over the past year is finding coverage for clients that have bad claims on their records. This is specifically difficult for businesses purchasing commercial insurance policies for their operations, who have had bad claims, or work in an industry or class of business that is known for claims. Historically, during challenging times for the insurance industry, underwriters are less willing or unable to consider new opportunities.
Finding someone to consider these opportunities in 2020 requires finding an underwriter who is willing to apply common sense to consider risks. While there are many people being celebrated for going above and beyond during these times, I can guarantee that insurance underwriters are not receiving “shout-outs” on your social media feed for what they are doing. On top of being asked to meet company guidelines for rate increases and facing extra scrutiny on every decision they are making, underwriters are dealing with double and sometimes triple the workload due to increased volume of questions and submissions due to the current insurance market.
In the midst of this workload, there are underwriters that are determined to do everything they can to find solutions for their brokers and clients, and are willing to put in extra time, ask extra questions, and then ask for permission from their management to provide common sense solutions for businesses that don’t fit the mold of simple business to write.
It is working with people like this that gives me hope. The blueprint for success that we have seen this year is for a business to work with an insurance broker who understands their operations, gets the opportunity to leverage their knowledge and relationships within the insurance industry to use common sense as the grounds for finding solutions for this business to be insured moving forward.
With the excitement of finding solutions during difficult times, I have to resist the urge to break social distancing rules by sending a foot shake or an elbow bump over as a thank-you. Instead, I write a note and place it in the “common sense” jar for the day in the future where we will be allowed to celebrate the fact that although rare, the gift of common sense was alive and present in 2020.
Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from those who understand your business!
David Schmidt is an Account Executive at Rempel Insurance Brokers in Morris, MB, specializing in insuring farms and businesses across Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Office (204) 746-2320 Text (204) 712-6618 Email davids@rempelinsurance.com Web www.rempelinsurance.com