Letter From VAS Partner
Guy,
As we were staffing up for Hurricane Harvey and large number of losses (we were about to be overwhelmed), one of your graduates came up.
He only had 8 months in the field, a number way low for the experience levels we wanted and were used to deploying. Well long story short, we deployed him. I can’t tell you who it was in this note as I could be violating his personal privacy.
Week 1: Your graduate was overwhelmed like everybody else. But by the end of the week he got it all scheduled and talked with all the serious losses, putting them first.
Week 2: Your graduate started getting some rejected files back. That’s to be expected as we had big experiences out there and he was seeing his first hurricane damages; a humbling experience.
Week 3: Yes he was still around. I ran his stats. From a little slow out of the gate, to fully scheduled, all mistake files fixed, and running smooth; now in the middle of the pack, not distinguishable from much more seasoned adjusters.
Today: I forget he only has 8 months’ experience; he is a cat adjuster, a good one!
This storm was a formula for failure for any rookie trying to make it in CAT work. VAS trained him to know coverage, how to organize, how to scope, and how to estimate losses. With that education, once the smoke cleared he knew how to do it.
I was really concerned about his experience. Now I have a new CAT guy on my team. Good job! You gave him the right tools. Coupled with his right attitude and desire he was unbreakable.
I will not be afraid to take VAS graduates for CAT losses in the future. Whatever you are doing, it works!
Ron Andersen
Mason Claims
Storm Manager