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Volume 13 technology ISSUE: WELCOMING a more intelligent kind of FM Page 26 Putting a price on progress Page 6 THE STANDARDEPD170LGR 35L/Day27/60 R290 www.ecor-pro.com • Wheels • Compressor Protection • DuctFlange • PowerMeter • DragHandle • Humidistat • WaterPump • QRCode Manual mail@ecor-pro.com-01918162898-www.ecor-pro.com UKOffice 30DAYFREETRIAL LGR Dehumidifier03 Editorial Enquiries Paul Williamson paul.williamson@realia.co Advertising Sales Cleo Brettell cleo.brettell@realia.co Design & Production Realia Marketing paul.williamson@realia.co bdma@realia.co 01303 262101 The Standard is published quarterly by The British Damage Management Association. The Standard is written in collaboration with our members, showcasing industry thought leaders and success stories to the wider community. We are delighted to present the opportunity for our members to broadcast their expertise to the broader insurance industry by submitting opinion pieces and case studies for inclusion in The Standard. Please feel free to submit your content for consideration. Published 30th June 2021. DISCLAIMER: The BDMA accepts no responsibility for the views expressed by contributors within The Standard. Advertisements are accepted at the discretion of the editor and The BDMA and do not imply any endorsement of goods or services. BDMA membership Have you recently moved premises? Or have you recently moved to a different company? If so, please remember to send an update of your new details to info@bdma.org.uk Membership Update 04 Notes from the Chair 05 The BDMA’s View 06 Putting a price on progress Corporate Associate 07 Showcase Alorair Solutions UK Ltd Opinions and Expertise 08 from the Executive Board Learning & Development 10 BDMA Training News Meet the BDMA Executive 11 Board Introducing Greg French Special Guest Feature 12 Equipped for what comes next Guest Feature 16 Sensing an opportunity – Fanny Jonsson, Hiotlabs Advertorial 17 Using technology to simplify and modernise – David Shimwell, Revival Guest Feature 18 5 Questions on technology – Pete Brown, Belfor UK Advertorial 19 Encircle is transforming field-based documentation for restoration contractors Guest Feature 20 With tech we protect – Mark Orr, UKIreSpill Learning & Development 21 Sponsor Showcase 22 Citrus Funding Meet the Team 23 Behind the scenes at the BDMA Guest Feature 24 Don’t play the occasion, play the game – Michael Keating, MGAA Advertorial 25 Taking inspection to new heights – Chris Netherton, Valori Brands Guest Feature 26 Welcoming a more intelligent kind of FM – Arty Shaw, Salisbury Group New BDMA Members 27 BDMA Enquiries & Correspondence The BDMA, Harborough Innovation Centre, Wellington Way, Airfield Business Park, Market Harborough LE16 7WB Phone: 01858 414278 | Email: info@bdma.org.uk Website: www.bdma.org.uk Keep up with us on social media… @TheBDMA @TheBDMA BDMA (British Damage Management Association) www.youtube.com/channel/ contents contact us• When you need to understand what you’re dealing with when restoring fire damage • When you need to know the contamination risk presented by an unidentified material For a copy of our laboratory testing solutions brochure or to discuss your next project: 0800 876 6626 info@davis-french-associates.co.uk Don’t worry. If you don’t know, Davis French & Associates contamination testing experts do. What am I looking at here? Answer? Lead paint Image: lead paint under scanning electron microscopy 04 Membership Update Directors John Thompson (Chair) chairman@bdma.org.uk Adrian Jolly (Head of Strategic Development) strategicdevelopment@bdma.org.uk Kathryn Rodgers kathryn.rodgers@harwellrestoration.co.uk Executive Committee Members & Constituencies Greg French DM Practitioners (Commercial) commercial@bdma.org.uk Phil McVay Claims Practitioners claimspract@bdma.org.uk James Parsons Insurance Technicians instechs@bdma.org.uk Adam Waters Specialists specialists@bdma.org.uk Chris Edwards Specialists specialists@bdma.org.uk Marie Stearn DM Practitioners (Residential) dmresidential@bdma.org.uk Richard Talbot-Jones Governance governance@bdma.org.uk Support Personnel BDMA Administration Sophie Bennett (Office Manager) sophie.bennett@bdma.org.uk 01858 414278 Marketing Paul Williamson Realia Marketing paul.williamson@realia.co 01303 262101 Through partnership working and involvement in industry wide initiatives, the BDMA executive is also informed by the Association’s relationship with The Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA). The BDMA Executive, Directors and Support Personnel The BDMA has seen significant growth in the number of members both individual and corporate over the last few months. In May 2021, the BDMA achieved its highest ever membership numbers for Insurance Technicians and Corporate Associates with the numbers growing every month during 2021. We now have 2,600 members, 100 Corporate Associates and just over 1,000 Insurance Technicians. Our team has worked hard to transform the BDMA into a digital learning organisation and this has enabled us to continue to grow in difficult times. Our programme of virtual training and examinations has helped us to support our members in more flexible ways and deliver our accreditation for those looking to progress in the industry. We are strongly focused on meeting the needs of our members and raising standards in the Damage Management sector. 