cmr-claims

From Investment to Impact: Lean Six Sigma at CMR

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 19:19:24 GMT

Lean Six Sigma Green Belts at CMR: From Training to Impact

By: Taylor Fudge

In December 2024, we shared an important milestone for Claims Management Resources — a historic investment in our people through companywide Lean Six Sigma training. That announcement wasn’t aspirational. It was a commitment.

I’m proud to share the next step in delivering on that promise.

Several CMR managers and supervisors have officially earned their Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certifications through the Lean Six Sigma Institute , completing rigorous training designed to strengthen how we solve problems, improve processes and deliver value to our customers.

Before naming my colleagues who earned this honor, it’s worth revisiting why Lean Six Sigma matters to us — and to the organizations that trust CMR with their claims operations.

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a proven management methodology that combines two complementary disciplines:

Lean focuses on identifying and eliminating waste within workflows
Six Sigma focuses on reducing variation and defects to improve quality and consistency.

Together, they create a powerful framework for building efficient, predictable and customer-focused processes.

For CMR, Lean Six Sigma is not theoretical. It’s how we approach continuous improvement across our organization. It helps us simplify complex business processes, reduce errors, streamline operations and ultimately provide better outcomes for our customers. Just as importantly, it equips our team members with a common language and set of tools to lead change with confidence and credibility.

That’s why this certification milestone is so meaningful.

On September 19, the following CMR team members earned their Lean Six Sigma Green Belts:

Lois Bonine, Controller
Danielle Curren, Project Coordinator
Pamela Grace, FNOL Manager
Ada Henderson, Police Reports DOT Supervisor
Gina Musgrove, Executive Assistant
Bill Myers, Legal Manager
Pete Pitchford, Customer Relations Manager
Abigail Poston, Learning & Development Specialist
Matthew Zwermann, Subrogation Supervisor

We’re also pleased to congratulate our colleague Charles Daron, Utility Arbitration Supervisor at our sister company Advanced Subrogation Resources (AnSR), for completing the certification as well, furthering contributing to stronger leadership and knowledge across the enterprise.

These certifications represent more than completed coursework. They reflect CMR’s growing ability to lead data-driven improvements, manage cross-functional initiatives and challenge the status quo in pursuit of better results.

When we announced our Lean Six Sigma initiative, the goal was to invest in our people so they can continuously improve how we serve our customers. Seeing that investment translate into real certifications and momentum reinforces why we made this commitment.

We’re proud of this group and energized by what’s ahead as more team members continue their Lean Six Sigma journey. Continuous improvement isn’t a one-time effort at CMR. It’s how we operate every day.

Interested in partnering with us? Contact me at tfudge@cmrclaims.com .

Customer Survey Results

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:17:21 GMT

Our Customers Say It Best: 100% Satisfaction with CMR

By: Taylor Fudge

At Claims Management Resources (CMR), customer satisfaction isn’t just a goal — it’s a core part of how we do business. Every interaction, claim and resolution are guided by our commitment to delivering exceptional service to our customers.

Recently, we conducted a customer satisfaction survey to better understand how our customers view our performance and where we can continue to improve.

We regularly conduct customer surveys to:

Evaluate our team’s performance
Identify opportunities for improvement
Strengthen relationships with the organizations we serve in the utility, department of transportation and municipal industries.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Among respondents, 100% reported being either “satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with CMR’s service offerings, with 68% identifying as “highly satisfied.” Additionally, 79% said they are “very likely” to recommend CMR’s services to a colleague.

Our customers' feedback reinforces what drives us every day: responsiveness , expertise and collaboration . One survey respondent perfectly captured this spirit, sharing, “I can’t think of any way CMR can improve at this time. Every time we run into an issue, someone on the team jumps right in and resolves it.”

We’re proud of and inspired by these results. CMR remains dedicated to providing the reliable, forward-thinking service our customers count on — because their success is our success.

Want to learn more about our services? Email me at tfudge@cmrclaims.com .

Are You Recovering Every Claim or Leaving Money on the Table?

