Claims Advocacy is Your Greatest Competitive Advantage | with Clayton Matthews

When a client suffers a major loss, the last thing they want to deal with is a claims process bogged down by miscommunication and a lack of empathy. If your agency is simply acting as a middleman passing emails back and forth, you aren't adding value - you are just in the way.My guest, Clayton Matthews, Director of Strategic Claims Advocacy at Oakbridge Insurance, joins me to discuss why the claims experience is the ultimate "moment of truth" for an agency. Clayton shares his unique background, from interning in politics to spinning records as a late-night DJ, and how reading a dance floor translates perfectly to reading a room during a catastrophic loss. We discuss the friction points between adjusters and producers, the power of letting a client tell their story, and why you don't need a four-year degree to learn empathy. If you want to understand how a proactive claims strategy can save your biggest accounts and set your agency apart, this episode is a must-listen.▶▶ Sign Up For Your Free Discovery Callcompletegameu.com/agaTimestamped Outline(00:00) The Most Outgoing Claims Advocate: Introducing Clayton Matthews(01:15) Politics and Public Service: From the General Assembly to Insurance(03:47) The Late-Night DJ: Learning the Psychology of the Crowd(05:22) The Real Job of a DJ: Keeping the Floor Packed and Selling Beer(07:37) The Billion Dollar Question: Solving the Claims Communication Gap(09:34) The Importance of Being Heard: Why Every Claim Needs a Storyteller(12:14) Case Managers and Adjusters: The Friction Between Empathy and Process(14:01) The Highest Paid Translator: Balancing Contractual Facts with Human Feelings(16:51) Boots on the Ground: Losing Hope and Finding Humanity in Catastrophe Zones(19:33) The Uninsurable Era: Why We Need a Stand-Alone Wildfire Policy(21:42) The Reality of Risk: A Personal Story of Driving Uninsured at 19(24:05) Stop Being the Middleman: Where Agencies Go Wrong in Claims Advocacy(26:53) The Bad News Requirement: Front-End Expectations vs. Back-End Excuses(30:42) Why Clients Leave: The Danger of Poor Agency Exploration and Expectation Setting(34:22) The Washout Factor: Why Empathy Trumps a 4-Year Degree Every Time(39:02) Clayton’s Lightning Round: Checking Email at 5 AM, Southern Mafia Podcasts, and Stephen KingCONNECT WITH ANDY NEARY📲 Schedule a free discovery call:completegameu.com/agaSubscribe and listen to the Accelerate Your Insurance Sales Podcast 🎙 here:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/andy-neary7 🎯 Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube 🎥:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyqBg5tL_1G1tf7Wo98tMgg💬 Join the Complete Game text community:Text the word BROKER to 414-622-1462Connect with Andy Neary on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyneary/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andy_neary/