1,000 insurance technicians 100 corporate associates 2,600 members05 Notes from the Chair NOTE ABOUT SHARING ON SOCIAL Keep the photos coming! Each month we're tagged in lots of your photos on LinkedIn, sometimes they're e-learning certificates, sometimes they're photos of you celebrating your BDMA exam wins. Either way, make sure to tag us @BDMA (British Damage Management Association), so we can share on our company page and in our monthly newsletter! Hello readers, Thank you to all of our members for your continued support. It continues to be a busy time at the BDMA. We have had a fantastic response to our online class and examinations offering and are now looking at face to face training and exams for later this year. The latest online exam, Technician Level 1 (22nd July), is almost fully booked. Good luck to those who have got a place on that exam. The Insurance Technician and Claims Practitioner classes and exams continue to be equally fully booked with new dates being offered through July and beyond. So far this year we have had 175 candidates on all examinations with a further 140 scheduled so far on classes and examinations in the future. For the third month running we have achieved the highest member numbers across the board with a total membership of over 2,600. Thank you to all of the BDMA staff both office and virtually based for making these such a success. In order to keep up with latest regulations, trends and technology we are undertaking a complete review of all of our training. This will of course be reflected in some changes in the examination syllabuses and questions. Our instructors and education team are working closely to create a series of video clips for inclusion in training and also to share with members via the website and other social media outlets as well as adding training modules on resilience, sustainability, psychrometry etc. I must take this opportunity to thank all of the manufacturers and suppliers for their support in providing the latest equipment for us to include in these clips. The review of the rules of the association, which was launched at the beginning of the year, proceeds at a pace and we are hoping to have this particular item closed by the end of this year. Plans have begun for the next BDMA conference, unfortunately it won’t be until early 2022, but the directors are looking at suitable venues and we hope to make an announcement very soon. As you will have seen if you follow the BDMA on the website and social media, the 2020 recipient of the Dr Barry White Award for Examination Excellence has been announced. Well done to Richard Milner for his achievement. Congratulations also go to those with an honourable mention, Gary Evans, Thor Gray-Moloney, Martin White and Rachael Price. The bar has been set very high for candidates in the 2021 examinations, good luck to you all. Take care, John Thompson, BDMA Chair06 How many people do you know that don't own a mobile? The chances are it’s probably very few. Data from Statista shows that the proportion of adults in the UK with a smartphone now stands at 87%. And if you’re in the 16- to 24-year-old bracket, that figure rises to an astonishing 99%. It wasn’t always this way, of course. Back in 2008, just one year after Steve Jobs launched the first iPhone, the level of mobile ownership among adults stood at just 17%. In the intervening years, these devices have gone from being useful and entertaining to playing a pivotal role in our lives. They enable us to perform an almost limitless variety of tasks, from paying for things and taking pictures to streaming video and, occasionally, making a call. While the Damage Management industry may not have a game-changer like the iPhone, it’s clear that technology is increasingly embedding itself into our day-to-day work. Equipment continues to advance in levels of performance and complexity, with the growing use of remote monitoring as well as leak-detection systems connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). Such investments are not made exclusively in the name of efficiency. The insurance sector’s promise to support a more sustainable future, as discussed in the last issue of The Standard, is another major driver of change. This includes a mix of enforced measures, such as the ban on equipment using environmentally harmful ‘F-gases’, and underlying trends, such as the shift towards more energy-efficient drying equipment and the emerging use of electric vehicles. While they bring clear benefits, it’s also true that these technologies carry a cost – you only need look at your monthly mobile phone bill or the price of your latest handset as evidence. As such, there is an argument for that investment to be shared or supported by other stakeholders, given that the benefits can often be felt throughout the supply chain. This approach can be seen in the partnerships between LeakBot, the IoT water-leak solution, and several insurers, including Direct Line Group and Covéa Insurance, both of which are making this technology available to their High Net Worth (HNW) clients. For DM companies, this level of collaboration remains a theoretical ambition. In reality, the sector faces change on a number of fronts, much of it requiring ongoing investment and, right now, the cost equation is not balanced in our favour. Any capital