Michael Sanders
La Quinta
Summary
Professional in claims management and claims handling, prepared to lead and enhance claims operations. Strong focus on team collaboration and achieving impactful results. Skilled in analyzing claims, resolving discrepancies, and conducting thorough investigations. Reliable and adaptable, consistently meeting evolving needs and challenges. Effective communicator with keen eye for process improvement and proactive approach to problem-solving.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Claims Supervisor
InShare Services, Inc.
01.2024 - Current
- Leading a commercial claims team specializing in Amazon DSP auto claims to ensure timely and accurate resolution of both first party and third party auto claims including auto physical damage and bodily injury claims from minor to complex in scope
- Assisted in InShare's transition from utilizing a third-party administrator for claims handling to a full time in-house claims handling team
- Continuing to build the in-house claims team from the ground up and building training programs to enhance staff knowledge and improve service delivery standards
- Streamlining claims review procedures, increasing operational efficiency and reducing turnaround time
- Monitoring compliance with industry regulations to mitigate risks and maintain quality assurance
- Working with Underwriting, Quality Assurance, and the Special Investigations Unit regularly to continue strong partnerships and identify continuous improvement in policy related matters and language, regulatory compliance, and claim investigations and handling
Manager, Claims Operations
USAA
07.2023 - 01.2024
- Managing a team of 10 brand new and tenured adjusters with each having a range of 150-200 first and third party auto property damage claims
- Working within the Complex Unit of the Auto Non-Injury Department handling coverage-in-question, total loss, and complex liability claims along with claims involving SIU, legal, and reservation of rights handling
- Working with a select group of other managers as part of a team to assist in quality file handling and providing weekly tips and guidance to boost overall quality for the department
- Mentoring 2 fellow managers that are new to leadership and assisting in their development as they begin building their teams
- Acting as a Guidewire subject matter expert with my background using the claims system and assisting leaders in navigating and using the claims system which is new to USAA
- Coaching and mentoring my team and sharing best practices with other leaders on quality first contact and member satisfaction surveys which has shown significant improvement going from a prior 38% quality first contact to a current 62% which is over the 60% goal and prior 58% member satisfaction survey result to a current 80% which is over the 76% goal
Claims Manager
Metromile
06.2021 - 07.2022
- Managed a team of 7 'File Owners,' each having over 100 first and third party auto property damage claims
- Ensured consistent team results including achieving the highest net promoter (NPS) scores across the Auto Physical Damage Department and the second highest quality assurance scores (QA)
- Created a Claims Manager diary system and partnered with engineers to implement it within Guidewire which allowed incoming claim activities to be spread to different review dates based on adjuster tenure/skill and afforded a significant amount of time back to Claims Managers and their day-to-day work
- Acted as temporary Senior Claims Manager from April 2022 - May 2022 for the Special Investigations Unit and oversaw 3 SIU Investigators and 1 SIU Supervisor, assisting with SIU investigations and SIU-related claims decisions while also maintaining role as Claims Manager with 7 direct reports
- Developed and implemented guidelines around working the Metromile phone queue and partnered with leaders in other lines of business to include their teams in the phone queue to assist with customer demand which positively changed the phone queue, allowed adjusters from all lines of business to have better balance in incoming vs. outgoing calls, dramatically lowered customer complaints, and created an significantly better customer experience
Manager 2, Claims Casualty
Kemper
10.2020 - 06.2021
- Managed a team of 8-10 adjusters handling non-standard auto claims with a primary focus on California as well as backing up teams handling other states across the nation when needed
- Coached and developed team members on a weekly basis by analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, tracking performance in accordance with objectives, key performance indicators, and behavior
- Partnered with senior leadership and human resources to broaden funding for the Auto Physical Damage department in order to give stronger recognition to individual contributors and teams for exceeding goals and/or going above and beyond in their work which led to a significant boost in employee morale for the Phoenix office
- Acted as a backup Claims Manager from February-March 2022 reporting to the Claims Director and assisted in coaching and developing peers and their teams, analyzing department metrics and ensuring continued team success, granting authority for payments in excess of $25,000, reviewing and approving claim denials, partial denials, and Department of Insurance (DOI) complaint responses, and leading weekly leadership meetings
Claims Team Manager II, SIU
Liberty Mutual/Safeco
07.2019 - 10.2020
- Was responsible for building two brand new desktop SIU teams in the Phoenix office as part of a national reorganization of the Special Investigations Unit which included interviewing and hiring for 14 brand new Desktop Investigator (DTI) positions and developing metrics and key performance indicators for the desktop teams
- Was tasked with overseeing the manager-led triage process and held regular one-on-ones with peers to provide coaching and feedback on identifying quality SIU referrals and improving SIU’s claim acceptance rate which strengthened SIU’s relationships and led to higher internal net promoter scores (NPS) from our line of business partners
- Developed a project known as 'SIU Triage' which ultimately opened four brand new positions across the nation (1 in each SIU region) for dedicated SIU triagers to take over the task of triaging and have a single point of contact for each region’s adjusters which lead to stronger rapport and higher quality SIU referrals from our line of business partners
