How to Handle Claims When They do Happen

The nature of this business will cause Claims, no matter how careful you, the Broker, and the Carrier are. Car accidents, broken machines, and acts of god can all occur and a claim will happen. While preventing Claims is a proven skill that should be a focus for any good Broker; handling a Claim when it does happen is a very important skill.
Speed is the most important thing during a Claim. When you have a Broker that doesn’t know the proper strategies and what information is most important right away, speed becomes an enemy.

But when you have a Broker that not only knows what needs to get done, but also how to do it, and the perfect order of these things, speed becomes a most potent ally.
Having access to all pertinent information about the load and the claim is paramount. A well organized and experienced Broker will be able to come up with all the information on the load, on the insurances, on the destination, and on the carrier in a matter of minutes.

Then they will orchestrate all the pieces in order to ensure all information that matters is quickly obtained, sorted, and pushed through so not only are you and your goods protected, but you can get your goods on the move as quickly as possible. It turns out, when done right, a claim is not a death certificate for your goods. A good Broker will know when they can salvage product and get you your money as quickly as possible.
Other Brokers, those that are not up to the task of handling a Claim, may disappear at a time like this. You can find yourself handling a lot of this on your own, and you might not have all the information you need to quickly process the claim, leaving you behind and poorly represented to your customers.