agency staff is familiar with RMA guidelines. Be proactive
and plan accordingly to manage the workflow to complete
customer applications in a timely fashion. Make sure your
customers understand the sense of urgency for timely
completion of applications and forms. Document your files
with all correspondence relating to delays in completion
of forms. With crop you have to get it right the first time
because changes may not be able to be made. This is
especially important with Acreage Reports.
• Document Customer Files – E&O claims are often the
product of miscommunication. What may be unclear prior
to a claim may become crystal clear when an uncovered
crop claim occurs. All interactions and conversations with
customers, including the offer and rejection of coverage
options and limits, should be included in the customer
file. This documentation is critical to an agent’s defense
and without it, the agent may be held responsible when
everything was done correctly.
W
• Use a Checklist/Set Reminders – Writing crop insurance
is complicated whether you’ve been doing it for one day or
twenty years. Using a crop checklist can ensure all forms
are completed and deadlines are met. Also, make sure to
set reminders so that deadlines are not missed.
• Potential E&O Claims, Call Your Carrier – If you become
aware of a potential E&O claims, whether it be a missed
deadline or discrepancy on an application or form, contact
your E&O carrier right away. The Swiss Re claims team
can work with you and provide guidance on steps to take
to mitigate the potential claim from going further. This
includes assisting with the RMA appeals process. They’ve
handled all kinds of E&O claims involving the placement
of crop insurance and a quick call for their guidance can
provide some real benefits.
Share these E&O risk management considerations for
writing crop insurance with all agency staff. Visit the
E&O Happens website and review the “Reducing E&O
Exposure in Placement of Crop Insurance” module for
more information. We also encourage you to take an E&O
seminar put on by your state association. Just because you
only offer crop insurance doesn’t mean that the basic E&O
risk management fundamentals don’t apply to you as a crop
agent. In fact, what you learn will help you better serve
your customers and strengthen relationships. Remember,
consistency and written documentation are the key
cornerstones of agency E&O risk management.
BURNS &
YES, WE CAN
DO THAT
WILCOX
ACCESS IS OUR MIDDLE NAME.
Our access to the widest range of domestic and international carriers
means you can say yes to almost any hard-to-place risk. Give your clients
what they want to hear with Burns & Wilcox.
Overland Park, Kansas | 913.451.3135
toll free 866.476.0439 | fax 913.451.3156
overlandpark.burnsandwilcox.com
Commercial | Professional | Personal | Brokerage
Binding | Risk Management Services
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