Hi! I am an experienced adjuster and currently an instructor for AdjusterPro. Those of you who have been in my “Adjusting 101” class know that I preach the adoption of a business model, which is basically a blueprint for how you do business. Something that has been a part of my business model for quite some time is the concept of SPOF, or “Single Points of Failure”. These are things that if they go wrong, your whole adjusting business stops. For me, as an independent, this could mean a loss of $1,000 to $2000 a day! Some of you have learned some of these the hard way, watching your adjusting day come to a screeching halt as something critical fails and you’re done until its fixed.
To prepare for these SPOF’s, you have to ask yourself these question, “What do I absolutely depend on to do my job, and what would be the consequences if this fails, and how likely is it to fail?” Here are some examples:
- Your car–what is plan B if your car breaks down.
- Your laptop— in my opinion, 90% of modern day adjusting involves that glowing screen. What are you PROACTIVELY doing to get back in business in LESS THAN AN HOUR if your laptop fails?
- Your internet connection–Uploading claims, downloading claims, emails, alert notices, etc.
- Tools you absolutely depend on but would have a hard time replacing on a moments notice— for me these are, in order: my camera, my GPS, my cell phone, and my laser ranging device. My plan B for the camera and cell phone tools are to have a spare phone- This solves camera and phone emergencies. My iPhone 4 has GPS, so this is plan B for GPS. I suppose plan B for the laser ranging device is my trusty tape measure, but this would be a poor replacement! I love my Hilti PD42!
Now, I know you’re thinking, “well of course those things are important.” Great, now what is your plan B? Plan C? Every day you’re down is another day you lose money and your claims may go to someone else. Even staff adjusters need to address these SPOF’s as their job may depend on it.
So, how about sharing with the rest of us what YOUR SPOFs are? This post is not an exhaustive list, just something to get the discussion started. Why don’t you hook us all up and share your plans to deal with SPOF’s? Thanks in advance!
Richard Krikorian, AdjusterPro