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:36:41 GMT

By: Taylor Fudge

Your team may proudly report a 90% recovery rate, but what if that number only tells part of the story? Discover how to recover hard-to-pursue claims and uncover missed revenue. Partner with CMR—35+ years helping DOTs maximize claims recovery, risk-free.

Maximize Claims Recovery: Stop Leaving Revenue on the Table

Many risk managers excel at recovering “easy” claims – the ones with clear liability and straightforward processes. But what about the really hard claims that demand significant time, resources and specialized expertise to pursue? Too often, these claims get left behind — not for lack of effort, but because internal teams are stretched thin and forced to prioritize what’s immediately achievable.

Think about it: if you’re recovering 90% of the claims you pursue, how many potential claims are never pursued at all? The difference usually is millions of dollars in missed revenue for DOTs and taxpayers. This isn’t about pointing fingers; it’s about acknowledging the reality of busy teams and complex recovery landscapes.

Are You Recovering Every Claim—or Leaving Millions Behind?

At CMR, we have been recovering claims for DOTS and other organizations for over 35 years, and here’s the best part: we only get paid on the dollars we recover for you. This means there’s no risk in partnering with CMR. When we work together, you unlock revenue that might otherwise remain on the table.

If you’re ready to uncover the revenue your team may be leaving behind, let’s talk.

Interested in partnering with us? Contact me at tfudge@cmrclaims.com .

CMR Announces Historic Investment

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 19:49:18 GMT

By: Taylor Fudge

At Claims Management Resources (CMR), we’re a proud Lean Six Sigma (LSS) shop. Every operational process is tailored for efficiency, innovation and quality improvement, designed to produce results everyone can be proud of.

Lean Six Sigma is a team-focused, collaborative managerial approach that seeks to improve performance by eliminating resource waste and defects.

We know we’re only as good as our worst process . We also know the best people to provide innovative solutions are the ones who work in them every day — they just need the tools and encouragement.

In light of this philosophy, we’re organizing a historic investment in our personnel. Every employee will complete Lean Six Sigma white belt training, and every manager will complete Lean Six Sigma green belt training.

The Lean Six Sigma white belt training is entry-level to the managerial approach, designed to equip participants with basic practices of the system.

The Lean Six Sigma green belt training is for mid-level managers, as they expand upon the basic practices of the system to lead key projects and teams.

The best way we can invest in the future is to invest in our people, equipping them to think creatively and proactively about their work. Learning is lifelong, and developing our professionals is essential to our long-term success.

Our employees will gain skills in:

Problem-solving
Project leadership
Data analysis
Visual management systems
Process standardization

This valuable experience will equip our staff to provide creative solutions to everyday processes, striving for “better” instead of settling for “it’s always been done this way.”

By enhancing staff knowledge in these areas, our customers will be positively impacted by:

A deeper understanding of customer pain points
Innovative problem solving
Pursuit of efficient, effective results
Engaged, motivated employees

As our staff completes this training, we hope you will join us in celebrating their achievements and this historic investment in the future of our company.

Interested in partnering with us? Contact me at tfudge@cmrclaims.com .

Why Employers Should Say ‘Yes’ to Manatees

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 06:03:21 GMT

By: Jill Hudson

Our Director of Human Resources, Jill Hudson, was recently published in The Oklahoman ! Check out her opinion editorial here or read the text below to learn more about why we encourage our employees to learn — no matter the topic.

My company, which manages property damage claims, never deals with dolphins, whales or other sea creatures.

And yet, when an employee wanted to earn a degree in marine biology, we allowed her to use our tuition assistance program. She stayed with the company for more than four years while going to school, and she provided stability and leadership in her department before moving on to a career in the sciences. I still see social media photos of her with manatees!

Some might ask why we allowed such a valuable benefit to be used on something that didn’t relate to her job.

It’s because we understand providing ongoing learning opportunities for employees is essential to staff retention. Deloitte reports that organizations with strong learning cultures have increased engagement and retention rates of 30-50% compared to industry competitors.

