Erin Farnsworth is a Major Loss Home Assessor at Suncorp. Having worked in insurance for 24 years, Erin has previously worked as a Word Processing Officer, Customer Service Officer, Team Leader, Loss Adjuster and Internal Assessor for companies such as FAI Insurance, AAMI, GMHBA and APIA Insurance.
With a Certificate IV in General Insurance and a Diploma in Loss Adjusting, Erin is bringing her passion for customer experiences to her role and has great advice for anyone thinking about a career in insurance.
WHAT DOES YOUR CURRENT ROLE ENTAIL?
As a Major Loss Home Assessor for Suncorp, my role is to assess and manage domestic home claims, both building and contents, for the Suncorp group. This involves managing complex, high media and high value claims and arrange for the assessment of the loss, confirmation that they are covered under the policy, arranging quotations and repair/settlement. The role involves travel across the state and can include some travel interstate during natural disasters such as floods or bushfires.
HOW DID YOU START WORKING IN INSURANCE?
I finished an Office Administration course when I left school and when I completed the course, the TAFE College recommended me to FAI Insurance who were looking for an administration worker. I had no intention of working in insurance, but after seeing the huge variety of positions that were available, I found the industry to be very rewarding. I have been in various roles during my time in insurance and believe that with the industry ever changing it makes for a very interesting and challenging place to work.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
My role as a Major Loss Home Assessor is extremely rewarding. I am very customer focused and love that in this role I feel I can help people in their times of need. Being able to support customers, provide assurance to them and help them rebuild their lives is a challenging but satisfying job. I really enjoy working with a variety of trades, project managers and different types customers. Every day brings new challenges. Every single job we handle is different. I absolutely love the flexibility of the job I do which allows me to have a great work/life balance.
WHAT SKILLS DO YOU THINK SOMEONE NEEDS TO BECOME A MAJOR LOSS HOME ASSESSOR?
To become a loss assessor you need to have compassion, understanding, high customer service, and negotiation skills and be highly motivated. If you love a challenge, enjoy being in a flexible work environment and visiting different locations across the state, it is a fantastic job.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE LOOKING TO GET INTO INSURANCE?
I remember thinking of all the bad things you hear in the media or see in movies about insurance companies and was not sure that this was what I wanted to do. But once I got into the industry I saw that it was not like that at all. My advice is if you love challenges and enjoy customer service environments, definitely give insurance, especially Loss Adjusting, a go. There is huge scope and many opportunities in the industry for developing amazing careers. So if you are thinking of working in insurance, I highly recommend it.