How to Train Your Restoration Claims Team to Build Better Relationships with Adjusters

When you’re a restoration contractor, your restoration claims negotiation and management can make or break your business’s cash flow. One key part of successful claims management often gets overlooked: your team’s ability to build strong relationships with insurance adjusters. At One Claim Solution, we’ve handled thousands of claims and worked with adjusters across the country and seen the power of building relationships with insurance adjusters. When adjusters know your team is professional, prepared, and fair, they’re more likely to process claims faster and with less pushback. If you’re handling restoration insurance billing in-house, here are practical tips to help your team build better relationships with adjusters.

Start with Respect and Professionalism

As obvious as it may seem, respect is the foundation of every relationship. At the end of the day, restoration insurance adjusters are just people trying to do their jobs. They’re busy and under pressure to cut costs and meet deadlines. But it’s easy to forget this human element when you’re in the midst of negotiating restoration claim line items that you strongly believe are justified. Help your team remember that the best way to have productive conversations with adjusters is to approach conversations with a level head and respect. Train your team to always:

• Be polite, but direct in emails and calls. By not beating around the bush, you show respect for an adjuster’s time.
• Avoid emotional language, even if their argument against a claim line item feels unfair.
• Stay focused on facts and documentation.
• Remember, relationships with adjusters are just like any other human relationship. It’s more likely to be productive when everyone involved, including the adjuster, feels respected.

As OCS Co-Founder Josh Ehmke says, “There’s still a personal touch that’s needed a lot of times. It’s not always just about having the right information in front of the adjuster. It’s about how you communicate it.”

Teach the Value of Consistency

Adjusters are more likely to push back when they see errors, inconsistencies, or confusing details in your restoration claim documents. That’s why training your team to be consistent is so important. Here are a few ways to reinforce this:

• Use standard templates for invoices, estimates, and emails
• Review common line items that cause friction and make sure documentation is air-tight
• Keep good records of past communications

At One Claim Solution, we’ve learned that many adjusters will “flag” a contractor if they consistently submit messy or questionable claims. Building a reputation for consistency helps ensure smoother restoration claims reviews in the future.

Role Play Difficult Conversations

Ultimately, no matter how good your relationship with an adjuster is, there will be tough conversations that can’t be avoided. An adjuster may be frustrated, questioning a line item, or outright denying payment. It’s easy for tensions to escalate during these moments, especially if it’s the first time your team member is dealing with a difficult conversation like this. So, what is the solution? Don’t let the first time your team faces that be real time. Train your team by role-playing tough conversations. Use real examples from your past restoration claims and act out scenarios. Teach your team how to stay calm, explain their reasoning, and offer supporting documentation without becoming defensive. Practice builds confidence and composure. When the team member is able to approach a difficult conversation with a level head, the entire conversation will go more smoothly. You’ll also avoid burning bridges with adjusters that you will likely have to work with on future restoration claims.

Empower Your Team with Knowledge

Adjusters are trained. Your team should be, too. When adjusters challenge your invoice, it’s time to prove that your team knows what they’re talking about. Arm your restoration claims team with:

• IICRC standards and relevant code references
• OSHA requirements, especially for things like asbestos testing and other frequently disputed safety line items
• Common justifications for line items like air scrubbers, thermal imaging, and overhead and profit

As Jeremy Traasdahl of OCS puts it, “If you do it, you should bill for it, because it’s most likely reasonable to be done. And if it’s not, then the carrier has no obligation to pay it.” Being able to explain the “why” behind each line item builds credibility and increases the chance of approval.

Teach Them to Know When to Pick Up the Phone

Email may be the default mode of communication, but it should not be the only mode of communication. Train your team to recognize when it’s time to pick up the phone and call the restoration adjuster. Often, this is during complex disputes or when working with adjusters that you’ve previously seen more success with over the phone. Sometimes a quick phone call can move a restoration claim forward faster than ten emails. Teach your team to pick up the phone, speak clearly, and treat adjusters like partners, not enemies. Even when there’s disagreement, hearing someone’s tone and intent goes a long way toward building trust and goodwill.

Share Wins and Lessons Learned

One of the best ways to build strong restoration claims skills is by sharing real-world examples from your own team. Did someone resolve a dispute by providing the right documentation? Did a claim go through faster thanks to a phone call and a clear explanation? Take time to share these wins. When claim negotiation goes awry, take the time to discuss the lessons learned from it. This helps reinforce good habits and shows what works.

You Don’t Have to Train an Internal Restoration Claims Management Team When You Partner With OCS

Building adjuster relationships is easier when your team is trained, consistent, and confident, but it’s also a lot of work. If your in-house team is stretched thin or you’re tired of spending more time on billing than building your business, One Claim Solution is here to help. We’ve spent years building relationships with adjusters, training restoration claims advocates, and perfecting the systems that lead to faster payments and fewer disputes. Let us be your back office and take claims negotiations off your plate. Contact OCS today to see if we’re right for you.