Morgan has over 20 years high level experience within major insurance companies and brokers, dealing with complex and large loss personal injury claims as well as credit hire and fraud. Last year she became an Associate of SX3 Claims Consultants. In this article Morgan talks about her experience of taking up the life of an independent consultant.
Making the decision to work with SX3
In March 2022, aged 44, I decided to quit the security of my full-time job working for a broker. I made this decision not having another job to go to after I worked my notice. I knew I still needed an income, but I also needed to get away from the mundane 9-5, five days a week. More flexibility was a must, precious time with my partner and dog Stanley is more important than anything else to me. I needed to find that right balance.
Whilst looking online, I came across SX3 Claims Consultants, and was intrigued by the website. I soon had a conversation with Adrian Gilbert, MD of SX3, who was very informative of what SX3 could offer me. I explained to Adrian what I was looking for and why. Adrian listened intently and then explained the whole process to me, and how SX3 worked. I was free to accept or decline work, put myself forward for many jobs, or not at all. There was so much flexibility surrounding freelance work.
Making friends – Claims is a people business
Within a few weeks, I got a call asking if I was available to do an audit onsite, up north. The team of Associates I would be working with was explained to me and upon meeting them, our personalities clicked. I mention this because SX3 are very good at matching up Associates on jobs, or missions, as I like to call them! A lot of consideration goes into this. I enjoyed regular audits and met the same Associates time after time. A bond was forming between us, friendships, to which I can say these people will be lifelong friends. As well as onsite audits, there are also lots of remote audits.
Apart from meeting Associates, I also get to meet the people who I am conducting the audits for, SX3 clients – Claims Directors, MD’s, COO’s, Claims Managers etc. Again, making beneficial relationships, having conversations with them in and out of the office.
Using Expertise to add Value for the Client
The audits I conduct are claims reviews and fraud audits, both of which are equally challenging. I need to be on my A game when completing these. If a trend is spotted within the audit, what is that trend? How can this be avoided in future? If so, once identified, this will be fed back to the client. Daily debriefs occur whereby feedback is given to the client and an open discussion occurs around the day’s findings. Challenges occur from the client at every instance. I need to know I have an explainable rationale and be confident in my responses if I do not agree with their challenge. Whilst these sessions can be difficult and demanding, they are there for a reason.
Continuing to make My Own Decisions
All I can say to anyone thinking about making the leap into Consulting / Auditing is that life as a Consultant is good, very good, much better than I envisaged. I am the decision maker, I decide when to take time off, when to go on my holidays and for what length of time. Obviously, I am going off my own experience, but no regrets here. If you must have independent confirmation, you just have to Stanley!
