Write one plain page that walks through a claim in order, defines the deductible and direct billing, says what the customer pays and when, and what your business handles with the insurer.

The call after the damage

Someone whose basement has flooded, whose car has been hit or whose crown has cracked phones a business they have never used, already worried about money.

Their first questions are rarely about the work. They want to know who pays, how much, when, and whether they have to deal with the insurer themselves.

Whoever answers has heard these questions for years and answers them well. But the caller hears the answers once, under stress, and forgets half.

A page on the website can say it all calmly and in order, before the call and after it.

What callers ask first

The third is the one behind the worry in the caller's voice. Answer it plainly and the conversation can turn to the work.

Three terms in plain words

A claim is the request to the insurer to pay for the damage. The customer usually opens it and gets a claim number, and often an adjuster, who assesses the damage and agrees the cost.

The deductible is the share of each claim the customer pays themselves, set in their policy. On most repair claims it is paid to the business doing the work, and the insurer pays the rest.

Direct billing means the business sends its bill to the insurer, so the customer does not pay the whole amount and wait to be reimbursed.

Define each in your own words with a round example: on a $4,000 repair with a $500 deductible, the customer pays $500 and the insurer pays $3,500.

The claim, step by step

Describe the sequence as customers live it. For a home repair: the call to the insurer, emergency work to stop further damage, the adjuster's visit, your estimate, approval, the repair, and the paperwork at the end.

Say who does each step. Customers relax when they see which parts are theirs, usually the first call and a signature or two, and which parts you handle.

Say roughly how long each stage takes in your experience, and what usually holds things up: the adjuster's schedule, approval of extra work, materials on order.

What the customer pays, and when

List everything the customer may pay: the deductible, any upgrade they choose beyond what the policy covers, and any work the insurer declines.

Say when each is due and how it can be paid. Many businesses collect the deductible on completion, before the keys or the car are handed back.

Upgrades need a line of their own. Insurers generally pay to replace like with like, so a customer who wants a better material pays the difference.

What the business handles

This is where the page earns its place, because most customers have no idea how much the business does for them.

That includes photographs of the damage, the estimate in the form the insurer wants, calls with the adjuster, approval requests when hidden damage appears, and the billing.

Say what you need from them to start: the claim number, the adjuster's name and number, and their permission to deal with the insurer on their behalf.

And say what you cannot do. Only the insurer decides what the policy covers, and questions about premiums belong with the insurer or broker.

A worked example

A heritage home restorer with a crew of five specialises in lath-and-plaster walls, mouldings and fir trim in Craftsman houses. Much of its winter work arrives through insurance claims after burst pipes and kitchen fires.

Its website described the craft well and said nothing about insurance, so the office manager spent hours each week explaining deductibles, adjusters and who pays for original-style mouldings.

The question that worried owners most was whether the insurer would pay to restore plaster and old-growth fir, or insist on drywall and new pine.

The new page walks through a claim from the first call to the final invoice and defines each term with a worked figure.

It also explains like for like in heritage terms: the restorer documents original materials with photographs and measurements before anything is removed, so the adjuster can see what is being replaced.

The manager now emails the link after every first call, and site visits start with the house rather than the paperwork.

The same page in other trades

An auto body shop's page needs the same bones with different details: opening a vehicle claim, whether work can start before approval, when the deductible is paid, and courtesy cars.

A dental office's version explains what direct billing covers, that plans differ, that the patient pays any portion the plan does not, and how a predetermination, an estimate sent to the plan before larger treatment, works.

The structure is identical each time: the steps, the terms, what the customer pays, what the business handles.

What the page should not promise

Never suggest the business can make a deductible disappear. Adjusting an invoice so the insurer pays the customer's share is insurance fraud, and a page hinting at it attracts the wrong customers.

Do not guess at coverage or at what a claim will do to premiums. Say plainly that those answers come from the insurer, and list the questions worth asking them.

And keep timelines honest. A page promising approval within two days will be quoted back the week an adjuster is away.

The counter-case

A business that rarely does insurance work can cover it in a short section of its FAQ rather than a full page.

Insurers and plans differ, and procedures change, so the page should describe the usual case and say that details vary.

And the page does not replace the conversation. A worried customer still wants a person; the page means that person can talk about the work instead of the paperwork.

For any business that hears these questions every week, one plain page on the process, the payments and the paperwork is worth writing.

The order to write it in

  1. List the questions callers ask every week.
  2. Define claim, deductible and direct billing plainly.
  3. Describe the steps in the order customers live them.
  4. Say what the customer pays and when.
  5. List what your business handles with the insurer.
  6. Say what you need from them to start.
  7. Email the link after every first call.

Step four is the one that calms the call. Once customers know what they will pay and when, the rest of the process is something to follow rather than fear.

A page that settles one recurring question for everyone works like a page that answers donation requests.

Frequently asked questions

Why explain insurance on a contractor's website?

Because callers worry about money before work. A plain page on claims, deductibles and direct billing answers their first questions calmly, and they can reread it after the call.

How should the deductible be explained?

As the share of each claim the customer pays, set by their policy, with a round example such as a $500 deductible on a $4,000 repair, and when it is due.

What does direct billing mean for the customer?

The business sends its bill to the insurer or plan, so the customer pays only their own share instead of the whole amount up front.

Who pays for upgrades during an insurance repair?

Generally the customer. Insurers usually pay to replace like with like, so a customer who chooses a better material pays the difference. Say so on the page.

Should the page discuss coverage or premiums?

No. Only the insurer decides what a policy covers and how a claim affects premiums. Say so plainly, and suggest questions worth asking the insurer or broker.

Does this work for dental offices too?

Yes. The structure is the same: the steps, the terms, what the patient pays and what the office handles, including predeterminations sent before larger treatment.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

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