Jessica Heinrichs is officially the new Operations Manager! She joined the JT Bates Group team in March of 2021. Beginning as a member of the StraightDocs™ compliance services team, she was able to learn the foundations of equipment insurance. Even though she was new to both the insurance and equipment industry, she was not new to high levels of leadership and responsibility.
Prior to joining JT Bates Group, Jessica worked as a 911 dispatcher in California for over a decade. Combined with her Psychology degree from Fresno State, she is equipped and passionate about leading people to accomplish goals. Her work as a federal and state servant has been highly recognized and now we get the privilege of seeing her care for people first hand.
Recently she accepted the new role of Operations Manager for our StraightDocs™ Compliance Services team. Consisting of eleven administrators and two leads, the team is a force that knows how to get things done. Additionally, she also oversees our Rental Shield™ compliance and operations team. While Jessica still desires to learn more about our company, she loves the people she works with and is passionate about helping everyone succeed.
When asked, “What’s something you’ve learned from your time as a StraightDocs™ administrator that equipment dealers might want to know?”
She said, “I was somewhat surprised by how much work needs to be done to make sure that certificates of insurance (COIs) were in full compliance. For instance, I would say that 80% of all COIs that insurance agents submit to us do not have to list the equipment dealer as the ‘loss payee.’”
Often, because someone is knowledgeable in a certain area, we believe that we can trust them to know all our unique needs. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, especially regarding insurance.
No matter if you’re a large or small equipment dealership, you need to find an insurance/coverage expert to help you. Why?
Insurance is complicated and can take decades to master. However, when a faulty insurance policy is in place, it could have catastrophic effects on your dealership. You don’t have the time to learn everything, but something could be wrong now, and that is a problem. Therefore, it’s best to get some knowledge on your side and gain some peace of mind.
Also, insurance-related matters can bog down your team, making you less efficient at what you do best. Our StraightDocs team spends 100% of their time just being a resource for our dealers, helping them get everything they need. We have built a trusting, mutually beneficial relationship with our dealers that has allowed us both to grow. We want to see others in the industry grow like we have, regardless of whether we work with them or not.
If you’re a heavy equipment or material handling dealership that just has questions about insurance, please consider reaching out so we can help.
Operations Manager – Jessica Heinrichs