Documentation Beats Emotion In Commercial Claims
Learn why insurance adjusters respond to documented facts over emotional appeals, and what commercial property owners should photograph and record to move their claim forward faster.
Why Does Documentation Beat Emotion In An Insurance Claim
A commercial property loss is emotional. There is no getting around that. You are talking to a gigantic organization with multiple levels and sometimes multiple adjusters, and whatever you are feeling tends to get lost in translation the second it reaches the other end of that phone line.
Here is the part that matters. Facts do not get lost. Facts in writing supersede whatever is happening in your life at that moment. The insurance company should be holding your hand through this. That is not typically what happens.
The underwriter or adjuster looking at your claim file is not looking at your emotions. They are looking at numbers and documentation. That is the entire reason documentation carries more weight than how upset or how calm you sound on the phone.
Can The Insurance Company Use Your Emotions Against You
Yes, and it works both ways. The insurance company uses its own facts against your emotions. People do not always realize how emotional they are in the middle of a claim, and that is understandable. A fire, a hurricane, a tornado, something that takes out half a commercial building, that is devastating. Nobody is pretending otherwise.
The key is documenting the facts even while you are in that emotion. The facts speak for themselves. That is what the insurance company is actually working from.
There is another layer to this. Adjusters take emotional calls all day, every day. They get numb to it because they hear it constantly. So leaning on emotion during a call is not the lever property owners think it is.
What Should A Commercial Property Owner Document After A Loss
This part is simple and it costs nothing.
- Take photos of the damage with your cell phone. Photos are free, so take all of them you can.
- Take video of the damage as well.
- Keep the video clean. Do not say anything stupid on camera, and do not let someone in the background joke around about what happened. That footage can work against you.
That is the whole list. Photos, video, and keeping what you record professional. With the right documentation in place, you can fight the insurance company and win most of the time.
How Does Good Documentation Move A Commercial Property Claim Faster
Calling the adjuster again and again to ask what is going on is not a strategy. It feels productive because you are doing something, but it is not what moves the needle.
Facts and photos in writing speak volume. They tend to move a claim faster than another phone call asking for a status update. When the documentation is already sitting in the file, there is less room for the claim to stall out on someone else's timeline.
Questions People Ask
Why do insurance adjusters respond to facts instead of emotion?
An underwriter or adjuster looking at your claim file does not see your emotions. They see numbers and documentation. Facts in writing supersede anything going on in your life, so the claim file has to carry the weight your voice cannot.
What should I photograph or video after my commercial property is damaged?
Document everything with your cell phone. Photos are free, so take all the photos and video you can of the damage. Just make sure no one in the video says something stupid or jokes around in the background, because that will work against you.
Will calling the adjuster over and over get my claim resolved faster?
Not usually. Adjusters hear emotional calls every day and get numb to them. Facts and photos in writing speak louder and tend to move your claim faster than repeated phone calls asking for a status update.
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Free Claim Review: https://BellatorClaims.com/free-claim-review/?utm_source=blog Call Today: 720-707-3577
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