Consistent Commitment

After spending 17 years adjusting accident benefits claims – and enjoying the small independent atmosphere – Lori Ryther set out on her own. She launched Claridge Insurance Adjusters on Feb. 14, 2008 filling a void in the accident benefits world in Barrie, Ont.

“It was tough being an independent unit in a property office,” L. Ryther says of her time at H.R. Leiher Insurance Adjusters Inc. “I saw a real need for specialized auto adjusters – for accident benefits and bodily injury – in this area. There are not a lot of people doing it up here – that was my main motivation. It wasn’t actually to start a business.”

In fact, on most days, L. Ryther says she still feels like an adjuster, not a business owner, thanks mostly to her business partner, and husband, Craig Ryther who has handled much of the business end of things.

Stepping in to help

C. Ryther used his 17 years of business experience to help start up the business and keep it running smoothly, all the while working towards his Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) designation – a designation he earned in two years. “I’ve always had a keen interest in insurance, since the May 1985 tornado in Barrie,” he says. “It seemed like a good opportunity and it coincided with Lori opening the business. I came over to see if I could help, which got us over the immediate need to hire someone in the office.”

That ended up being a huge blessing considering L. Ryther started the process to open her business around the New Year and six weeks later was up and running – all while still handling claims for H.R. Leiher. “It ended up being an absolute gift that we were able to do this together and that he was able to progress so quickly in his courses and that he had a knack for it,” L. Ryther says. “I’m extremely detail-oriented and for him to come into that environment, it had to be extremely stressful for him, as well. He was able to do all the behind-the-scenes stuff, getting everything that we needed in place, while I handled the files.”

There are two other staff also on board: Vandie Teskey, a “Godsend” who has been with the company since the beginning, working part-time when the need arises, especially to cover the odd day when both Rythers need to be out of the office, and Krystine Wolochatiuk started in April, full-time. Wolochatiuk will be working at the firm while completing both her BA and her CIP.

Claims handling

The claims handled at Claridge Adjusters are not typical – they tend to have some atypical circumstances surrounding them. These could be coverage issues, pre-accident injuries, catastrophic claims or anything that causes a red flag on a file.

They also cover a wide territory – the shoreline of Georgian Bay all the way up to Tobermory. These “everything but the cookie-cutter claims,” combined with the wide territory, means all hands on deck at Claridge to ensure top-notch claims handling. And if Claridge doesn’t have enough hands, or the claim is too far out of their territory, they will look to the Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association’s (CIAA) National Claims Manual to find another reputable independent adjusting firm able to handle the claim.

They have looked at opening up satellite offices or having a reciprocal arrangement with other small independents in Toronto, but, unfortunately, have not had the time or manpower to pursue it further. But they keep all their options open, C. Ryther says. “We definitely have good relations with other independents,” L. Ryther adds.

Works well with others

The firm also has excellent relationships with other industry personnel, in part because they work in a smaller town, but mostly because the firm takes every single claim seriously and handles every file with the same attention – no matter how big or how small. You never know where a claim can take you, L. Ryther says.

“Lori has been consistent over the last 20 years in doing things exactly the same way time in and time out,” C. Ryther says. “And no matter how crazy it might drive me, I get it now; I get why it’s important.”

“Consistency is definitely one of the strengths,” L. Ryther adds. “I have had examiners who have followed me through the years, and they haven’t really cared one iota who holds the license. They know that when they call me, no matter how busy we happen to be, that a claim will get the immediate attention that it needs. The claim will not get sat on, it will get addressed because I really believe that the initial handling is the most crucial part of any claim.”

The advantage of being such a small office is that things don’t get shoved under another file, she points out. Every person in the office has an equal interest in every file to ensure that even if the main point of contact is out of the office or unable to answer a question, the client doesn’t have to wait, because someone else can step in and take the lead.

“It’s about going the extra mile,” L. Ryther says, “It’s dropping everything to attend to whatever task needs to be done for that insurer.”

This dedication is reflected in their mission statement:
The Claridge Insurance Adjusters team will provide quality service with honesty and integrity. We will pay exceptional attention to detail and accurate reporting. Our goal is to provide timely and consistent service in a cost efficient matter while reflecting each of our clients’ own unique needs.

This means tailoring the claims handling process to the needs of the client. “Whatever their unique needs are, we match,” C. Ryther says. “If they want it emailed, we email, if they want a paper file, we do that, if they want computers involved, we do that. Whatever they request, we accommodate.”

“I know that this one insurer needs this done or that done,” L. Ryther adds. “And within that company is the examiner who has their own preferences.”

The claim is fine-tailored for not only the company, but the person handling the file.

Consistency is key

“There are some insurers that we work for, that have dealt with us long enough and they hand us the claim; they know it’s going to be handled correctly and they know that the things that need to be addressed are going to be addressed, and they don’t worry about it,” L. Ryther says.

“They know we are going to consistently handle each claim and each file the same way,” C. Ryther adds.

“Consistent in that every time I settle a claim on a full and final settlement basis, I do it the same way,” L. Ryther points out. “If I was ever to be brought to task on that, I would be able to say I know I did it this way, because I’ve done it this way for the past 20 years.”

Just as important, is to love the job. While accident benefits has, stereotypically, a huge burnout rate, L. Ryther loves it and has always loved it, in spite of the stress. “For whatever reason, the SABS make sense to me,” she says. “I can sit and flip that thing and find sections when someone tells me something. I love the nitty-grittiness of it all.”

There’s also the personal relations that small independents are able to make with their clients that the Rythers hold dear. Claims is a very human business; throughout the whole claims chain, it’s a matter of human connections and human relationships which can affect just how smoothly the process goes, C. Ryther says. “There’s a lot of interconnections going on there, so it’s how you manage those connections that matters,” he adds.

And part of those interconnections, is being a member of the CIAA. Being a member provides the firm with information, support, E&O insurance benefit plans, helping adjusters stay on top of licensing and other regulations, connecting independents across the country, among other benefits.

“I feel it is a privilege to be a member of the CIAA and
I can’t imagine why any independent would not want to,” L. Ryther says.