Pros
- The 2-3 weeks of training from corporate that you receive is actually pretty solid. This was for sure the best couple of weeks that I had with the company and actually made me believe that "Hey, maybe this won't be so bad after all!" The trainers were all pretty lively and fun, and also helpful. They're probably some of the happiest people that are working for Progressive, you can just tell. - Pay is pretty decent. You WILL work some OT too so you'll make a little bit more than you might think. - 6% 401k matching is a nice perk - Scheduling and time-off are actually very flexible. I have to commend them on this. You can come into work up to two hours prior to your scheduled shift (and leave up to 2 hours earlier if you do so). You also really don't have to give a ton of notice prior to taking time off, which is nice. You just have to be properly prepared with your work calendar, etc. to be able to take that time off. - The new ClaimsPro system that Progressive implemented before I left was actually really great. It replaced a software system called ClaimStation and was better in almost everyway. I will commend Progressive for continuing to invest in new technology advancements like this.
Cons
Don't get me wrong, some people at Progressive (specifically in the claims department) have found a way to make it work for them, and that's great. I knew of someone who was in CCU (central claims unit) claims for 5 years and I have no idea how they did it. However, most people will struggle in this job... eventually. Here's a recap of my experience: The first couple of days are "fun and games" as you get your WFH equipment all set up. However, your first full week or two will quickly set the tone for what a career/job at Progressive actually looks like. Rushed, always cutting corners, and stressful. They will have you study and reading an ungodly amount of text, for at least a week straight, in order to prepare for an exam to become a licensed adjuster. You only get maybe 1-2 tries to pass this exam, I believe. I somehow managed to pass the first time with an 80% even though I did not feel properly prepared. Towards the end, before taking the exam, I literally had to take pictures of the written text so that I could just skim my photos for answers to the quizzes you have to take after each section you read. It was awful, and stressful, and cutthroat. Like I said, it sets the tone for your career here. Progressive does not care what you actually learn during this time, they just need you to get your certification ASAP. The next 2-3 weeks were with corporate training. I write about this in the pros. Soon after, you're quickly thrown into starting to complete some actual claims. It's a little daunting at first, but corporate actually does a decent job at training and preparing you for this stage so it isn't too bad. As time goes on, your workload grows more and more. Within about 6 months, they will be giving you NINE new claims every day. Yes, NINE. It's a relatively slow progression, I suppose, but for me things didn't simply get easier with time. You would think that, as time goes on you will get better at the job and more claims will be nbd. Not the case for me. I was actually somewhat enjoying my work when I was at 3-5 new claims per day. You get to help people that have been in small car accidents get back on the road. It's very autonomous and honestly, pretty rewarding. You will absolutely have to deal with some horrible customers, but that comes with ANY customer service job. The real trouble for me came when I was at 6-8 new claims per day. To me, personally, this just felt like an unrealistic and unmanageable workload.. especially at 8 new claims. You will have to cut corners and will literally be forced to not care as much about the customers you are supposed to be helping. There just isn't enough time in the day to TRULY help them all. You will make outbound calls to your newly assigned customers/claimants and often times they will not answer you. This creates a cycle where you will be getting a constant influx of calls from people that didn't answer the previous day, as you are attempting to make way and get through your new claims for the day. On top of that, you'll have incoming texts, voicemails, and emails to juggle too. OH and probably a few teams messages from the Progressive repair reps that are often rude and will give you attitude over silly things. I WANT to say good things about this company, but sadly, there aren't a ton of great things I can say. It's a decent job to make some money at and be able to work from home, but it's very stressful and you are literally just a number here. The turnover rate is high for a reason. Stay away if you can, but if not, don't stay for too long and have a backup plan in place before leaving.