Stuck Waiting on an Adjuster? What Insurance Apps Let You Do Yourself

Why Waiting Isn’t Always Necessary

You know the story.  You filed a claim, you need to speak with your adjuster to get the claim started or you’re waiting for a callback from your adjuster.  Maybe you filed on a Friday night or a holiday.  All you know is, you’re anxious to get started but you have to wait for that call, and you’re basically stuck in limbo until then.  But maybe not. 

Before you get to the point where you need to file a claim, become familiar with the app (or in some cases the website) that your insurance company offers!  While these apps are useful for checking your bill and making payments, looking up the coverages you currently have and sometimes even making changes or updates to your policy, where many of these apps actually shine is when you need to move your claim forward. They are extremely helpful when you are looking for claim information (adjuster contact information or your claim number) or looking to submit information to your claim (such as photos or police reports).

What is the app and what does it do?

Insurance, like many other industries, has increased their online presence in recent years… especially in the app space.  They are built to facilitate communication and documentation. Most insurance apps are versatile and offer a variety of information that will luckily eliminate the need for you to call in in many cases.  This is very much the case for claims and in my experience, most people have no idea how much they can actually get done directly from an app without having to wait to get through to an adjuster.

What You Can Do Without Waiting

Each company has its own app version, but you can usually get such basic information as:

·        your claim number

·        your adjuster contact information

·        liability decisions (if one has been made)

·        what your next steps are

However, you’ll find your app is most useful when you are looking to set your services and get your repair process started (assuming you have coverage).

Setting an appraisal: you can usually find a list of shops in network with your insurance company where you can get an initial estimate done and you can set up your service directly. You are also able set yourself up for a photo estimate, an appraiser, or your own independent shop.  This is helpful because it can eliminate the amount of time you take to get your repair process started regardless of how you want to get your vehicle repaired.  You can easily have your repair process underway before the rest of the claim process gets started and even before you’ve spoken to an adjuster.

Setting up your rental: you can also set up your rental vehicle in your app if you have this coverage on your policy. Keep in mind any limits for your rental (time and type of vehicle) and make sure that you coordinate your repairs and rental closely so that you don’t end up with your vehicle still in repairs and your rental vehicle having run out. But if you coordinate your services well, you will be able to get your repair process going without having to wait until you speak with your adjuster.

Adding photos or documents to your claim: another really useful aspect of your app is that you can use it to update photos or documents.  These can include anything from on-scene photos of the vehicles, insurance information for the other party, police reports or even messages from witnesses to the accident.  Anything that you think can be useful for your claim or establishing your story can usually be uploaded to the app without you having to speak with your adjuster.

Communication with your adjuster: most apps also have a way for you to communicate with your adjuster.  Sometimes you are able to communicate via text, email or messaging.  For quick questions, this can be an ideal way to communicate with your adjuster and get answers to easier questions.  If it is something more complicated or time sensitive, you may be better off calling in to get help in the moment.

Claim Updates: your insurance app can also provide updates such as liability, and where in the process the claim is whether that be active repair, subrogation or arbitration.  This can help to keep you informed as to the status of the claim and whether any action is needed from you to move forward.

First Party versus Third Party and Why it Matters

When you have filed a claim under someone else’s policy, you are filing what is known as a third party claim. In these cases, you will likely not have access to the app for that company, but you will most likely have access to a claim portal.  Although it won’t offer the same level of convenience as with an app, a claim portal can also be useful.

The claim portal will also provide basic claim information such as claim number, adjuster contact information, information on services that have been set (such as repairs and rental) and will also provide a method of communication to contact your adjuster. You can also send in photos and documents such as police reports to add documentation to your claim.

Make sure you learn what tools are available to you, your claim process will run much smoother if you use all tools available to you instead of only relying on phone calls and call backs.  A I’m sure you’ve run into, many insurance companies have long wait times on the phone and getting your process moving forward.

When is it appropriate to use an app or claim portal?

There are times when using the app or portal is going to be the easier route and give you the results you want quickly and easily.  You want to focus on this option when you are looking for basic claim information, where you have questions that are not particularly time sensitive (such as timelines for repair) and when you are looking to submit information such photos of vehicle damage or a copy of a police report.  This type of information is useful and helpful for your claim process and will most certainly more the process forward, but it is not complex and doesn’t require intervention by a human being.  

When is it preferable to call your adjuster?

When the issues you are dealing with are more time sensitive, reach out to your adjuster.  This includes situations such as where your rental needs to be extended, when you have questions about the repair or if your vehicle has been declared a total loss, or where you have questions about the status of your claim and what you need to do next.  You will typically want to reserve calling your adjuster for when something has gone wrong with your claim process, where you will need additional advice and judgment or when there is a situation that you need to escalate. 

In Conclusion…

You should try to learn more about your insurance app before you actually need it, but it is never too late to learn.  It can be a very useful tool in moving your claim forward and give you more control over the process.  Instead of playing phone tag with an adjuster, you can set up your repairs and estimates, set up your rental vehicle and get your process moving along.  There will be times when using the app will just be a better choice.

© 2026 The Anonymous Adjuster. All rights reserved.
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or insurance advice.