Understanding Representing Party
Carrier Appraiser vs Insured Appraiser and how it affects your workflow.
Representing Party is the single most important field on an appraisal. It controls whether AwardLettr treats you as the carrier appraiser or the insured appraiser, which decides who the opposing party is, who gets booking invitations, who reviews awards, and which signature block holds your name on every document.
If you only ever work one side of disputes, set a default and you almost never have to think about it. If you work both sides, you set it case by case and AwardLettr asks you up front so it does not guess wrong.
Read this if you have ever wondered why your name shows up on the wrong line of an award letter or why an email went to the wrong appraiser. Almost always, the answer is this field.
On each appraisal, you specify which party you represent. This determines who the "opposing appraiser" is and affects how certain fields auto-fill.
The Two Roles
| Role | You Are Hired By | Opposing Appraiser Is |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier Appraiser | The insurance company | The insured appraiser |
| Insured Appraiser | The policyholder | The carrier appraiser |
How It Affects Your Workflow
- Your contact info auto-fills into the appropriate appraiser fields
- Booking invitations are sent to the correct opposing appraiser
- Award review requests go to the right party
- Document templates populate the correct signature blocks
Setting a Default
If you typically work for one side, you can set a default in your profile settings:
- Always Carrier - Pre-selects carrier appraiser on new appraisals
- Always Insured - Pre-selects insured appraiser on new appraisals
- Always Ask - Prompts you each time (useful if you work both sides)
Changing Mid-Case