Field Pros Direct Welcomes Mary Anne Medina to the Leadership Team!

Field Pros Direct Welcomes Mary Anne Medina as VP of Business Development

Atlanta, GA. Industry full-service Insurtech property claims solution, Field Pros Direct (FPD), welcomed industry expert Mary Anne Medina as Vice President of Business Development. Mary Anne brings many years of commercial and property loss and flood experience to FPD alongside her passion for educating the industry as a thought leader. 

When asked why Mary Anne wanted to join the FPD team, she said that “I loved their forward thinking approach to where the industry is going.” Mary Anne continues “The resources they are creating to better handle claims is something I knew I wanted to be a part of.” 

“The resources they are creating to better handle claims is something I knew I wanted to be a part of.” 

As VP of Business Development, Mary Anne will be focusing on expanding FPD’s lines of business and servicing new markets. She will also be a part of developing robust claims training programs and maintaining her thought leadership role in the industry. 

“We are excited to have Mary Anne on the team. She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our entire team and  I admire all of her claims training experience. I look forward to having her optimistic personality on the team to help enhance our programs.” states Matt Anderson, CEO and Founder of Field Pros Direct.

How Virtual Adjusting Will Impact Insurance Beyond COVID-19

Written by: Matt Anderson and Ally Momot

Business today looks very different than it did as little as 2 weeks ago. Coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted businesses across the globe, forcing companies to seek alternative ways to maintain “business as usual”. While this forced change will impact all businesses in both negative and positive ways, we’re seeing businesses across the nation step out of their comfort zones in effort to keep their team and society safe. 

A large part of this “new world” we’re all living in is the replacing in-person interactions with virtual ones. This is pushing industries that you never thought were capable of hosting virtual anything to being fully virtual companies. Brick-and-mortar businesses are finding ways to function remotely. Live events are being streamed over the internet. Toddlers are continuing their education through virtual classrooms.

The Virtual Impact in Property and Casualty Claims. 

The insurance industry is no exception, especially in the claims processing department. Traditionally adjusters would investigate claims on-site without being worried about social distancing or putting the policyholder’s health at risk. With the COVID-19 pandemic numbers rising, Insurance Carriers needed a quick solution to handle claims without running the risk of potentially spreading this rapidly growing virus. Aside from the use of hand sanitizer,  N95 masks and rubber gloves, Carriers are turning to virtual adjusting to help continue to process claims. While claim volume is low right now, virtual adjusting also proved to be a cost-beneficial way to process claims quickly and safely. 

What is Virtual Adjusting and how does it work?

Virtual adjusting is a platform that allows adjusters to use video collaboration with the policyholder to assess damages. Once the software is implemented, the adjuster sends the policyholder a secure link to their phone. This link will give the virtual adjusting software access to the policyholders phone camera while geo-tagging the location to reduce the risk of fraud. Experienced licensed adjusters can guide the policyholder through the property to assess the damage while taking measurements, photos, and videos. Once completed the measurements and photos are sent to the estimating platform. Some solutions even offer real-time integration with your estimating platform. 

The Benefits of Virtual Adjusting Beyond COVID-19

Right now it’s hard for some companies to look too far in the future, especially with the uncertainty of when the Country is going to be “back to normal”. While Virtual Adjusting is a timely solution for this pandemic, it’s going to become a long-term solution for many carriers as wellThe benefits of claims that can be handled virtually stretch beyond COVID-19 and are proving to be considered a valuable part of a company’s claims handling process. Some of the benefits we’ve seen from our clients are:

1. Decreased claims cycle times.  The speed of settling claims has always been one of the first components of quality.  In most  cases it could take an adjuster more time to travel to/from a claim and upload the pictures than it would to completely process a virtual claim. 

2. Better customer service and quality reports. While some policyholders will always prefer an on-site Field Adjuster, Virtual Adjusting gives you the ability to accommodate policyholder’s preferences with more options. Virtual adjusting provides more than a solution for social distancing by offering convenience and an improved claims experience - resulting in better customer service.

3. Broader reach. Carriers often struggle with having active adjusters nationwide, which is why they often rely on independent adjusting (IA) firms. IA’s that offer virtual adjusting could potentially double the amount of accessible adjusters. Since the adjuster can handle claims faster in the comfort of their own home, you eliminate the barrier of location. 

What Does This Mean to Field Adjusters?

Virtual adjusting or virtual claims handling shouldn’t make field adjusters feel intimidated or nervous.This should be looked at as another tool for adjusters to utilize. Certain claims will always require an adjuster to be on-site. Some policyholders even prefer an on-site adjuster because they feel comfortable being able to see what’s happening and ask questions without picking up a phone. It’s like the people who never use online chat or email because they prefer to just call if they have a question. 

Field Adjusters should embrace Virtual Adjusting. Find IA firms that offer Virtual Adjusting and apply to be on their roster. Usually they will front the bill for any required Virtual Adjusting software and train you in the process. 

Whether you’re an insurance carrier or field adjuster, virtual adjusting will become a standard industry term well beyond this pandemic. Uncertainty can create innovation as companies are forced to survive in circumstances they may have never imagined. Carriers that may never have considered virtual adjusting are not only using it, but are experiencing the benefits. Our advice is to start small. Whether it’s the Field Pros Direct virtual adjusting platform or another provider, choose simple claims to start with, smaller losses where coverage is clear. Once you see how it works with your claims process, then decide whether you want to completely add this to your claims process. 

