Do you have a homeowner briefing?

[Desk Jockey]

Do you have a homeowner briefing? Lets them know what is going to happen and that this isn't your first rodeo.

They can see there is method to the current madness and calms them down a bit to know this has happened before. At the conclusion of the job as our technicians are going though what's next they are already shaking their heads since they've read the briefing.

We've been doing this for years, in fact I just updated our old ones.

Are you using something similar, if so what is on it? I need to know before I complete mine. Jussst in case I missed something.

 

[Steve Toburen]

Do you have a homeowner briefing? Lets them know what is going to happen and that this isn't your first rodeo...

Are you using something similar, if so what is on it? I need to know before I complete mine. Jussst in case I missed something.

Richard,
Check your SFS Operations Manual under Water Damage/Paperwork. We have an "orientation letter" in there that I'm sure can't compete with your illustrious efforts but you did ask!
Steve

PS Have you thought about producing a short 3 to 4 minute orientation video explaining what you do with footage from actual losses and maybe before and after shots? Then just email or text it to an insured immediately while you are talking to them. In your continual struggle with adjusters this could really get the Insured to say, "I insist on Chavez!" (You might want to find some young, good looking "talent"!)

 

[Desk Jockey]

Steve
Would you send me the link so I can look it over, or link it in this thread. Thanks!

We have thought of making a video as you described and putting it on our website....just have not gotten that far yet.

We changed the tagline to "Disasters happen, and when they do, tell your insurance provider you need Chavez" "Need" sounded stronger than "want".

Oh man you calling me old?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Page 18? Restoration Equipment Review?

 

[Steve Toburen]

Steve
Would you send me the link so I can look it over, or link it in this thread. Thanks!

Wow, Richard, I just finished up our Tampa Bay SFS and I called them the "silver platter" group as in "I want it on a silver platter." Obviously you must have influenced them.

Steve

PS OK, OK, I'll send you the link! Whining is so unbecoming...

 

[Desk Jockey]

 

[Hoody]

I'm not doing anything but extractions YET. But I had everything designed. Folder that is full color front and back, plus the flaps on the inside. On the right side flap it has slits to put a business card. The packet I have is an intro letter, general pricing guide, antimicrobial auth, 3 page carbon form for documentation, our work authorization is on the back of each page(copy) of the form. Disposal auth(along with a form to document contents that are non-salv that are being thrown out, moisture map, then the dri-zone form for tracking temp, rh, gpp.

Now that I've seen yours it makes me want to actually add color because all my forms are black and white.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Man you are always so organized!

I don't think I'll use color either. Like the old one, we usually copy it one to colored paper.

Color copies wouldn't be bad, do you think there is value in color? If I go that way I'd add more to it.

We use those legal folders with pockets and hole punch the worksheets so they don't get lost.

 

[Hoody]

I think I'd like to use color to draw attention to the reader.

My intro letter - Would you add or remove anything ?

Dear Homeowner,

We understand that having water damage in your home can be unsettling and frustrating. We appreciate that you have chosen our company to assist you. You probably have some questions about what happens next. The following information may help answer some of those questions.

Insurance Claims: We work with all insurance companies and we are happy to assist you with the claim payment process. Insurance companies do require that the initial claim be filed by the policy holder. When the first step has been completed by you we will need the insurance carrier name, adjustor name, claim #, and adjustor phone number, and then we can work directly with your insurance carrier to get your claim processed and paid.

Follow-up Visits: We may have left equipment onsite that will facilitate the drying process. We will be checking on this equipment and the progress of the drying process regularly. We will arrange an appointment each time we return and the first of these visits be within the next 24-36 hours. We will check to be sure everything is drying properly and adjust equipment as necessary.

Additional Restoration: Repairs and restoration will be handled by a licensed General Contractor. The flood technician should have provided the name and number of a contractor to you that specializes in the type of repair. If not, please contact our office and we will provide the information to you.

Menu of services........


Contact if any questions....


Thank you,

Us.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I like it, clear, concise, great job!

 

[Dan]

I always walk the job with customer and explain what to expect and more importantly what they are going to see. Once I'm all done I go over again and explain what each machine is and it's duty and how important it is to leave them on and how long to expect them to be on. At the end I give them my card and tell them if they have any questions please don't hesitate to call me. I don't give any documentation but I do always tell them what to expect and a general timeline as well based on there situation.

 

[Hoody]

I always walk the job with customer and explain what to expect and more importantly what they are going to see. Once I'm all done I go over again and explain what each machine is and it's duty and how important it is to leave them on and how long to expect them to be on. At the end I give them my card and tell them if they have any questions please don't hesitate to call me. I don't give any documentation but I do always tell them what to expect and a general timeline as well based on there situation.

