Insurance Adjusters of the Future ���������������

Some auto body shops appreciate insurance adjusters and their role in the collision repair industry, while others don’t necessarily feel the same way. But all seem to agree it’s a necessary job.

In the end, everyone wants the same thing—the safe repair of a vehicle back to its pre-accident condition.

According to Indeed.com, the responsibilities of an auto damage adjuster include evaluating the damage done to a vehicle and then determining what the insurance company will pay. They also add “a claims adjuster job is very stressful

as it comes with lots of highly demanding activities. However, when you put in the hard work and dedication, the rewards far outweigh all the tough demands of the job.”

Chris Stanley, 36, is an author, career coach/mentor and the founder of Insurance Adjuster (IA) Path, a company that trains and mentors auto adjusters.

He lives on a 42-foot sailboat with his wife and three kids—ages 12, 8 and 1—who are homeschooled. He enjoys the freedom and loves “traveling the open seas and feeling small in our big world,” he said.

In addition to writing a series of books about insurance adjusters, he also writes Christian devotionals, memoirs, kids’ books and a variety of non-fiction.

Stanley was working as an adjuster for a PDR company in Colorado when he was recruited to become a supervisor at the same organization.

“The business grew to the point where we were working with 100 shops and dealerships and they needed someone to oversee the work,” he said. “It was definitely a major mental shift, where I went from writing estimates to managing techs, and after a while I said I want my life back! Plus, it was cold in Colorado.”

So, he purchased his boat and began enjoying better weather in Florida, with a career change in his immediate future.

“One of the great things about this lifestyle is we can go to wherever we want to be—whether it’s the Keys or West Palm Beach,” he said. “Every year I always ask my children—do you want to live in a house on land or stay on the boat? They always go with the boat.”

Around that same time, Stanley saw training programs for independent insurance adjusters were scarce or difficult to get into.

“I tried to help a friend who wanted to become an adjuster, and no one would take him, even though I taught him the basics,” Stanley said. “They told him you don’t have any experience. So, I started looking online to see if there was any information about how to enter the industry, but it was all about property and nothing about cars.”

Since 2016, Stanley has mentored more than 2,500 people, to create the next generation of independent adjusters and auto damage appraisers. His go-to book is called the “Auto Adjuster’s Playbook,” which Stanley called the industry’s Bible.

“It is based on a proven method to teach new people how to learn to write estimates,” Stanley said. “It has been used to teach hundreds of students through IA Path’s online training course, called the ‘Auto Adjuster’s Path.’

“Most people who venture into being an auto damage appraiser or body shop estimator are overwhelmed with learning about the parts of the car, repair processes and how to not look stupid,” he continued. “This book tells you what you

need to know with plain English. The ‘Auto Adjuster’s Playbook’ is field tested and contains industry recognized training and instructions by a 13-year veteran and reviewed by top industry leaders prior to its release.”

Other books in Stanley’s IA Playbook Series include “Audatex Adjuster’s Playbook,” “Networking Adjuster’s Playbook” and “Hail Adjuster’s Playbook.”

Stanley’s IA Path program is designed to get people up and running fast, he said.

“Whether it’s a Millennial looking for their first career or someone looking for their second or third career, I want to see them get work within 90 days in a rewarding industry and write content to help them navigate their journey,” he said. “We bring them in and get them to the point where they’re doing their jobs correctly, doing mock claims and handling the entire process from start to finish.

“Whether an adjuster who is working as a staff or independent adjuster handling property, auto or desk claims—liability, bodily injury, etc.—there will be always be companies looking for their skillset.”

This past summer, IA Path hosted its first Adjuster Job Fair to allow adjusters and appraisers from all aspects of the inspection industry to get interviewed one-on-one with

Author/teacher/mentor Chris Stanley created a company, IA Path, to set up independent adjusters for future success� His IA Playbook Series has quickly become the industry’s Bible Stanley lives and works on a boat with his wife and three kids in Florida

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