If you write personal lines, it's likely that you're interested in upscale accounts. But what extra value can you provide that makes the upscale account more interested in you than the competition? One answer: expert jewelry information on your Web site.
Expensive jewelry is finding its way into more and more households. That means more people who know little about jewelry are buying it and some are making unfortunate choices. JCRS, an expert in jewelry underwriting and claim mitigation, has created a consumer site, available April 2001, that provides a wealth of jewelry background, reference information, and illustrations. JCRS can make it possible for your Web site visitors to have access to this expert jewelry library. And, for now at least, the service is free.
JCRS has been around since the late 80s when Dave Hendry, its founder, realized that some sort of standard classification system for jewelry could improve both the underwriting and the claims mitigation processes. JCRS developed the system, published it, and then created the JCRS Claims Mitigation on-line service. That service made it possible for adjusters to establish a blind competitive bidding operation with jewelers, thus reducing the cost, while improving the quality, of jewelry claims mitigation.
In the early 90s, JCRS developed a standardized jewelry insurance appraisal form. Later in the 90s, JCRS created what became the ACORD 78 and 79 Jewelry Insurance Appraisal form standards and later the ACORD 18 Jewelry Appraisal and Claim Evaluation form. More recently JCRS authored the ACORD 154 Jeweler's Inventory Record-Keeping Card. And in the last year or so, JCRS has worked to create an inland marine XML standard. JCRS has been a keen industry participant and supporter of ACORD standards for more than a dozen years.
Ultimately JCRS sees its role as a facilitator in the underwriting and claims mitigation process. But it firmly believes that process will be more successful to the extent the insured has accurate knowledge about their jewelry. Without in-formed and successful purchases, insureds can find themselves with the wrong coverage and ultimately with unsatisfying claim mitigation experiences. Informed jewelry buyers with accurate appraisals are good for everyone, including the agent and company. Unfortunately, according to JCRS, its six month study showed that "most appraisals were woefully inadequate."
The JCRS consumer information site contains general information about gemstones and diamonds, colored gemstones, precious metals, jewelry workmanship and appraisal, questions your jeweler never told you to ask, comparison shopping aids, and a glossary of jewelry terms. Though I can't vouch for the content, jewelry experts have. The information is clear, illustrated with images, and links in the text provide clarification and another level of detail where required.
Having reviewed the site and its content, it's obvious it would be foolhardy to buy jewelry without being well-informed and this is the site to use to become so. Dave Hendry pointed out to me recently that jewelry scams are a "dime-a-dozen." The television investigative magazine format programs regularly feature bilked jewelry consumers. If you want to play the role of trusted advisor to your customers, and if they sometimes buy expensive jewelry, you could do them a favor by providing access to the JCRS consumer information library from your Web site.
For more information, visit www.jcrs.com.
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