That matters because analysts estimate that when an employee quits, it costs up to double the person’s salary to replace them. And that doesn’t include intangibles such as the strain the additional workload places on existing staff and the erosion of company culture.

Despite the compelling data, company leaders in many organizations start with the “professional development” line item when it’s time to trim the budget. But reducing investment in this area damages a company overall and can lead to higher employee turnover and increased recruitment and onboarding costs.

The business case for providing help to people wanting to continue their education is strong. Employers can take advantage of federal tax benefits by participating in a qualified educational assistance program. Organizations can take a $5,250 deduction per employee per year for providing tuition assistance for higher education or certification programs. Offering tuition assistance is a standout benefit in today’s job market and can attract highly motivated potential hires who may stay with an organization for years while earning a degree or certification.

We’ve also found benefits from making professional development opportunities available at all levels, not just for managers and senior leaders, covering a wide range of topics. While employers tend to focus on work-related education, supporting all 360 degrees of an employee’s life benefits both the employee and the organization.

Personal finances and health often spill over into an employee’s workday, so offering seminars on financial literacy and wellness can reduce distractions, improving productivity at work. Maintaining a free library of personal and professional development courses in a learning management system is another way we help encourage continual learning for employees at any level.

By investing in the professional development and continued education of employees, organizations benefit from a more skilled and knowledgeable workforce, which can yield untold financial returns in recruitment and retention, improved processes and efficiencies, new service offerings and products and overall increased profits.

What might seem to be an easy line item to cut out of a company’s annual budget is actually a key business strategy for the organization’s long-term growth and success.

How CMR Improves the FNOL Process

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 05:50:57 GMT

By: Taylor Fudge

At Claims Management Resources, we pride ourselves on our First Notice of Loss (FNOL) services. Our personnel and our custom app (yes, it’s available in the app store !) work in lockstep to gather evidence to establish liability for damaged property.

Our 25-person team of experts is the answer to recovering damage claims and alleviating staffing issues. CMR is the clear, preferred partner for recovery due to our streamlined, 10-minute digital intake with an expert coach to support employees through the entire process. Our approach saves organizations time, money, and stress.

Who We Are

We have over 35 years of experience recovering money on damaged property for utility companies and government entities. We are 100% contingency-based, making our FNOL services a low-risk, high-reward solution to property damage claims problems. By outsourcing to us, our customers’ existing employees can focus on higher-level tasks and their organization’s core competencies.

What We Do

CMR’s simplified FNOL process supports organizations in protecting their most important assets — their people. Through our mobile app and 24/7 phone support, our team can walk any employee through the process of uploading the right pictures and data and gathering the necessary information to quickly restore service and begin claims recovery.

Simply put: we help our customers report damage to their property to effectively recover on claims.

Our approach means no employee has to be a claims specialist. We walk through the process in real-time, ensuring all necessary data is captured in our automated system to recover on the claim and avoid lengthy, time-consuming back and forth communication. It’s simple. It’s fast. It’s successful.

How We Make a Difference

We only get paid when you do, so we’re highly motivated to invoice, recover, and win claims as quickly as possible.

We recover more than 80% of claims with an average cycle time of 76 days — smashing the industry average and making a significant positive impact for organizations and their employees.
Our extensive experience and expertise make us the gold standard. We invoice over 81,000 claims every year for more than $230 million.
These results are possible because of our efficient claims recovery process allowing photographs and real-time data to be captured on the scene through our FNOL app.

Interested in learning more about what our FNOL services could do for you? Download this PDF or contact CMR Managing Partner Taylor Fudge today at tfudge@cmrclaims.com !

3 Reasons to Use Fractional Expertise

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 05:29:11 GMT

By: Taylor Fudge

For understaffed departments, the challenge of balancing urgent tasks with routine — yet important — responsibilities never ends. Property damage claims are one such task that can fall to the bottom of a to-do list as employees struggle to put out fire after fire day after day.

