To say that Ashley Misurka, an assistant branch manager and senior adjuster with ClaimsPro, is a driven individual is an understatement. A recipient of
Insurance Business Canada’s Young Guns 2016 award, an active member of her community, a blood donor, a running enthusiast, and just recently a new mother – Ashley is all of these things, and more.
In this exclusive interview, we find out more about Ashley and how she became the insurance professional she is today.
Tell us about your background as a former dental hygienist – in what way has your previous experience helped with your current line of work?
My background as a formal dental hygienist has helped me with time management and customer service skills.
What inspired you to shift from a career in dental hygiene to insurance? Is there some overlap between the two career paths?
I was fortunate enough to start working for Upper Canada Adjusters, an independent adjusting firm when I first graduated from dental hygiene. When I first started with Upper Canada Adjusters I had no idea what an independent adjuster was. After receiving, as I see, the best training from John Valeriote and Greg Madill during my first year I realized being an adjuster was what I was supposed to be doing for my career. The challenges I deal with on a daily basis and not knowing what I would encounter each day keeps it interesting. I learn something new from the people I interact with daily from examiners, brokers to contractors and the policyholder. I feel a sense of accomplishment and find it rewarding helping people restore their lives.
The overlap between the two career paths is customer service, time management and attention to detail.
What current trends in your line of work deserve more attention from the industry?
In my line of work, the integration of technology into the day-to-day functions of adjusters has become key to providing the appropriate level of service to our clients. I believe this should be a focus of the claims community as utilization of new technologies will allow for faster claim service, greater opportunity to identify fraud, and better information gathering techniques to fulfil the good-faith commitment insurers provide to their policyholders.
What accomplishments have you recently achieved?
Recently I handled an eight million-dollar large commercial water damage claim and was able to help the owners restore their business, which I found very rewarding. I have also begun managing a national account for a large Canadian company, which has allowed me to be exposed to different issues in different provinces and get better insight into how business operates across the country. However, my most recent achievement was giving birth to my son Bradley in December, which is, of course, immeasurably rewarding.
In your opinion, what does it take for young individuals to succeed in the insurance industry?
Certainly hard work and focus are key ingredients for young individuals to succeed. Insurance touches upon almost every facet of society and no matter what your interest, you will likely be able to find something within the insurance industry, which you would enjoy and find rewarding. With all the distractions in our modern world, including social media, young people must learn to focus on the task at hand in order to achieve a positive outcome for their work.
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