“Maxed out” at his job as transportation manager at a nursery in Granby, Jay Dykstra, decided to apply for a job as a claims adjuster at Travelers.
The 44-year-old from Manchester had no experience in the field, but he was confident he could succeed. After all, he knew he would be getting first-class instruction at Claim U.
Travelers opened its Claim University in April of last year. The 108,000-square-foot facility in Windsor looks like a prototypical corporate campus with a giant red umbrella on its welcome sign.
Inside, it’s a handyman’s playhouse with an educational purpose. It contains an auto lab, two full-scale furnished homes fitted with leather couches and marble countertops, a convenience store with stocked shelves and a heavy-equipment lab with battered bulldozers and cranes.
Roughly 8,500 Travelers employees a year get hands-on instruction in auto, home, heavy equipment and liability claims appraisal. Some are recent hires; others are seasoned claims professionals taking sophisticated courses for career advancement.
The company touts Claim U as the top training facility in the industry and says it’s become a major selling point to attract new employees.
“It’s a very competitive market for talent,” said Art Perry, vice president of Claim University. “This gives us the competitive advantage. It’s a very powerful marketing tool.”
For Dykstra, who was looking for a job that offered both stability and the opportunity for advancement, it was an attractive option.
“I had nowhere else to go,” he admitted. Now he’s in his second course of training.
Instruction can take anywhere from three weeks to 18 months, depending on the job. But it takes long experience to become a reliable claims adjuster. Perry said it takes about five years before someone can judge a total loss.
Claim U offers trainees a comprehensive introduction to the field.
It is located within a former turbine manufacturing plant with high ceilings and plenty of space.
The color red dominates inside, and the lobby’s walls are draped with memorabilia from Travelers’ past. A photograph signed by astronaut Neil Armstrong, for example, reminds visitors that the company insured the first U.S. flight to the moon for the bargain price of $5,000.
About 65 percent of the facility is dedicated to three separately themed training labs and 35 percent to classrooms.
The auto lab trains appraisers on understanding damage and repairs. It’s a combination of a mechanics workshop and an auto dealer’s showroom. A half dozen trucks and cars, each with various types of damage, are raised on hydraulic lifts.
Another 15 or so cars, ranging from old Honda civics, to hybrids, are lined up, hoods open and ready to be looked over by a probing trainee. Scattered around the room are various car engines, doors and batteries.
“Every car can tell a different story,” Perry said. “We allow people to experience severe damage, minor dents and even flood damage.”
‘Big Dollars’
The goal is to have adjusters understand the complete mechanics of a car, something usually not taught to most adjusters, Perry said. Working demonstrations allow trainees to experience different mechanical, electrical, and body systems.
Claim U also houses the industry’s first heavy-equipment lab featuring cranes, tractor-trailers, dump trucks, bulldozers, and other heavy-duty vehicles.
It’s pertinent to the company because insuring such equipment is big business. And it can lead to big losses if appraisals aren’t done accurately. “It’s one of our more sophisticated lines of business. There are big dollars attached to it,” Perry said.
In the property lab, the homes and convenience store are fitted with mechanical systems, including electric, plumbing, heating and air conditioning. Each facility provides examples of a wide variety of building materials and construction methods.
Homes have state-of-the art architectural designs and realistic interiors. “Houses are fully furnished to recreate what people will actually see when they are on the job,” Perry said. “It’s important for adjusters to identify the level of quality to make sure people get everything they are entitled to.”
Virtually all the equipment and structures located inside Claim U are strategically damaged so trainees can estimate repairs or replacement costs for property claims.
For example, in one of the kitchen mock-ups, charred countertops show signs of a recent stovetop fire. In the heavy-duty lab, the roof of a giant bulldozer is severely damaged. Dents, shattered glass and chipped paint are a common theme on the cars in the auto lab.
When adjusters accurately assess claims, the company can provide better customer service and save money. “The goal is to make the claims experience quick, easy and accurate,” Perry said. “That makes the customer happy and helps the bottom line.”
1,500 Flights A Year
Because claims adjusters are the lifeblood of any insurance company, Travelers has spent millions on the training facility.
It helps the company’s staff stay in synch with a changing environment. As vehicle technology becomes more sophisticated and construction techniques continue to evolve, Travelers’ claims professionals will be able to remain current.
Claim U also provides a boost to the local economy. While Travelers has major operations in Hartford, the company is headquartered in Minnesota. But its training facility has become a major attraction, and trips by employees between the two cities are common.
Perry estimates that 1,500 flights a year come into Hartford because of people visiting or getting trained at the facility. He also estimates it brings in 42,000 overnight stays in local hotels.
