Erin Pfeiffer, Director of Claims at The Baldwin Group Construction Practice, combines deep industry knowledge with a people-first approach to client advocacy. Growing up around her father’s insurance career, she entered the field in college and began as a workers’ compensation adjuster. After transitioning to the brokerage side in 2000, she has managed claims across various industries, including banking and construction. Since joining The Baldwin Group Construction Practice in 2014, she has helped develop effective construction claims strategies, enhance best practices and implemented training and development for her expanded claims team. For her, the work is as much about people and partnerships as it is about creating efficient processes and helping clients face challenges with confidence.
Through this article, Pfeiffer emphasizes the importance of balancing efficiency with advocacy, utilizing technology and data to inform decisions, addressing legal abuse while supporting legitimate claimants and prioritizing human judgment, empathy and strong relationships to achieve fair, compliant and trusted claims outcomes.
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AT A GLANCE
✓ Precision in Claims – Managing each case individually while tracking organizational trends to help ensure fair outcomes and actionable insights.
✓ Protecting Local Businesses – Coordinated defense efforts in support of verified injured claimants, along with expertise to help prevent extreme verdicts.
✓ Smarter Decisions with AI – Technology highlights patterns and risks, with human judgment guiding complex, multi-party cases.
✓ Empowering Through Leadership – Trust, mentorship and collaboration help drive solutions, efficiency, team growth and client confidence.
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Balancing Efficiency and Client Advocacy: Achieving Operational Excellence in Claims Management
One of my earliest priorities at The Baldwin Group Construction Practice was to build a claims management system that worked in two dimensions. On the surface, claims can appear transactional, but I learned that how they are handled shapes both outcomes and relationships. Each case is more than clerical paperwork. It is an opportunity to advocate for clients, guide medical care and return-to-work planning and pursue resolutions that balance fairness with compliance while controlling costs.
Over time, I realized that the real value lies in evaluating and connecting these individual decisions to a larger picture. By tracking frequency, cost patterns and recurring issues across providers, locations and teams, the system transformed data into actionable insights. Trends revealed hidden risks and opportunities for prevention that would otherwise remain obscured in day-to-day claims work.
This dual perspective, combining detail with pattern, individual fairness with organizational foresight, has shaped my belief that claims management is not only about resolution but about persistence and resilience. When clients see that we can both support a single worker and strengthen the entire enterprise, trust typically follows. That trust builds the foundation for lasting partnerships and for a future where risk is not only managed but anticipated.
Extreme Verdicts in Claims Management: Addressing Legal Abuse and Fraud
One issue I frequently revisit is the growing trend of nuclear or reptile verdicts in the claims world. These extreme jury awards fuel debate about whether the system is being misused and they reveal the widening gap between plaintiffs and defendants. I have seen how well-organized the plaintiffs’ bar can be and it leads me to conclude that greater coordination across insurance companies and defense teams is not only desirable but also essential.
Throughout all of this, I remain steadfast in my conviction that insurance exists to protect individuals who are genuinely injured or displaced. When the process works, it helps make people whole and restore the lives of those affected, while providing a measure of stability in times of disruption. That mission can sometimes be lost in the noise of sensational verdicts, but it remains at the heart of why our work matters.
Over the years, I have learned that claims work can often feel thankless. However, it is quite the opposite and very rewarding. When we approach claims management with patience and collaboration, we not only resolve disputes but also strengthen relationships across every level of the process.
What I believe deserves more attention is that runaway awards often do not fall on faceless corporations. They land on the construction firms building the roads we drive on, the small businesses employing our neighbors and the companies that anchor our communities. When those firms face outsized penalties, everyone around them feels the impact.
The path forward, as I see it, is about balance. We must strive to defend against abuse, protect the integrity of the system and strengthen collaboration across the industry, all while keeping our commitment to those with legitimate claims. If we can achieve that balance, we will not only better safeguard businesses but also preserve the very purpose of insurance: providing trust, security and a safety net in moments when people need it most.
Trends in Claims Management: Using AI to Tackle Complex Cases and Conflicts
I see the rise of AI in claims management as one of the most promising developments in our field. With vast amounts of industry data, AI can reveal patterns, anticipate outcomes and flag potential risks before they turn into costly disputes. The potential for predictive insight is real and it is reshaping our understanding of efficiency and prevention.
Technology, however, cannot alone resolve the complexities of claims. Many cases involve layers of responsibility spread across subcontractors, general contractors, insurers and employers, each with its own obligations and perspectives. These situations often bring competing interests to the surface, whether around coverage, compensation or the best path forward for an injured worker.
What I have learned is that these moments require more than a reliance on algorithms. They call for judgment, empathy and trust. Injured workers face stress and uncertainty that no model can adequately capture. Employers and insurance companies must navigate disputes while upholding fairness and impartiality. It is in these human interactions that the real work of claims management takes place.
Timeless Wisdom: Building Relationships and Driving Outcomes
I have always believed that you get more flies with honey than vinegar. In claims, where tensions can run high, lasting progress depends on respect, empathy and diplomacy. Although a forceful response might yield a temporary victory, it seldom fosters trust or lays the foundation for meaningful resolution.. By listening carefully and acknowledging the efforts of others, we create the conditions for lasting outcomes.
Over the years, I have learned that claims work can often feel thankless. However, it is quite the opposite and very rewarding. When we approach claims management with patience and collaboration, we not only resolve disputes but also strengthen relationships across every level of the process. Understanding perspectives, whether from clients, colleagues or claimants, brings clarity and helps turn difficult conversations into shared solutions.
These principles guide my leadership at The Baldwin Group Construction Practice. I place trust in my team’s judgment, serve as a resource when challenges arise and spotlight their skills in front of clients and colleagues alike. My role is to lift them, help them navigate complexity and ensure they have both the confidence and the support to deliver their best work.
I believe that leadership in claims is not about directing from above. It is about empowering from within. When teams feel valued and supported, their collective strength and energy extend to clients and communities, contributing to the overall integrity of the system. That is where strong client relationships are forged and lasting outcomes are achieved.
The Baldwin Group’s Construction Practice team leverages its specialized expertise and experience in the construction industry to help construction owners, developers, general contractors, engineers and subcontractors manage all their needs. Whether it's insurance, surety, subcontractor default insurance, or our well-respected wrap-up, claims and loss prevention services, our construction team helps manage a multitude of ever-evolving risks they face.