How can managers help employees manage workloads while maintaining a healthy bottom line? The answer lies in fractional expertise , the practice of using professionals in a part-time or as-needed capacity within an organization.

Here are 3 Reasons to Use Fractional Expertise

Here are three reasons why fractional expertise — especially in property damage claims — is beneficial:

Highly Specialized

Claims departments often need employees to be responsible for a wide variety of tasks, and deeper expertise is essential for complex assignments like property damage claims. Building a winning case is hard, and while employees gain expertise over time through experience, most organizations can’t wait that long.

By outsourcing to experts — whose core competencies are the complex tasks — organizations can use them to complete projects efficiently and effectively. Expertise in property damage claims management can be leveraged to improve the bottom line while lightening employee workloads.

Cost-Effective

Salary and benefits are one of the biggest expenses for any organization. And employees are well worth it! But when the budget to support more FTEs isn’t there, it can be tough to find the part-time support needed with the expertise required.

Outsourcing to experts is cost-effective, since they are hired on an as-needed basis. Utilizing a 100% contingency-based vendor, such as CMR, is even better because they don’t get paid unless you do. Contingency-based experts, especially in property damage claims, are highly motivated to recover the most for their customers in the shortest amount of time. When most property damage claims are tied up in litigation or written off by internal shops, outsourced services can pay for themselves and boost the bottom line.

Frees Resources

With staff freed from routine tasks or special projects, they can be assigned to higher-priority areas. When property damage claims are outsourced, the hours spent performing a task or training an employee on a process are reallocated, reducing workloads and encouraging creativity. In turn, these things can boost the longevity of employees, minimizing the need to constantly recruit.

Wondering when it’s time to call in the property damage recovery experts? Find our downloadable checklist here to help identify pain points.

Email Taylor at tfudge@cmrclaims.com to learn more about how property damage expert services can help your organization.

How CMR Recovered $1M on 8-Year-Old Claims

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 05:06:51 GMT

By: Michael Whitfield

The toughest claims often sit unresolved for years, until they are eventually given up – these claims are called Reported But Not Settled (RBNS) . CMR knows this doesn’t have to be the norm.

Customer Situation

After CMR successfully recovered many claims for the Wyoming DOT, the state agency decided to unlock the archives and give CMR two of their oldest property damage claims. These eight-year-old claims had been tackled before by internal teams, but employees were making little progress. Outsourcing to CMR protected WYDOT employee efficiency and relied on our expertise to navigate the system.

How We Did It

We noticed one of the claims required oversized permit expertise – and CMR has Senior Claims Law Associates, Attorneys and liability experts on staff to investigate. We discovered the DOT held the correct permits to support the claim’s recovery.
We created a touchpoint every 10 days, whereas internal teams typically do so every 30 days.
We have a team of over 200 people — which our clients have full access to. We don’t have a shortage of staff or bandwidth to navigate tough claims.

Results

After eight years, CMR recovered one claim for $500,000 in just six months . The second claim was recovered for another $500,000 in 14 months.

Our expertise and persistence help us resolve claims for customers. And we don’t get paid until you do – that’s how confident we are in our team .

3 Ways CMR Helps Combat Inflation

Sun, 18 Aug 2024 04:58:33 GMT

By: Jonathan Musgrove

Though inflation is expected to slowly decline next year, 2023 budget recommendations must still accommodate higher costs. Increased prices on essentials from building materials to office supplies cut into department budgets, already strained with the increased cost of labor .

While it may be tempting to reevaluate vendor agreements, here are three reasons why organizations should keep partnering with Claims Management Resources (CMR).

Here are 3 Ways CMR Helps Combat Inflation

1. Our Fee Structure

You’ve heard us say it before, but it bears repeating: We don’t get paid unless you do.
Our services aren’t a sunk cost each month—instead, we bill for a percentage of the amount we recover. Because of this model, our team is motivated to recover as much as possible as quickly as possible for your organization.

As a 100% contingency-based company, our method is unorthodox, but it drives us to excellence. There’s a reason we’ve been around for over 30 years!

