Real-Life Communication
Most of the communicating underwriters have to do is with the agents
that sell the insurance.
"It's one of our primary, day-to-day contacts,"
says underwriter Neil Facteau. An agent's livelihood depends on the acceptance
of the policies by the underwriters.
"Ideally they'd like us to approve
everything, but we can't. We have to look at the risks," he says.
When
a claim has to be rejected, it often creates an uncomfortable situation for
the underwriter.
"Most agents are good -- respectful and responsible
-- but there's always a few that seem to have the wrong attitude from the
start," says Facteau.
You've just received a phone call from an angry
agent. He wants to know why his client's claim was rejected. As an underwriter,
you know that the claim had to be rejected because of a condition that turned
up on a confidential doctor's report. You can't give out this information.
Pretend
you're the underwriter. Without mentioning the doctor's report, write down
what you could say to the angry agent to try and calm him down and explain
that you are just doing your job.