Questions and answers
Annie St-louis told her client she was curious about the wooden box he had just mentioned. The insurance agent was arranging for supplemental insurance for a handyman who wanted to include his tools in the policy. He said he kept them in a wooden box affixed to his car roof. Since he was at her office to sign the policy and his car was just in the parking lot, he took St-louis out to show her what he was talking about. The wooden box was in fact a coffin.
A tool-filled coffin that doubles as a roof rack is one of the many items St-louis can insure. As a damage insurance agent, it’s her to job to ask questions so she can assess what her company will have to replace and ensure her clients receive the coverage they need if a disaster or accident ever strikes.
St-louis, 35, who works for Promutuel in Trois Rivières, has been working in damage insurance for 12 years. A good part of her job entails asking questions: Do you have an in-ground pool? Have you recently installed an alarm system? How many guitars do you actually have in that collection?
Much of her day is spent fielding calls from clients, where they are asking the questions. Some might ask about coverage, how to add a person onto their car insurance or who to talk to about an accident.
St-louis says the industry has changed since she began working in insurance. Whereas a policy used to take in many factors, now it often comes in a basic version with clients having to pay for all their various coverage needs “à la carte.”
With that greater choice, St-louis will continue to ask questions, and sometimes one of those questions may turn up something as odd as a wooden coffin sitting on a car roof.