NJM Property Damage Adjusters: Here for Each Other

NJM’s General Claims Department is nationally recognized for its exceptional customer service. Hear from a key group that makes this possible: the claims representatives.

Anthony and Autumn have been part of NJM’s Hammonton team for six months.
Catherine recently joined the Hammonton team after working for another insurance company for almost ten years.
Christopher and Emily have worked with the Parsippany team for one year.
Ronald has been part of the Parsippany team for two years.

What made you choose to join NJM?

Autumn: I had a lot of customer service experience through retail jobs. After I graduated from college, I wanted a corporate role where I could apply that experience. A friend recommended this position to me. She had a lot of positives to pass on about the teamwork, room for growth, and so on. It seemed really intriguing to me, and that encouraged me to apply.

Catherine: I was looking for growth opportunities, and I came to NJM specifically to find them. There seemed to be a lot of avenues for getting experience and moving up.

Christopher: I retired out of law enforcement and was looking for a career change. I thought I could use my skills in the insurance field, and I see potential for movement into other roles.

What was training for the job like?

Anthony: It was seamless. Coming into this job straight out of college, I was intimidated. My trainers and supervisors made everything very easy and gave me everything I needed to know. People worked with my class one-on-one to help me understand what to do and how to do it.

Emily: Training was a mix of formal classroom learning and informal instruction. We got a good baseline, but of course, actually doing it is totally different. Once we started working on the floor, everything was new, but we had the benefit of a team who is very willing to help. We sit in pods and bounce questions off each other.

Ronald: When you get to your desk, you learn how to prioritize your day. You can’t learn what’s urgent and what needs to be a priority until you’re on the job. On our team, we all sit together and trust each other — we have a camaraderie that helps us get through the day.

What have been the most useful tools to support you as you were learning the ropes?

Catherine: In–person access to the trainers helped me. Because I already had experience in the position, I knew what the job entailed from a process and customer service perspective. I had to learn the NJM systems, and for that, the trainers have been helpful, coming around and checking on us, and encouraging us to ask for help if we need it. Once you’re familiar with the system, it’s very easy to navigate and find what you need.

Christopher: Management makes it easy to transition into the company. When you come in from training, you don’t start at 100% of the full job. They ease you in because there’s so much that you’re still learning.

Emily: There are manuals on the intranet, and we keep notebooks to reference. When one person is out, our supervisor helps to spread the load so that no one becomes overwhelmed.

What does a day in the life of an NJM Claims Representative look like?

Anthony: Mondays are definitely the busiest because of new claims and mail that come in over the weekend. If you get ahead on your work, you can tackle your next assignments to keep your load manageable. I look at my activities for the day and make a plan for myself of what to do and when to do it. I usually start with the easy stuff early to declutter my desk, and then I handle time–consuming calls later.

Emily: Some days, the phone is nonstop. When talking to customers, you have to be as thorough as possible, while still keeping everything digestible for our claimants. We encounter a lot of different cultures and situations; two similar accidents can be completely different when it comes to repairs, towing, and so on. It’s helpful to turn to each other for support.

Ronald: In addition to the information that we get from the first notice of loss, most details come from the police report. We’ll also send out witness statements to collect more information about what happened.

What gets you through the day?

Anthony: It’s very team oriented. Everyone’s here to help you. I can ask anyone a question, even if they’re not on my team, and they’re willing to help. Here, everyone’s on the same playing field and willing to help. If they know the answer, they will give it to you.

Autumn: We have to understand and provide as much empathy as possible. It’s very rewarding to be there on the phone with our claimants each step of the way, helping them to determine what they need to do to get things resolved as soon as possible. The really appreciate our help, and their thanks and gratitude are really nice to get.

Catherine: It’s an open–door policy with our supervisors. If you make a mistake, they always frame it positively, looking for how you can grow and what you can do better next time. You never walk away feeling awful. And then, with the people who are extraordinarily grateful for you and what you do. They make it feel good coming back every day. You’re doing something good for people, and it makes you feel good.

What makes a successful claims representative?

Autumn: Staying on top of everything, staying organized will help you out in the long run. It may seem intimidating, but eventually you’ll be able to clear things out and get ahead.

Emily: Compassion and just being human… You can’t lose your patience. And then, it’s really helpful that everyone on our team has a great relationship with each other. If I need something, someone else is there to help me out.

Ronald: What’s made us all successful here is the camaraderie we have with our team. That relationship is really what gets us through, alongside having a great supervisor.

Thank you, Anthony, Autumn, Catherine, Christopher, Emily, and Ronald, for sharing your experience as NJM Claims Representatives!

NJM is looking for Property Damage Representative candidates who have excellent communication, organizational, and time management skills. Interested in joining a top-rated insurance company? Apply today!

Are you considering a career move? Join us!

NJM Talent Acquisition Team
NJM Insurance Group
Careers@njm.com

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