It was a profitable summer job, and the fact that it let you to a permanent career makes it an even bigger win.
You have now decided to open your own window company and to be the first of many, you hope, window installers that will be on your staff, but this idea came to you the summer you spend as a college age claims adjuster for a local insurance company.
That temporary claims adjuster position helped you learn the basics of the window industry, how to offer the best customer service, how to accurately predict replacement costs, and, perhaps more importantly, work on your own. Window installers are trained in many of the measuring and assessment skills that claim adjusters have, and the fact that they get to focus on just one aspect of home repair and construction while claims adjusters need to understand many more means that it is easier to more quickly become an expert.
Consider some of these tasks that are similar between a claims adjuster who is doing a whole house evaluation and the tasks that are needed to be a window installer:

• Given that the average window replacement cost falls somewhere between $300 and $700 a window, an installation expert and insurance adjuster both need to understand the financing of costly home projects.
• Reparing or replacing windows is ultimately an investment in a property, much like making sure that you have the right kind of home owner’s insurance policy in place.
• Exact pricing details are always important in the window installation industry, just as they are for a claims adjuster. A single chip to a front glass door or a whole house window replacement project both require knowledge of product pricing, as well as the window installers service fees.
• A window installer, like a claims adjuster, must be a mind reader, a therapist, a hypnotist, an athlete, and a psychologist. With the use of the right kind of equipment, for example, the replacement of residential windows can involve finding a way to safely get to heights of various sized windows in challenging locations throughout a home. Window installers have to be able to treat a home improvement with the kindness of a care provider as a home owner deals with the implications of costly repairs.
• The ability to arrive at an estimate for replacement that satisfies the insurance adjuster, the claims manager, the home owner, and the construction manager can also help a window installer insure that everyone involved has a positive experience.






• Sympathy, compassion, and understanding of the home owner’s traumatic situation, in the event that a home has been damaged by an unexpected storm. For many home owners, in fact, selecting replacement windows represents the tangible evidence that their lives have been completely disrupted. In the event of a fire, for instance, the easy to replace window may carry all of the emotions of a bedroom of childhood memories that have been destroyed.
• Environmental concerns must also be the task of both window installers and claims adjusters. If there is one bright side to having to replace a window because of storm damage, for example, it is that newer models are often more energy efficient. Given that the Department of Energy reports 45% of the average energy bill goes toward heating, replacing a window with a more energy efficient option can help chip away at those energy costs.
• Realizing that customer relations should be a priority is an essential skill of both insurance adjusters and window installers helps guarantee that you will get the repeat business that you want.
• Very few careers intersect as often as a home repair professional, like a window installer, and an insurance adjuster. Both require much patience, knowledge, kindness, and construction experience.
• Insurance policies often cover the costs of many window replacement projects, so it is important to understand insurance policies and the complexities of working with various providers.
• Construction knowledge is obviously important to both claims adjusting and window installing. Given that the National Association of Realtors reports that replacing windows can get back 80% of an investment, the necessary construction
• Electricity and engineering can also play an important role in the replacement of windows in some parts of the house.