- Winner of the first and third 'SIU Team Manager Coin Challenge' which was the result of nominations from SIU employees across the nation giving recognition to SIU Team Managers for embodying the Liberty Mutual Leadership Commitments in assisting others and being a positive force in the workplace
- Received the quarterly 'SIU Team Award' twice in 2017 (first and fourth quarter), once in 2019 (2nd quarter), and once in 2020 (1st quarter) combating fraudulent claims with loss mitigation in excess of $1,000,000 as a team
- Was consistently recognized for strong employee net promoter scores (eNPS) which were consistently at or above 89% month-after-month
- Managed the desktop team as well as field commercial SIU investigators after another reorganization where personal lines SIU blended-with small market commercial SIU and oversaw investigations involving commercial policies with high limits/high exposure and assisted in cross-training personal lines investigators to handle both personal and commercial claims
SIU Claims Team Manager
Liberty Mutual/Safeco
08.2016 - 07.2019
- Was responsible for building two brand new desktop SIU teams in the Phoenix office as part of a national reorganization of the Special Investigations Unit which included interviewing and hiring for 14 brand new Desktop Investigator (DTI) positions and developing metrics and key performance indicators for the desktop teams
- Was tasked with overseeing the manager-led triage process and held regular one-on-ones with peers to provide coaching and feedback on identifying quality SIU referrals and improving SIU’s claim acceptance rate which strengthened SIU’s relationships and led to higher internal net promoter scores (NPS) from our line of business partners
- Developed a project known as 'SIU Triage' which ultimately opened four brand new positions across the nation (1 in each SIU region) for dedicated SIU triagers to take over the task of triaging and have a single point of contact for each region’s adjusters which lead to stronger rapport and higher quality SIU referrals from our line of business partners
- Winner of the first and third 'SIU Team Manager Coin Challenge' which was the result of nominations from SIU employees across the nation giving recognition to SIU Team Managers for embodying the Liberty Mutual Leadership Commitments in assisting others and being a positive force in the workplace
- Received the quarterly 'SIU Team Award' twice in 2017 (first and fourth quarter), once in 2019 (2nd quarter), and once in 2020 (1st quarter) combating fraudulent claims with loss mitigation in excess of $1,000,000 as a team
- Was consistently recognized for strong employee net promoter scores (eNPS) which were consistently at or above 89% month-after-month
- Managed the desktop team as well as field commercial SIU investigators after another reorganization where personal lines SIU blended-with small market commercial SIU and oversaw investigations involving commercial policies with high limits/high exposure and assisted in cross-training personal lines investigators to handle both personal and commercial claims
SIU Investigator II
Liberty Mutual/Safeco
09.2014 - 08.2016
- Conducted field investigations on both Liberty Mutual and Safeco claims that were questionable and required special handling to gather additional information and facts
- Responsible for investigations on personal lines auto and homeowner claims, including, but not limited to, vehicle and property theft, fire, water, liability bodily injury, uninsured motorist bodily injury, and medical payments coverages
- Maintained a caseload ranging from 40-50 field investigations in a vast territory including Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties
- Received awards for SIU Rookie of the Quarter (1st quarter 2015) and SIU Investigator of the Quarter (3rd quarter 2015)
- Acted as SIU Ambassador to Liberty Mutual’s Phoenix office as well as Safeco’s Aliso Viejo office and regularly held meetings with adjusters and leaders from different lines of business to discuss ongoing trends, training on SIU referrals and identifying potential fraud, and recognizing adjusters for their partnership with SIU
- Exceeded performance metrics including cycle time and quality assurance while maintaining a full pending of investigations as well as a full pending of a peer who was on indefinite leave of absence
Claims Specialist II
Liberty Mutual
12.2013 - 09.2014
- Managed a caseload ranging between 150 and 200 bodily injury exposures for both first and third party claims with loss reserves up to $100,000 per exposure
- Reviewed medical records, demand packages, and other evidence such as photos and negotiated with both represented and unrepresented claimants for injuries claimed on auto and homeowner policies
- Determined liability on third party injury claims which was applicable to both the injury and auto physical damage portion of the claim
- Ensured reserves were set in a timely manner and were adequate for the claim and updated if necessary as claims progressed and mentored peers on keeping current with reserves in order to protect the company and elevate team quality assurance metrics
Senior Customer Claims Representative
Liberty Mutual
03.2013 - 12.2013
- Member of the Property Damage Liability Team (PDL) working with third party claimants to take first notices of loss (FNOL), providing customers with guidance and next steps in the claims process, and working assigned claims to resolution
- Determined liability on caseload ensuring comparative negligence was properly applied when necessary and negotiating auto physical damage claims with claimants directly
- Completed the Pathways to Leadership Program and assisted with management tasks such as interviewing, coaching, and new-hire onboarding
Education
Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice
Arizona State University
Phoenix, AZ05.2011
Skills
- Technical Skills: Proficient in Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Google products, Guidewire, Tableau, JIRA
Certification
State of Florida non-resident all lines adjuster (W137564)
Timeline
Claims Supervisor
InShare Services, Inc.
01.2024 - Current
Manager, Claims Operations
USAA
07.2023 - 01.2024
Claims Manager
Metromile
06.2021 - 07.2022
Manager 2, Claims Casualty
Kemper
10.2020 - 06.2021
Claims Team Manager II, SIU
Liberty Mutual/Safeco
07.2019 - 10.2020
SIU Claims Team Manager
Liberty Mutual/Safeco
08.2016 - 07.2019
SIU Investigator II
Liberty Mutual/Safeco
09.2014 - 08.2016
Claims Specialist II
Liberty Mutual
12.2013 - 09.2014
Senior Customer Claims Representative
Liberty Mutual
03.2013 - 12.2013
Bachelor of Science - Criminal Justice
Arizona State University
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