These days, telephones have become tools for written or visual communication more so than for good old-fashioned talking on the phone.

 

However, in many professions, claims adjusting being one of them, telephone conversations are a crucial part of your work. As an adjuster, you will spend a significant part of your day talking on the telephone, and in today’s claims environment, you will conduct most of your negotiations over the phone.

There is a great deal of nonverbal information that is also passed by telephone. Your credibility, attitude, and personality are all transmitted nonverbally via the telephone. Whether you are speaking to another adjuster, an attorney, a vendor, or your client — in their minds, your telephone etiquette will reflect the way you conduct business.

You may be one of the many people who spend more of their work day talking to people on the telephone than you do in person. The three factors that make up your telephone personality are your voice, attitude, and courtesy.

Here Are Three Ways To Improve Your Telephone Personality:

Voice

Speak with the same fullness and resonance of voice on the telephone that you do in person. You won’t have to speak as loud as you would in person since your voice will be amplified, but you should speak with the same warmth. Don’t whisper, but don’t raise your voice just because you are talking to someone who may not speak perfect English or to someone over long-distance.

Attitude

Although you can’t see the person on the other end of the line, you can usually tell right away if they are angry, sad, nervous, or happy by the tone of voice that is projecting their attitude. Your telephone audience will sense your attitude as well. To express a feeling of warmth to the caller, visualize the face of the other caller and speak to him or her as if you were doing so in person. Gesture as if you were talking in person. Allow your sincerity, interest, and enthusiasm to come through, and treat every call as important.

Courtesy

If you are initiating the call, think about the person on the other end of the line and what that person might be doing when you call. Be sensitive to the other person’s needs and that you might be calling at a bad time. If you are the recipient of such a call and it’s not a good time, it is best to tell the other person that you’ll call them back rather than try to continue the conversation when your mind is on other things. They will appreciate delaying the call if it means they will have your full attention. If you’re the caller and you get an answering machine, make sure you use a warm voice that sounds appreciative of the chance to leave a message.

Working on the three areas above in your phone communication will help you be a more effective claims adjuster. To learn more about how to communicate effectively on the phone and other necessary skills for successful claims negotiations, sign up for AE21’s Strategic Claims Negotiations Course. This thorough and in-depth course covers the art of claims negotiation, with an emphasis on challenges faced by adjusters. AE21’s Strategic Claims Negotiations Course enhances an adjuster’s skills in claims negotiation. You’ll gain this foundation for claims negotiation while working your way through our user-friendly and engaging online course. If you are ready to get ahead as a negotiator and fulfill your CE requirements, enroll today!

You can enroll in Strategic Claims Negotiations at our eLearning platform HERE. If you already have an account with us, simply log in and select the course from the course catalog. If you do not already have an account, begin by creating an account and selecting your licensing state. You will then have access to our full course catalog for your state of licensure. For more assistance with creating an account and purchasing courses, please watch THIS VIDEO.

 

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