You need software that connects all the job functions you do in your business. Working with anything less will be detrimental to your financial well-being. So, what does that mean to you and your business? In a nutshell, when you receive a loss, you do not automatically know what needs to be done, but you do need to know quickly. Unless you’re a new start-up company, your company is running with several people who are responsible for doing different jobs. For that reason alone, the manager of the process needs to know what is going on at all times. If you use a software that works on a cell phone, information can be added to that software easily from the field. As different people load information remotely, it tells everyone in the company what has happened and what has not yet happened.

When a loss is received, it must be entered into the software as a potential new job. This would include, but not limited to, name, address, phone number, insurance company, and insurance agent. As your company responds to the loss, additional data will continually be added. Having information at the fingertips of the entire team means the person back in the office can easily review notes and find answers for anyone who might call with a question about a project. This makes for excellent customer satisfaction and their belief that their job is being expedited. Plus, the person managing the job was saved from having to return a call at the end of their day.

So, if I’m an employee, what would job management software do to my responsibilities to complete the job? Using this software, everyone in the company suddenly knows what is, and what is not going on with every job. It also offers a clear timeline to allow for more accurate budgeting, scheduling, and regular communication with involved parties.

You may not have thought about it, but all participants involved in the job have an opinion as to how long the job will take, unless they’ve been told differently. If you estimate a job in Xactimate, the work order will tell you how many hours it will take to complete the job. If you share the internal schedule with your team and subs, and even your customer (gasp!), or use Microsoft Project, you have kept them in the loop and given them the superior service that few others are giving. Remember, the J.D. Power Survey was VERY clear: if they don’t judge you at least a nine or a 10 out of 10, they will not refer you in a good way. To add to that, a survey during Gathering of Eagles 2019 from Alacrity, Guild Quality, and QR Magazine showed communication is critical to all parties on a loss. If you do not tell them a schedule, they will use the one in their mind. When you do not then meet their schedule, you will feel the heat from ALL directions. So, what does it hurt to give them the job schedule? NOTHING!! Remember to adjust the schedule with additional time when you obtain an additional work authorization or a supplement AND communicate that scheduling change to all concerned.

So, what’s the message from this whole discussion we’re having? The message is that most jobs have many parts and wouldn’t it be great if there were software(s) that could handle fire damage, drying, odor removal, and pack outs all inside one job package? Well good news, it EXISTS today. If you are interested, start asking around or better yet come look me up and the software’s up at The Experience Show in Las Vegas Sept. 18-20, 2019 and let’s talk.