Contractor Referral Claim Workflow
How contractor-referred homeowner work differs from assignment-driven work, and a workflow for converting a referral into a file that can actually be worked.
A referral is not an assignment
Carrier work arrives authorized. Contractor referrals arrive as a conversation — a roofer met a homeowner, the homeowner has damage, and someone thinks you should look at it. There is no claim number, often no claim, and no engagement.
The workflow question is therefore different: not how do I work this file, but does this become a file at all, and on what terms?
Stage 1 — Referral received
- Record who referred it and when
- Homeowner name, property address, and direct contact details
- What the contractor observed, and when
- Whether a claim has been filed, and if so the claim number and carrier
- Whether the homeowner has spoken to their carrier at all
Stage 2 — Qualification
Qualify before you invest. Most of what makes a referral unworkable is knowable in one phone call.
- Is there a policy in force covering the date of loss?
- Is the reported cause plausibly a covered peril?
- Has the reported date of loss already passed a policy deadline?
- Has the carrier already inspected or issued a position?
- Is the homeowner the policyholder, and are they the decision-maker?
- Is the work within your licensing in that jurisdiction?
Stage 3 — Engagement
Homeowners referred by contractors frequently do not understand who each party is or who works for whom. Be explicit, in writing, before doing substantive work.
- State your role and who you represent
- State what you will and will not do
- State the fee basis
- Disclose the referral relationship, and comply with whatever your jurisdiction requires of it
- Obtain written authorization before contacting the carrier on their behalf, where that applies
Stage 4 — Conversion to a file
At the point of engagement the referral becomes a claim file and should be treated like one. Everything captured during qualification carries forward rather than being re-entered.
- Open the file with the referral history attached
- Set the workflow appropriate to homeowner-direct work, not carrier work
- Collect policy documents
- Schedule the inspection
- Create the opening tasks and set an owner
Stage 5 — Working the file
- Document to the same standard as an assignment file — referred work is not lesser work
- Keep the homeowner informed on a set cadence; they have no other visibility
- Keep the referring contractor informed only to the extent the homeowner has authorized
- Track the file to closeout and invoice like any other
Tracking the channel
Contractor referrals are a business channel, not just a source of files. Track referrals received, referrals qualified, referrals converted, and outcome by referring contractor — it tells you which relationships are worth maintaining.