I write documentation for the job scope with room measurements, affected area measurements, how much demo we're doing in each room, sq ft of carpet and pad removed, base or trim removed, cabinet removal/detachment, ect ect along with equipment in each room as its numbered. That way if one of my pieces of equipment come up missing I know where its at, as the office will receive a copy of the same thing for billing and equipment tracking entry. Also they sign and initial as I go over the scope of the work so they can't say I never did or they didn't know.... been there done that.

Equipment tracking is pretty simple... will be a spreadsheet with all equipment numbers, along with description of what it is, and the address of where its at with client's name. As it comes back in, the supervisor will check the equipment back in, and hand that sheet to the office for the list to be updated. Maybe one day I'll have a fancy barcode system. One company I worked with owned over 800 pieces of equipment, and the system was certainly needed.

It drives me nuts because I get calls now, and I have a company that is further north that want to refer me for my area and south of me, but I just don't have the cash to invest, and working on having credit by middle/ end of this year.

 

[Desk Jockey]

We struggle with accurate accounting of equipment. We will count them as they are unloaded and they when we pick them up and have 3-5 more than originally counted. We had one in the summer and one tech was in charge of equipment throughout the high school. When we picked up he was off by 18-airmover. ??????

 

[Hoody]

I'm truly an a-hole when it comes to that sort of stuff, even more so now that I understand the stress of the money coming out of my pocket for lost stuff. But even when it wasn't my money I was an a-hole about it.

Have I turned into Marty?

 

[Ron Werner]

You ever have a homeowner turn off equipment ie they turned off the blowers cause they were too loud and they couldn't sleep? I would come back and almost 24hrs of drying time had been lost.

I used to have a video I would play on my laptop, (why I started bringing a laptop to my work) that would explain what I was doing, why, and explain about protectant. It was a Piranha strategy from back around 04. There isn't a lot to explain really, but I will tell them my plan before I begin, ie starting with this step at this end of the house, then this step, etc etc

 

[Desk Jockey]

Not as much as they turn it off on commercial jobs. They also like to move your equipment around, Mr Helper janitors take it upon themselves to dry other areas the looked wet still.

 

[Mardie]

On commercial. How about when they turn the heat of and the air conditioner on.

 

[Steve Toburen]

We struggle with accurate accounting of equipment...

Two words: Bar codes.

Steve

PS Seriously.

 

[Desk Jockey]

So give the same doof a gun instead of a pen? Or do I get a new doof with the gun?

I really think its proceedure, nothing should go in until its counted, numbers checked off the sheet. What happens is the get too involved in the heat of the battle. Too concerned about extraction and setup of drying until that floor is set up. Then they supervisor appoints someone to take a count or they ask the crew leader to write their floor. Later when its calm and we are checking against the sheet, we find the extras that were not listed on the sheet.

 

[Hoody]

Running a two man crew, while the assistant was setting equipment, taking temp, and rh readings of ambient air, and input and out put of dehu, the lead would do all measurements for each room individually, as well as noting equipment.

Even on huge commercial losses(80-200 pieces of equipment) I always had one guy set aside that didn't do anything but project management/measurements, documentation, ect.

Did I mention I HATE when documentation isn't proper? I like to have the estimates ready to go for the adjuster nearly the same day, or that evening, so I could tell them, if things dry in x amount of days as we plan it'll be this, but still make sure they know its an ESTIMATE and not a FINAL bill, because they like to turn your words around on you and not want to pay for an additional day for equipment on hard to dry items if that's what it comes to down to.

I paid project managers/estimators salary, so if they goofed up on the notation/documentation they were going back out to a job and getting it right. We did monthly bonuses if all paperwork was proper with no errors they'd get a gift card or prepaid card, but they HAD to have 100%.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Bar code would be faster than a highlighter, we should have one of the packout girls do the counting they have to be more accurate than the guys.

They do fine one residential and small commercial jobs. It's the larger commercial we have a problem, the guy setting up the drying is not the same guy taking count. 100-300 pieces scattered in a facility have proven to be a challenge for us.

 

[Steve Toburen]

They do fine one residential and small commercial jobs. It's the larger commercial we have a problem, the guy setting up the drying is not the same guy taking count. 100-300 pieces scattered in a facility have proven to be a challenge for us.

I feel your pain, Richard.

Steve

PS I literally have bought back my lettered airmovers at yard sales.

 

[Desk Jockey]

A couple of summers ago one of the guys was out looking at houses over the weekend. He said as they walked through the unfinished area there was a dehumidifier stand for a Drizair-110.

That dude had to be twenty years old. I asked if he said anything which he didn't, not that we have a use for it now.

What the bar code systems you seen used successfully?