2. Our Expertise

Speaking of our tenure in the industry, we’ve learned a lot over the past three decades, becoming the top experts in property damage claims recovery for utility companies and governmental entities.

Our expertise is unparalleled, and our highly skilled team is proven to get the job done. Specialized claims adjusters, researchers, analysts and more use their collective knowledge to recover more on claims at a fast rate. With over 200 employees solely focused on claims recovery, we beat every in-house shop with our knowledge and ability.

3. Our Recovery Rate

We make a dramatic difference to the bottom line. With the resources to review, pursue and close challenging claims, we generate unexpected revenue for your organization internal teams may not pursue.

For one DOT, we were able to increase recoveries by $30 million in one year. A regional utility company saw us more than double their recovery amounts in a year. On average, we recover 80% more than the industry average.

The amount recovered isn’t the only important factor, though. How quickly claims are invoiced and closed is also important. For DOTs in particular, we recover claims 50% faster than internal teams, adding important revenue to annual budgets, cushioning unexpected costs and improving projections.

Our team has the expertise, experience and motivation to recover on all types of property damage claims—using CMR is a no-brainer. Interested in learning more about our services? Contact me at jmusgrove@cmrclaims.com .

4 Ways CMR Can Offset Growing Business Expenses

Sat, 17 Aug 2024 04:50:55 GMT

By: Taylor Fudge

For many organizations, the cost of doing business has dramatically increased — and prices show no sign of slowing down. Inflation, supply chain delays and wage increases all contribute to tightening budgets and unsettling financial projections.

Here are 4 Ways CMR Can Offset Growing Business Expenses

1. Recruitment

Spending countless hours posting jobs, reviewing applications, recruiting and interviewing candidates can be a drain on day-to-day resources. Instead of shouting into the employment void, utilize CMR to backfill your claims department. You can focus recruitment dollars on other needed positions and tasks.

2. Wages

With wages continuing to increase , it’s a great time to be a job-seeker —
but not so great to be a hiring manager with a limited budget. Utilizing CMR’s services helps offset these growing business expenses through our increased claims recovery rates. We have the resources to close the toughest claims, improving your bottom line. Our unique billing structure also ensures you’re only billed on what we recover. We don’t get paid unless you do! Our customers also don’t pay CMR in wages or benefit packages, another cost-saving measure.

3. Training

You’ve hired a new employee or two — great! Now it’s time to get them up to speed on job responsibilities and organizational processes. Often, companies find day-to-day work gets worse before it gets better, as current employees are pulled away from their tasks to teach new hires. According to a recent report, training costs over $1,200 for each new employee. Utilizing CMR’s services within your claims department minimizes these costs and frees up your seasoned employees to focus on their own jobs.

4. Overhead

Outsourcing claims recovery to CMR will also lower overhead costs on items like salaries, benefits, recruitment costs and office supplies. By using CMR, you’re utilizing a company with the expertise, manpower and access to recover on even the toughest claims. Give those budget line items some breathing room!

Interested in learning more about our services and how we can offset your ballooning business expenses:? Contact me at tfudge@cmrclaims.com .

5 Reasons DOTs Struggle to Recover Damage Claims

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 04:42:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Musgrove

If you are a Department of Transportation (DOT) executive who is frustrated by the many unrecovered damage claims in your state, know you are in good company. Most of your peers feel the same way, wondering, “Why is it so hard to collect the money owed on damages from accidents?” These unresolved claims are costing your state millions of dollars. Here’s why:

1. Not enough personnel

Your employees are busy and have many job duties.

Most DOT personnel are assigned the task of claims recovery on top of their already full workloads. It is common for DOT employees who are assigned to claims recovery to spend only 10% of their workday on recovery-related tasks. Their departments are not able to process more than a fraction of outstanding claims due to staff members’ various responsibilities. Since an employee’s key performance metrics are not aligned with recovery, the opportunities lapse, and DOTs lose money they are rightfully entitled to receive.

2. Not measuring claims recovery properly

Let’s compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges.

