Research to Further Enrich Professional Franchise Opportunity

Aspray is a franchise network based on excellence and at the heart of such excellence lies knowledge. This is not just to be found in the franchise expertise of the directors, or in that of the head office team and our in-house Qualified Franchisee Professional, but also in the depth of material that we study, garner and distribute on behalf of the franchisees taking up our professional franchise opportunity.

Whether this material takes the form of industry statistics, or the latest thinking on social media, or whether we deliver it by inviting experts to talk at our annual franchise conference, or give it a home on our franchisee dashboard, it is all intended to equip our franchisees with a winning edge.

Knowledge, in the words of Sir Francis Bacon, is power and our primary focus, as a mentoring franchisor, is to empower our franchisees, so that they can grow their businesses, add value within their territories and continually communicate the professionalism of Aspray’s franchise network.

The Opportunity for the Professional Franchisee

When we first talk to our potential franchisees, we seek to highlight the extent of the franchise opportunity that awaits professionals.  We often reference the size of the market, the number of property insurance claims that are made every year and the growing incidence of claims related to factors such as weather. But this month we are focusing on something very different – getting inside the heads of the British public, to discover what they know and feel about home and property insurance claims and the processes surrounding them.

Why does this matter?  Well, it always pays to understand the extent of the market that could be tapped into, as well as the one that already exists.  Key to this is the understanding of the respective roles of two similarly named parties in the home and property insurance claims scenarios that we manage. These are the roles of the loss adjuster and the loss assessor.  When we conducted our research, we knew that the more confusion that existed amongst consumers as to the difference between adjusting and assessing the loss, the bigger the untapped potential of our franchise territories.

If you are already an Aspray franchisee, or are planning to become one, you cannot but be pleased by the fact that our licenced Aspray survey showed that 48% (nearly half of Brits surveyed) admit they do not know the difference between a loss adjuster and a loss assessor.  That means that, whilst as much as half the market is warmed up already and potentially able to pick up the phone and call a loss assessor like Aspray, there is another half of the market to tackle.  Given the figures some of our franchisees are already producing, that is a phenomenal thought.  The growth potential is clearly evident.

However, note that we said, “as much as half the market is warmed up”.  Actually, the potential for growth is bigger than stated above, as a further 9% of people think there is no difference at all between loss adjusters and loss assessors. Add the 9% to the 48% and you have 57% of people unaware how a loss assessor could assist them.

Findings for Franchisee Targeting

Our owned research has also given us insight into the demographics and profiles of the people our franchisees need to be approaching.  We already know that many women find the support of a loss assessor invaluable and some of our franchisees can actually describe female avatars with characteristics or lifestyle factors appertaining to them, which represent around 80% of their customers. However, our research survey asked a lot of questions and we can arm our franchisees with not just general national statistics, but research findings relating to their own geographical areas.  With some questions, these vary quite significantly, so this will provide our franchisees with a valuable basis upon which to base marketing tactics and messaging.

The Home Insurance Claims Process

Of course, reading this, as a potential professional franchisee with Aspray, you too may not know exactly what the role of a loss assessor entails and whether it is for you.  Here are some pointers for you.

• Whilst a loss adjuster represents the insurer, a loss assessor represents the insured home or commercial property owner who has suffered a loss.  When the insurer is notified of a claim, they send out the loss adjuster to review the situation, produce a report and detail what repairs are required. A loss assessor, on the other hand, has to be appointed by the customer, if they want somebody in their corner, but once that happens, it typically makes a tangible difference to the insured policyholder.

• As an appointed loss assessor – or property claims management franchisee, if you prefer – you would be dealing with the home insurance claim, or the claim to cover losses at a commercial property, on behalf of the policyholder who appointed you.  You would handle all negotiations on their behalf, liaising with both the loss adjuster and the insurer concerned, making sure you submit the right documentation, get in contact by phone and keep the customer informed of progress, at every stage.  You would draw up the schedule of works that you feel is required and argue your point with the insurer or their appointed loss adjuster.  You would then work with vetted contractors and tradesmen, overseeing their work as it takes place and taking all of the burden of doing this away from your customer’s shoulders.  In the meantime, you would probably find yourself providing emotional support, as well as practical support, to the property owner, empathising with their situation and doing all you can to take their anxiety away.  Once happy with the work, you would then sign it off and deal with the final paperwork.

The Difference Our Loss Assessing Franchisees Make

• Aspray franchisees make a difference to homeowners and commercial property owners’ lives on a daily basis.  They take a holistic view of property damage and identify areas in which the loss adjuster’s view may be too circumspect.  Aspects in which the loss adjuster’s and loss assessor’s assessment of damage might differ could relate to the extent to which water damage has affected the fabric of the building, or the flooring or even the electrics.  The same sort of scenario surrounds soot and smoke damage, which can have profound structural effects and also affect electronic devices.   

• Other differences of opinion can be delivered by not accepting that a policyholder should have to mix and match items such as suites, kitchen units, furniture and bathroom fixtures, if only some were damaged.

• Our Aspray loss assessors also make a difference by being just a quick phone call away when issues arise, or emotional support is needed.  This delivers great job satisfaction to many of our franchisees.

• Aspray franchisees are focused on striving to gain just settlements following home or commercial property damage from impacts such as flood, fire, escape of water, oil spillage, storm damage, vehicle collisions, malicious damage by tenants and situations such as subsidence.  On the other hand, the insurer’s loss adjuster is typically focused on arriving at an adjusted settlement, which can, at times, short-change the customer/policyholder. Being there to achieve the former and avoid the latter is another source of pride for our franchisees.

Next Steps

If you have now joined or remained amongst the percentage of people who know what a loss assessor does and believe that the buzz you would get from the job and the financial rewards that have been proven to emanate from our Aspray franchise model are for you, you need to get in touch.  Perhaps seeing just how many people are still to be converted and educated as to the benefits of using the services of a loss assessor is the final piece of the puzzle for you, as you determine which professional franchise opportunity to invest in? If that’s the case, you could be championing loss assessing before you know it.

Find out more about the Aspray Franchise now!

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