When a business owner calls after a fire, accident, or workplace injury, they may not know what to do first. As their independent agent, you can help them report the loss, understand the commercial insurance claims process, and keep track of what the claims team needs.
Start with their immediate concerns. You can record the basic facts without asking them to calculate every cost during that first conversation.
Check on people and premises
Ask whether anyone needs urgent assistance and whether the premises are safe to access. Emergency help comes first.
Encourage reasonable steps to prevent further damage, where it is safe to do so, following the policy’s requirements and the claims team’s instructions. Photographs can be useful, but nobody should enter an unsafe area to take them.
Get the claim to the right team
Confirm the policy number, where and when the incident happened, and the best person to contact. Help the client find the reporting instructions for the coverage involved and report the loss promptly.
For workers’ compensation claims, Grand River’s claims resources include state-specific kits with forms and reporting instructions.
If the client has received legal papers, send them promptly to the appropriate claims contact and flag any stated deadline. Do not assume that reporting the claim puts a legal deadline on hold.
Explain what happens next
Clients may ask whether a loss is covered, when repairs can begin, or how much they will receive. Explain that the claims team needs to review the circumstances and the policy before those questions can be resolved.
With Grand River, independent agents can communicate directly with the adjuster handling a claim.
You can help the client get answers and understand requests for information. Avoid guaranteeing coverage, payment amounts, repair approval, or a settlement date.
When you cannot answer a question, explain who you will ask and when you will follow up.
Keep the claim records organized
Help the client keep track of the information relevant to their claim:
- The claim number and the adjuster’s contact details.
- Documents requested, when they were submitted, and anything still needed.
- Relevant photographs, repair estimates, invoices, and receipts.
- Dates of significant conversations and any agreed next steps.
Keep estimates separate from invoices and receipts, and use appropriate secure channels for sensitive documents. The records needed will depend on the type of claim.
Give clients specific updates
Agree when you’ll next check in. If the claim is waiting on information, explain what is missing and who needs to provide it.
For example, an update might say: “The adjuster is waiting for the repair estimate. I’ll check back with you on Thursday.”
That gives the client something concrete to act on. If there is no new decision, explain what you have checked and what still needs to happen.
Review changes as the business recovers
A business may move to temporary premises, replace equipment, or change how it operates after a loss. Discuss those changes as they happen and check whether the insurance needs to be updated.
At the next policy review, revisit any questions the claim raised and any changes to the business’s needs.
Before ending each conversation, make sure the client knows the next action, who is taking it, and when they can expect to hear from you.
