Unexpected events causing home damage leave many insureds in an unfamiliar situation, needing to pack, store and restore their personal belongings. A contents restoration company often handles these tasks, but if a solid process isn't in place, claims closures can be delayed.
"Inventory is everything, especially with contents restoration," says David Gavilanes, regional business coach at Blue Kangaroo Packoutz. "We're working to salvage people's personal belongings and remove contents. When you multiply that by a large number of claims, it's critical to keep careful track of items."
Gavilanes notes that three important areas influence how quickly a claim closes: inventory, communication and billing. Focusing on these factors both helps prevent miscommunications that frustrate insureds and supports adjusters in keeping claims on track.
Creating a clear scope of work from the start
When the cost of service exceeds expectations, claim closures can be delayed. Many of these challenges can be prevented up front with improved visibility into the scope of work.
"Meeting an adjuster on the job site to assess damage doesn't happen as often as it used to," says Gavilanes. "We use a Matterport scan that captures a 3D image of the structure to give insurance companies more visibility."
This 3D technology allows an adjuster to visually walk through a structure, understand the loss, answer questions, and keep everyone aligned on the scope of work. As technology advances and insureds' expectations rise, using tools like these will become increasingly important for speeding up claims processes and making homeowners whole again.
Creating a digital chain of custody
A contents restoration company manages personal property for many customers. Without a digital manifest of those items, problems can occur, such as items going to the wrong property, never getting cleaned, being accidentally disposed of or becoming difficult to locate.
"Our inventory process places barcodes on every boxed and non-boxed item," says Gavilanes. "We scan them into our warehouse and maintain a clear electronic record for each customer, which supports faster claim closure."
Communication brings transparency to the process
It's also important to communicate with insureds about the contents process so they understand that anything salvageable will be returned, which prevents surprises. When a contents restoration company doesn't communicate clearly with the insured, an increased workload falls on the adjuster.
"If adjusters find themselves answering questions about contents — what will be returned versus what won't be returned — then there's a challenge on the vendor side," says Gavilanes. "You never want a game of telephone where the adjuster spends time going back and forth between vendors."
A contents restoration process with clear guidance on procedures and expectations helps decrease the number of adjuster calls and reduces insureds' worries and frustrations.
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