Team Spotlight: Bentley Laytin

Written by: Bentley Laytin and Ally Momot

Welcome to the Field Pros Direct Team Spotlight blog series! As part of our team’s anniversary celebrations, we want to highlight them on a deeper level. This Q&A blog will be our way of introducing you to our team on a deeper level and proving how we put into action the creation of an empowering and fun company culture. 

To kick-off our Team Spotlight series, we are interviewing our Chief Operating Officer, Bentley Laytin. In March 2020 he celebrated his one-year anniversary with the Field Pros Direct leadership team. Leadership plays a large role in cultivating the type of culture we want to provide to our company. By the end of the interview, you will clearly be able to see why Bentley is such a great leader! 

What is your role at Field Pros Direct? What does your day-to-day look like?

I am the Chief Operating Officer (COO) who handles day-to-day operations. This ranges from client solutions, internal coaching all the way to technology innovation. My day generally starts off by looking at inventory and reports to see what’s going on within our platform and to ensure that our clients' needs are being met. Throughout the day I work closely with a majority of our team members. I really enjoy speaking to clients not only to check in, but to collaboratively seek innovations for our platform that will help them solve a problem.

Over the past year, what was your most rewarding experience?

That’s easy...working with my team. I’m heavily involved in our onboarding process and stay connected with each team member as much as possible. We are still at the size where I’m able to have a personal connection with each team member and I love that. Everyone is so committed to FPD! It’s amazing to see them work through challenges because everyone comes together and raises their hand to pitch in. They really are the most rewarding part of each day. 

As a leader, how did you decide that culture would be at the forefront of Field Pros Direct?

Company culture has always been important to me, even before I was in a leadership position. Culture helps align the company. I’ve been in the insurance industry for over 25 years serving various positions within each company I worked at. Saying that you provide culture and actually acting on it are two completely different things. I would see culture come and go within a company, but when you do it right it empowers your team. An important part of culture here at FPD, and a critical part of our success, is collaboration. This gives people the opportunity to really take ownership of ideas and advance within the company. 

What is your favorite benefit or feature of the Field Pros Direct solution? 

Because I’ve been in the industry for a long time, I’ve experienced a lot of different technologies and witnessed, first hand, different parts of the claims process. My favorite feature is that our technology is so flexible and scalable. It can be whatever you need it to be. We started with claims, but we can take that same model and replicate it to so many other aspects of the insurance industry. I love being able to go to a potential client or existing client being able to say that our platform can actually deliver a solution to an issue they are having. I’ve sat in their shoes, so I know how the power of finding a trustworthy partnership can serve as a sigh of relief for executives.  

Over the past year, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned? 

Like most startups, when I first started we did a lot of short term strategizing because we needed to get things done quickly. Sometimes this worked to our benefit, while other times it caused us more work down the road. I would say my biggest lesson is to do your best to think long term and ensure that you have alignment with your strategy - whether it’s a technology strategy, business strategy, etc. 

In 3 words, how would you describe Field Pros Direct?

Fun. Collaborative. Versatile.

Fun is a big one for me personally because I love what I do and I try to share that enjoyment with others through laughing. We all will put our heads down and work hard, but we also enjoy laughing. Whether it is a meme in our Slack channel or a good belly laugh on a call, we try to keep things fun. 

What is something that people may not know about you?

One of my proudest accomplishments (aside from my son) was work that I did with the Special Olympics in college. I was playing baseball and our coach encouraged us to volunteer. My freshman year I chose the Special Olympics and ended up working with them every year throughout college. It was incredibly humbling. I realized how fortunate some of us are to have the ability to do simple things that we often overlook.

To connect with Bentley some more, you can find him on Linkedin

Field Pros Direct welcomes Jeff Lee to the Leadership Team

Atlanta, GA. As Field Pros Direct continues to build out their leadership team, they have recently welcomed Jeff Lee as Director of Specialty Operations. Jeff brings over 18 years of industry experience with a strong tie to Catastrophe (CAT) operations. Prior to joining the Field Pros Direct (FPD) team, Jeff worked on developing Third Party Administrative programs and was heavily involved with implementing CAT teams - ranging from roster development to on-site CAT management and execution.

When asked why Jeff wanted to join the FPD team, he said that “I was drawn to the FPD culture. The leadership truly believes in the quality of their product and team.” Jeff continues “All of the team members are valued and contribute to the success of our products. It’s empowering to be surrounded by such a unique culture.”

As Director of Specialty Operations, Jeff will be heavily involved in CAT planning and execution as well as our Third Party Administrative services catering to the London market.

“We are thrilled to have Jeff on our team. Not only because of his extensive CAT expertise and Lloyd’s experience, but also because of his perfect alignment with the Field Pros Direct culture. Jeff is a great addition to our leadership team” states Matt Anderson, CEO and Founder of Field Pros Direct.

About Field Pros Direct: Field Pros Direct is an Insurtech claims company that simplifies the claim process from start to finish. Our proprietary matching platform ensures the best licensed Field Pros are matched with each assignment. As a result of our platform and our people, we are creating a new industry standard for insurance adjuster services, third party administrative solutions and so much more. To find out more, visit www.fieldprosdirect.com