Factors to Bear in Mind When Making a Business Insurance Claim
Posted on: 21 December 2015
Business liability insurance covers your business and employees against bodily injury, property damage and any other risks that may affect your business. Many businessmen find the process of making a business insurance claim to be lengthy and complicated. This paper will guide you on the factors to consider when making an insurance claim for your business liability insurance.
Planning
Planning involves proper reporting mechanisms and a disaster strategy. The following are some basic planning tips you ought to consider:
Cameras
The best way to record a claim is using digital cameras. Install surveillance cameras at strategic positions in your business premises. Install cameras in all the business vehicles. Assign someone to operate the cameras and maintain records that you can easily refer to when investigating an incident.
Mock Drills
Stage mock disaster drills to ensure that your employees are always prepared for disasters. When employees are trained on how to react to incidences, your insurance provider cannot argue that your ignorance contributed to any given incident. In any given incident, your insurance provider will see that you and your employees tried your best to avert and control the disaster.
Maintain Uniform Written Report Forms
Use these forms to fill in the details of an incident at the work place. The availability of written report forms makes it easy to give an accurate account of an incidence the moment it happens (when it is still fresh in the minds of the persons involved) instead of waiting to fill a report at the police quarters.
Reporting
Incidents like accidents, fires and thefts should be reported as soon as they occur otherwise your insurance provider may fail to compensate you.
Report to the Police
The first people that should be contacted are law enforcement authorities. You should fill a police report the moment an incident takes place.
Insurance Professional
Contact your insurance broker for guidance on how to file a claim. Your broker will gather cursory information and prepare a claim form (accord claim form). This form contains details of what damages you have suffered and your compensation demands. The accord claim form will be sent to your insurance provider. When the form reaches your insurance provider, it is handed to an insurance adjuster. The adjuster will require you to provide evidence to support your claim. At this point, digital camera photos, footages and written report forms can be presented as evidence.
Accounting Assistance and Legal Counsel
If you want to make a claim against business interruption or loss of income, you need to hire a forensic accountant to present the claim to your insurer. A forensic accountant will be able to clearly show your insurance provider how your income has been affected using exact figures and without any generalizations. A competent lawyer will also come in handy when preparing a claims package. Lawyers know what insurers require from claimants. Furthermore, the presence of a lawyer will be important if the claim goes to court.
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