An insurance clerk is responsible for maintaining files and records pertaining to life, health, home, business, fire and automobile insurance. These documents normally include information on policy terms, account activity and claims. The clerk is regularly asked to assist in general office support tasks as well.
Responsibilities of an insurance clerk normally include tracking policy renewal dates and contacting customers who are delinquent in their payments for coverage. She routinely prepares receipts and vouchers for payments and records the payments on a manual log or into a computer database. If changes in the policy are made or payment terms are altered, she is generally required to place notes of these actions in the customer’s file. Compiling amortization schedules is a task regularly assigned to a clerk in this type of business as well.
In some companies, the clerk is regularly required to compile statistical data for reports requested by regulatory agencies or parent companies. These often reflect industry trends, demographic analysis or customers’ insurance purchasing habits. Reports and summaries of specific department activities distributed for internal review are frequently required from the insurance clerk.
The job of the insurance clerk commonly changes depending on the needs of customers and the office staff. If customer needs are minimal, she may be called upon to archive records or purge dead files. Other administrative support duties she may be assigned include answering phones or composing correspondence.
If customer activity is heavy, the clerk focuses on meeting their needs and answering their questions. She regularly quotes rates, calculates claims and often is authorized to pay small claims to customers. Other customer service functions routinely include contacting customers for information missing from their files, claims and applications. She also may recommend sources to help resolve problems outside the scope of the insurance industry. These referrals may include agencies that rate or recommend insurance attorneys, automotive repair businesses or other firms that are consumer oriented.
If a customer presents an issue the insurance clerk cannot resolve on her own, she may enlist the assistance of her supervisor or a claims adjuster. These problems often relate to increased premium rates, denials of coverage or payments due the customer that are not forthcoming. The clerk may be required to conduct extensive research to resolve the discrepancies to the satisfaction of the customer.
The job requires no special training or formal education. A high school diploma or equivalent is normally required. Experience in the insurance industry is desirable. In lieu of industry experience, background working in an office environment that required computer skills and organizational abilities is preferred.