How to Assess Soft Skills in Claims Teams - A Practical Hiring Guide

Claims teams sit in the most human part of the insurance value chain. It is about high-stakes conversations, judgment under pressure, and explaining difficult decisions to someone who may already be stressed, confused, or angry.

And right now, automation is handling predictable work. Then what is left for humans? The complex, emotional, gray-area cases.

That’s why soft skills are now more important than ever in claims teams. If you are building or scaling claims teams, the real question is whether you are assessing the core soft skills properly.

Why Soft Skills Matter Now?

The talent crunch in the insurance industry is intensifying. Around 75% of insurers globally struggle to find skilled talent.¹ That indicates a structural gap.

At the same time, the nature of work inside claims teams is shifting. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 ranks analytical thinking, resilience, and leadership among the top core skills globally.² These are not purely technical abilities but deeply human capabilities.

Put those two realities together, and the message becomes obvious.

Technical skills are not sufficient any longer. In situations where qualified talent is in short supply, and the field of claims is getting more complex, managed hiring managers cannot afford to base their decisions solely on qualification or certification. They must go deeper - into judgment, flexibility, emotional control, and communication abilities.

The Core Soft Skills Hiring Managers Should Prioritize

Communication Skills - The Core of Claims Performance

In claims, communication is not just about fluency, but about:

• Translating policy language into plain English
• Managing tone in tense situations
• Writing documentation that holds up under scrutiny
• Listening actively before responding

Recruiters consistently emphasize clear, empathetic verbal and written communication as foundational in claims roles

How to Assess Communication Skills?

1. Structured Behavioral Interviews: Use competency-based questions such as “Tell me about a time you had to explain a claim denial. What was the reaction? What did you do?” Structured interviews nearly double predictive validity compared to unstructured ones
2. Written Case Exercises: Provide a mock claim outcome and ask candidates to draft a client email. Clarity, tone, and structure reveal more than a polished resume ever will.
3. Live Role-Plays: Simulate an upset claimant call. Observe tone control, listening behavior, and emotional pacing.

Critical Thinking and Analytical Judgment

As AI handles routine validation, claims professionals are increasingly responsible for complex decision-making. Strong analytical judgment is now a differentiator. Claims professionals must:

• Evaluate inconsistencies
• Identify potential fraud
• Balance fairness with compliance
• Make defensible decisions under ambiguity

How to Assess Critical Thinking

1. Work Sample Tests: Provide a partially incomplete claim file. Ask the candidate to outline the next steps and justify the decisions. You will quickly see who jumps to conclusions and who pauses to evaluate.
2. Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs): Scenario-based assessments measure real-world decision-making and behavioral tendencies. They offer predictive insight into how someone might actually behave, not just what they say they would do.

Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Claims work requires balancing objectivity with compassion.

Industry data shows hires screened for high emotional intelligence demonstrated 10% higher retention and 5% higher revenue performance.¹ That’s measurable ROI from human capability.

How to Assess Emotional Intelligence

1. Behavioral Probing: Ask: “Describe a time when you had to remain calm in a highly emotional conversation.” Look for structured thinking, not vague generalities.
2. Psychometric Assessments: Validated personality and EQ assessments can indicate stress tolerance, empathy, and conscientiousness.
3. Panel Interviews: Panel interviews reduce bias and increase reliability. Multiple observers often catch subtle behavioral cues that one interviewer might miss.

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Claims often involve disputed settlements, delayed documentation, and emotional disagreement. Negotiation and conflict resolution are increasingly in demand.

Strong negotiators protect both customer relationships and financial outcomes.

How to Assess Negotiation Ability

• Simulate a settlement disagreement.
• Observe whether the candidate escalates tension or de-escalates it.
• Evaluate whether they explore solutions collaboratively or rigidly defend positions.

Adaptability and Learning Agility

There is a rapid transformation in insurance with the use of digital products, AI implementation, and remote work setups. That is why the ability to be resilient and flexible is among the best skills worldwide. Moreover, three out of four Gen Z workforce considers soft skills to be the key to their success.³

Claims teams require individuals with the ability to acquire new platforms fast, adapt to changes in regulations, and respond to changing priorities.

How to Assess Adaptability

• Ask about a time they had to master a new system rapidly.
• Introduce small interview curveballs to observe composure.
• Probe for examples of navigating organizational change.

Strong Resilience to Work Under Pressure

High caseloads, emotional clients, and tight timelines – all these factors make resilience a core competency in modern claims teams. Without it, burnout rises and attrition follows.

How to Assess Resilience

• Ask how candidates prioritize during workload spikes.
• Listen for structured coping mechanisms, not vague reassurance.
• Consider personality instruments measuring emotional stability.

How to Create a Structured Assessment to Assess Soft Skills?

Here’s where many hiring teams fall short. They recognize the importance of communication skills and empathy. But they rely on conversational interviews.

Structured interviews, combined with assessments, offer significantly stronger predictive power. A good hiring design should include:

• Predefined competencies
• Standardized questions
• Behavioral scoring rubrics
• Work samples or SJTs
• Panel evaluation

When structure is applied consistently, hiring becomes data-driven rather than instinct-driven.

A Practical Hiring Framework for Claims Teams

If you want something actionable, here’s a streamlined model:

• Step 1: Define 4–5 core behavioral competencies.
• Step 2: Design structured questions for each role. Ensure every candidate for the same role is assessed based on the same parameters. Use technology, like an AI recruitment software like Talentpool that allows you to define role-specific parameters and custom weightages to ensure objectivity and consistency in candidate screening.
• Step 3: Add one objective assessment like a work sample, SJT, or psychometric test.
• Step 4: Many hiring managers have not formally trained in behavioral interviewing. Investing here strengthens decision quality significantly.
• Step 5: Track post-hire outcomes by measuring retention, performance ratings, and customer satisfaction against hiring assessment scores.

The Strategic Impact of Getting Soft Skill Assessment Right

Claims professionals are brand protectors. One poorly handled claim damages trust. One well-handled interaction builds long-term loyalty.

In a market where 75% of insurers struggle to find skilled hires, organizations that assess and prioritize soft skills systematically gain a serious competitive edge. Because while systems can process data, only people can build trust. And trust is the real currency in claims.

Reference

1. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/talent-crisis-insurance-addressing-high-attrition-skill-singh-2ayyf
2. https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/in-full/3-skills-outlook/
3. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/financial-services/soft-skills-claims-management-shortage.html