1 May 2025

Choosing Postal-Code Granularity for Adjuster Territory Maps | Hazelhub Analytics

Si/gun/gu aggregation hides backlog pockets. Postal codes reveal them—but only when your extract supports consistent geocoding.

Territory maps for adjuster workload balance sit on a granularity tradeoff. Broad si/gun/gu polygons are fast to produce and easy to explain in a reorganization memo. They also hide pockets where three adjusters each hold twelve small files in the same postal district—exactly the pattern that causes SLA misses after a weather event.

When postal codes work

We recommend postal-code level when your extract includes a valid five-digit code on at least ninety percent of open files and your adjuster count exceeds fifteen. Below that threshold, si/gun/gu maps are usually sufficient and cost less to refresh.

Handling missing codes

Files without postal codes appear in a separate "unassigned geography" table rather than being dropped silently. Supervisors use that table to chase data entry gaps before the next map refresh.

Color scale decisions

We ask clients for their internal severity bands—typically file age thresholds at thirty, sixty, and ninety days—rather than imposing a universal scale. A map that uses our default scale will disagree with your SLA dashboard and erode trust in the first meeting.

Refresh cadence

After a territory reorganization, refresh the map within one quarter. Carrying old boundaries forward misallocates blame when backlog shifts but polygons do not.