When a home or business owner experiences damage to their property, their first priority is to call their insurance provider.  Insurance agents have the important job of assessing the damage and providing homeowners and business owners with answers regarding the restoration process, damage claims, and payment for restoration services.  Part of being an insurance agent is earning state required continuing education (CE) credits by taking CE classes, many of which are offered by the same companies that provide disaster restoration services.  There are several important purposes of these CE classes other than fulfilling the state requirement for credit hours that are beneficial to both the insurance agent and their policyholders.

What Insurance Agents Gain from CE Classes

Insurance agents should think of CE classes as more than just a state requirement as attending continuing education classes can benefit insurance agents in the following ways:

• Build Expertise in your Field: When homeowners experience significant property damage, they are often frustrated and have many questions for their insurance agent on the best way to handle the situation. It is very important for insurance agents to be able to answer every question to help reassure homeowners and explain all of their available options.  Attending CE classes in your specific field will help you gain the knowledge you need to address your policyholder’s concerns as well as help you build on your previous knowledge to become more of an expert in your field.
• Stay Updated on Restoration Methods and Policy Changes: Insurance policies and restoration methods both change quite regularly and it can be very challenging for insurance agents to stay up to date on the latest developments without continuing education classes. Restoration companies provide continuing education classes to teach insurance agents their most current restoration methods so that they are familiar with the restoration processes for several different types of disasters.  The topics of the CE classes offered by restoration professionals also include insurance trends and policies so that agents can stay updated on the latest policy changes as well.
• Provide Better Customer Service: The ultimate goal of CE classes for insurance agents is to improve customer service and help the agents better assist their policyholders through a stressful situation. As mentioned earlier, homeowners who have experienced property damage want information and answers to rectify their situation.  Being well informed in all possible scenarios will help you provide the best possible customer service by providing effective solutions and accurate claims.

Insurance continuing education classes are much more than a state requirement as the information you learn in these classes is extremely valuable for providing good customer service and building your expertise within your field.  Attending CE classes regularly will help keep you informed on the latest restoration methods and policy changes so that you can provide accurate and effective claims services.  If you are interested in attending CE classes, contact a disaster restoration service provider near you that offers CE classes to learn which classes they offer and how to register.