Typically, as the purchaser of a commercial general liability insurance policy, you anticipate that you will never have occasion to make a claim on your policy. However, the likelihood is that there will be at least one instance in which a claim must be submitted. Although the method of submitting a claim may vary from carrier to carrier, the easiest method of submitting a claim is usually to contact your insurance agent.
When purchasing business liability insurance, many companies opt to transact business with an agent, although that is not a requirement. Many reputable insurance companies have established an internet presence, along with interactive websites that now enable the customer to purchase general commercial liability insurance directly from the source ? the insurers themselves. Of course, in instances where individualized follow-up on an application submitted online is required, an agent may be assigned from time to time.
Insurance can be a confusing difficult industry. Sometimes it helps to have a experienced helping hand you can talk to. Agents are knowledgeable and offer great insight. A agent is licensed by the state and is contracted with their insurance companies. The best part is agent are paid by the insurance providers, and not you. Their advice does not cost you.
Whilst reporting a business liability claim, you have two options. You can go straight to the claims department of your carrier or you can use the company’s website to submit the information. However, the later can be a more tedious and confusing as filling out the web form for a general commercial liability insurance claim could take hours, particularly if you don’t have your business liability policy handy.
In addition to supplying basic information such as your policy number, the amount of your deductible, your occurrence limits and if you have extended coverage; you’ll also have to input the personal and company identifying information that you’ve previously provided such as your company address, phone number, and other data. This, your business liability insurance agent can simplify.
Although your agent will have access to your policy number, its limits of liability and its deductibles, he will still need to ask you factual questions about the specific loss in question. However, since the agent will have an understanding of your business, even those questions will be shorter and more to the point. In fact, a professional agent with established insurance company relationships will likely be an invaluable partner for you to contact for assistance for many years to come.
It is important to note that agents are responsible for steering policy holders through the claims process and doesn’t represent the actual company when it?s time for the company to pay. For this, a claims adjuster will be assigned to your case. Generally, a claims adjuster investigates a business liability claim to determine whether the policy covers the loss and also to what extent. Further he authorizes any applicable payments. Depending on situation to situation, a case maybe either be quickly dealt with or it could take a rather long time. In the case of general commercial liability insurance claims, the individual who is allegedly injured may decide to take the issue to court and thus the adjuster will have to work with attorneys and witnesses. During this time, your agent will always be on hand to explain the situation.
Susan Reynolds is the content coordinator for a leading South African Insurance Provider who specialises in Commercial Insurance Options.
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