Many DOTs accidentally have a false assurance of their recovery success. They do not mean to measure the wrong things, but it is good to pause and reflect on how your organization tracks success in this area. It is common for DOTs to invoice a certain percent of claims, say 25% of total claims outstanding, and then recover the majority of the pursued claims. For example, all DOTs pursue the claims on motorists who have insurance and are easiest to recover first. Why wouldn’t you?

However, many DOTs find it challenging to track and report back on the total possible claims. When measuring your recovery, consider if your data reported is tracking recovery only on invoiced claims OR on the total possible number of claims owed to you by damagers. We see most DOTs leave as much as 75% of damages out of their internal process because these claims are more difficult to recover.

3. Lack of tools and time lead to delayed recovery cycle time

Here is the good and the bad about cleaning up accidents quickly.

Many DOTs are efficient in repairing equipment after it is damaged in accidents. Without the proper processes in place to gather claims data right after the accident, DOT staff is forced to research and recreate the accident information months after the incident occurred. A robust recovery program requires employees to gather information like damage type and location; damaging parties’ insurance; and recovery ratio, status, and names of adjusters. Most DOTs’ asset management software was not created to process such data. As a result, when a DOT employee opens a work order from an incident that occurred six months ago, it is almost impossible for them to prove the claim. Even when the DOT employee does recreate the data to pursue recovery, they then attempt to contact the damager (who does not want to be contacted). Without the proper tools, this process takes months and months — far too long to be able to recover what is owed.

4. Uninsured motorists and unknown damagers

This is the “lost cause” part of the recovery process.

Since every state has about 15% of their residents driving without insurance, it is hard to collect on damages when these individuals are in accidents because their information is harder to track down. Additionally, many uninsured individuals do not want to be found because they worry about being contacted, sometimes lacking the resources to pay the claim themselves.

Unknown damagers further stress the system. Because it is much more difficult to research, identify and match these individuals to the associated repair costs with the incident where the damage occurred, many of the damages are never invoiced or recovered.

5. Decentralized processes create a lot of waiting

We have a lot of cooks in the kitchen.

Inside a single geographic region, it is common for multiple people from different departments to be responsible for one step each in the overall recovery process. For example, a person in maintenance might be waiting for someone in the safety office. Because a DOT is rarely designed to have a claims department entirely focused on recovery of damage claims, there is rarely one single point of contact who is responsible for the whole process.

We have provided third-party recovery services to Departments of Transportation and major utility companies for over 30 years and have extensive first-hand experience with these most common reasons DOTs struggle to collect the millions of dollars owed to them. If we missed your main challenge above, we want to know about it! Contact us at jmusgrove@cmrclaims.com or 405-606-8205 to schedule a meeting to discuss how outsourcing your claims recovery can benefit your DOT.

What the Infrastructure Package Means for Utility Companies & Transportation Departments

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 04:26:54 GMT

By: Taylor Fudge

The November passage of the bipartisan infrastructure package has state and local governments clamoring for a piece of the pie. Mayors and governors are already competing to secure dollars for everything from widening roads to shoring up bridges to developing highways. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt expressed in an NPR interview his goal of improving bus transportation throughout our metro.

There is plenty of good to come from the infrastructure package, but it will also result in ramifications for many industries — including utility companies and transportation departments. For departments of transportation, oversight of the projects — and the subsequent damages — is a given. But utility companies also need to anticipate claims when relocating materials such as power lines and telephone poles.

Shovels are already breaking ground, and organizations need to prepare for a glut of damage claims. With labor shortages, this could be a challenge to process internally, resulting in lost revenue. While infrastructure dollars can be seen as a windfall for many budgets, the loss of revenue due to unprocessed or improperly processed claims could undercut successes.

Fortunately, our company anticipated the passage of the infrastructure bill and began hiring additional staff to process damage claims. Utilizing CMR to process claims frees internal personnel to focus on other high-priority tasks — such as infrastructure project oversight. Contact us today to learn more about our services.