How Are Claims Adjusters Different From Roofing Salesmen?
Understand the key differences between claims adjusters and roofing salesmen.
Claims adjusters and roofing salesmen work in the same industry. Insurance. Both adjusting and roofing are customer-facing jobs that require job holders to reach out and interact with policyholders. That being said, there are certain areas where both these roles differ in scope and specialization. Let’s understand the difference between the two:
What are claims adjusters?
Claims adjusters are people who investigate damages that a policyholder has suffered from and has filed a claim for it. The claim could be for property damage, auto damage, or even a CAT claim. An adjuster’s work is often end-to-end and is linked with the entire claims management process.
As a claims adjuster, one has to verify if the claim is authentic by interviewing the claimants and assessing damages. Based on his findings, the claims adjuster then calculates the compensation that the claimant is supposed to receive in the form of estimation. Being an adjuster also means having to work as a mediator between the policyholder and the insurance carrier.
Basically, being an adjuster requires one to have a holistic approach towards claims. Often, a claim would involve roof inspections that the adjuster has to conduct but the bigger picture here is handling the entirety of the claim and making sure that the policyholder receives fair compensation while getting the best outcome for their IA firm.
While claims adjusters are supposed to handle roofing claims, their primary job involves assessing damages. It is not necessary that an adjuster will have complete knowledge about the costs involved to repair the roof as well as installation charges. As an adjuster, it’s great if you have the knowledge and know-how about roofing costs but it’s a skill one has to acquire on the job. New adjusters have a steep learning curve when it comes to estimation and costs.
What are roofing salesmen?
Roofing salesmen are a specialized workforce who are experts in every aspect of a roofing job. This includes construction and repair costs, kinds of material that are required during installation as well as the best possible ways to maintain a roof.
Instead of having to deal with an entire claim and seeing it through, roofing salesmen focus solely on the roofing requirements that an individual has. Not only are roofing salesman equipped to spot damages and find solutions to fix it, but they are also well-versed with the market and the latest developments when it comes to roofing solutions.
Roofing salesmen have an upper hand over new adjusters when it comes to estimating costs and for this reason, many roofing salesmen transition into claims adjusting roles. Prior expertise with roofing and working in a demanding environment makes them perfect candidates for all kinds of claims adjusting roles.
Income Potential
Roofing Salesmen
Roofing salesmen are limited in their function because of their specialization. On the other hand, claims adjusters are required to be end-to-end claims specialists, and inspecting roofs is a part of their workflow. Additionally, not every claim has a roofing problem therefore the volume of work that claims adjusters handle is relatively higher than the work of a roofing salesman.
For this reason, claims adjusters have a bigger income potential than roofing salesmen. However, as a roofing salesman, you can increase your income if you provide expert service in more than one location and have the market knowledge to back your service. Income for roofing salesmen depends on regional market and labor conditions as well as material costs in particular geographies.
Since roofing salesmen get paid on the basis of the commission they receive from each project, it ultimately boils down to which locations have a cheap roof replacement cost vs where is it more expensive.
For instance, replacing your roof in Houston can cost between $5,113-$18,000 based on the size and material quality. Based on these calculations, a roofing salesman can expect 10%–15% of the project cost as his commission. On the other hand, replacing a roof in a place like LA can cost between $6,484-$8,383. Therefore, a roofing salesman has a chance to earn more money based on the costs involved in each area.
Claims Adjuster
Claims adjusters on the other hand have multiple options when it comes to generating revenue. They can either work independently and work through commissions just like roofing salesmen. Or they can pick a desk adjusting job and get paid like a regular employee
Having said that, a claims adjuster requires a good deal of experience to earn a sizeable income. Income for adjusters is based on their negotiating capability as well as the IA firm they’re working with. The average salary for a claims adjuster is $56,129 according to Indeed. However, this figure varies with respect to which IA firm you associate with. You can find out more about the best IA firms in the USA here.
Bottomline
Both claims adjusters and roofing salesmen work in a demanding environment which is both physically and psychologically challenging. The key difference between the two jobs is that claims adjusting is more end-to-end while roofing is one specific function.
Both types of work can be fulfilling and can offer a good pay to those who have lots of experience and are skilled in their jobs.
