Here at the Paradiso Insurance & Parcel Safety Program, we have seen many claims. Having this type of exposure has really helped us pinpoint and fine-tune our approach to handling these types of claims, and has also helped us better prepare our clients to help prevent some of these claims. Here’s a personal story that illustrates how we go above and beyond to help our clients avoid claims.

A Memorable Past Experience

I’d like to begin by telling you about a “claim” that I once encountered with one of my clients. I received a phone call, and my client was in a bit of a panic. He told me that one of his delivery drivers had fallen out of his truck while stepping out, and had landed head first on the pavement. He had called me to help him file a claim, and already I could see the red flags waving; my client was seriously unhappy.

My Approach

The first thing that I did in response was to get in touch with his employee. I asked him how his head felt, and he said he was in some pain. He was conscious and holding a conversation with me just fine, which was a very good sign. I asked him about the damage, and he described his fall to me. He had mentioned to me that he almost “blacked out” on his way off the truck, which was the cause of his fall. I then asked him what he had to eat, and had told me he hadn’t eaten anything yet that day. Our conversation had given me some ammunition to work with.

The Solution

The first step I took to solving this problem was to tell the employee to go grab some food. I told him a local breakfast place he could stop into, and that his boss would meet him there in five minutes and take care of the expenses. He was very happy to hear this, as it was a pleasant surprise. I could tell he was stressed by the nature of our conversation, so hearing that his boss cared definitely eased up on the employee’s tension. After that, I got back on the phone with my client, told him to meet him at the breakfast stop and pay for his meal, and sit down for a brief heart-to-heart with his employee. My client discovered that the employee was facing some issues at home, and also couldn’t really afford his own breakfasts. That being said, the employee started to feel much better after this conversation with his boss and putting some healthy food in his system… and the claim was never filed.

All in All

Avoiding claims starts right in your day-to-day interaction with your employees. Show them that you care and that they can come to you with any issues, creating a sense of trust and security. My client, in this circumstance, even took the extra step to set up a mini breakfast bar for his employees in case they can’t afford to eat on their own, or simply don’t have the time before coming in. Their work environment has become much more sound and positive, and believe me, a positive working environment will have much fewer claims. Be reasonable in your approach, and if you ever need some professional advice on how you should handle a claim, please don’t hesitate to give me a call at 860-453-0116

Brian P. O’Connor

Licensed Insurance Agent