The Best Navigation System For Claims Adjusters
As an independent claims adjuster, there are certain ‘tools of the trade’ that you absolutely must have with you in order to perform optimally. One of these tools is a dedicated navigation system that enables you to efficiently manage your inspection visits and reduces your travel time, ultimately increasing the number of claims you close in a day.
During the early years, due to lack of dedicated devices, most of the adjusters had to depend upon road signs and asking people for directions. Navigation This would be extremely time-consuming and adjusters often found themselves second-guessing their navigational capabilities.
With the rise of dedicated GPS systems, adjusters started becoming better at navigating to loss sites and making good use of their time and increase the number of claims they could handle in a single day. Pretty soon, claims adjusters all around started investing in premium GPS units such as the Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S and Rand McNally OverDryve. Accurate and easy to use, these devices offered a lot of additional features besides navigation such as road assist, Bluetooth connectivity, real-time updates, as well as constant map upgradations.
Changing Times: Changing Technology
However, in June 2007, Steve Jobs and Apple released the iPhone. With a powerful processor capable of multitasking and performing operations that were unheard of in a mobile device till then.
In October 2009, Google announced the release of Google Maps for mobiles which offered free GPS powered navigation, live traffic updates, and a built-in voice recognition system to make it easier to operate while driving.
With the introduction of navigational capabilities embedded in smartphones, the sales of dedicated GPS devices started dwindling. Why would someone invest in a device which had a function that was now available for free with smartphones?
A New Era of Navigation:
With Google Maps and Waze coming out as the two navigation heavyweights in today’s world, they have rendered traditional GPS devices obsolete. Google Maps allows you to sync it to your calendar so you can even schedule your driving directions whenever you have a field assignment coming up. Both Google Maps and Waze are free-to-use and offer impeccable navigational capabilities and prove to be more convenient for claims adjusters who are always on the go.
Challenges Ahead:
Despite the overwhelming popularity of integrated navigation applications like Google Maps and Waze, quite a few adjusters still prefer using the traditional GPS unit. Due to the nature of their work, claims adjusters have to travel to all kinds of places throughout the country and sometimes they are in areas which do not receive mobile network. Google Maps and Waze, which rely on internet access do not function optimally as they should. In cases like these, GPS units work better since they do not require an internet connection to provide navigation.
Takeaway:
Smartphone GPS is the best and most convenient way of navigating as long as you are in areas that receive ample cellphone signals. Some apps even let you navigate when you are offline. To tackle the offline problem, Google Maps introduced a new ability to download the maps of areas for offline use. Considering the efficiency that comes along with the use of applications such as Google Maps and Waze, they seem to be the best bet for claims adjusters in the long run.
Bonus Benefit:
Claims adjusters can also enjoy the use of applications like JustEZ that not only provide seamless navigation capabilities with integrations with Waze and Google Maps but also provide unique scheduling capabilities for handling multiple assignments. Do visit the website to find out more about the revolutionary app.