expenditure will be felt directly on the bottom line, and in the context of a competitive market where volumes of work are unstable, many may feel the conditions do not necessarily present themselves for speculative investment. It is understandable, therefore, that apart from the pioneers and early adopters, parts of the DM industry remain reticent to accept and embrace a tech-driven future. Some feel threatened by the direction of travel. Some are demotivated by the overall squeeze on costs. Some are simply uncomfortable at the idea of change itself. But history tells us that change will eventually come. More importantly, though, history tells us that technology rarely replaces what has gone before. Often, it serves to enhance, amplify or expand what we can do. Remote monitoring still requires the involvement of a skilled technician; sensors that can detect possible leaks still demand a rapid response from compassionate, knowledgeable DM professionals. And so, as we progress towards a more tech-smart future, it is important for the DM sector to navigate a path that continues to champion and support the real high-value assets in our businesses: our people. BY ADRIAN JOLLY THE BDMA'S VIEW THE BDMA'S VIEW PUTTING A PRICE ON PROGRESS Adrian Jolly The BDMA’s Adrian Jolly considers the impact of a tech-smart future on the DM sector.how does being part of the BDMA benefit your organisation? Alorair Solutions UK Ltd has gained a number of benefits from being a BDMA Corporate Associate Member, including being able to reach out to our specific target market to promote our product range and any new developments that we are implementing. The BDMA resources available enable us to better understand the latest drying techniques used within the industry to ensure that we are leaders in offering high quality, robust, dependable units to other members. Displaying the BDMA Corporate Associate Badge means something to our prospective customers and helps to reinforce that we can assist with their drying requirements. We are always keen to assist BDMA members in getting high quality units that are fit for purpose and provide the best solution. WE ARE RECRUITING! ISS RESTORATION - THE UK’S LEADING DISASTER RECOVERY & RESTORATION SERVICE FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.ISS-RESTORATION.CO.UK/EN/CAREERS LEAK DETECTION ENGINEERS PROJECT MANAGERS FIRE & FLOOD TECHNICIANS SITE SUPERVISORS 07 MEMBER SHOWCASE member showcase Company – AlorAir Solutions UK Ltd Alorair Solutions UK Ltd provides high quality dehumidifiers, air movers, air scrubbers and ozone machines to the Flood Restoration Market throughout the UK and Ireland. The Alorair Storm range of refrigerant style dehumidifiers have a rotary moulded body, are wifi enabled / app controllable, pumped (head 4.5m) and range from 48L to 130L. Desiccants and other new products are coming soon so please keep an eye out for us. Call: +44 1423 341 940 Email: sales@alorair.co.uk08 OPINIONS AND EXPERTISE FROM THE BDMA EXECUTIVE BOARD IS THERE NOW TOO MUCH TECHNOLOGY? ARE WE REACHING SATURATION POINT WHERE THERE IS NO DISTINGUISHABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLATFORMS? Adam Waters: As the subcontractor, as always, I may have a different view. Far from having no distinguishable difference between platforms, we find that duplication goes up with every new customer that we deal with. One client will demand that their portal is used, another will require an email from us for every contact we make with the policyholder, and another will do everything via an instant messenger. We then have our own system to update for our own control. I am regularly told (by my daughter!) that we are an analogue company in a digital world, and I guess that any person or business who has to carry out a physical service does fit this description to a greater or lesser extent. From the point of view of our own business, it only adds to our ability to give better service: • Faster reporting • Quicker raising of queries and quicker resolution • Better quality and a greater volume of images (before and after) • Better retention of information • Easier for all parties to be kept in the loop • Safer conditions as we sample the particulates in the air where we are working. Chris Edwards: There is certainly a growing number of platforms out there as technology continues to evolve and new pioneers develop advanced and more creative ways of managing claims. I believe there is a great deal of competition between the varying platforms, but I would certainly say that this competition is healthy to ensure that companies can obtain a platform that works best for their business. For example, one claims management system might have all of the functionality required for a particular company, but for another there are areas of it that don’t fit how they work, so they’ll look to something else. Who is to say that one of those systems is better than the other? The other question is, do you choose a bespoke system or an off-the-shelf package? Again, one will suit one business but not another. It’s a bit like Betamax and VHS. Both have benefits and drawbacks but, unlike VHS, I am not sure the industry will adopt just one standard platform or that it is right to do so. James Parsons: Whenever I think of technology, I try to adopt the mindset of my two teenage daughters, both of whom expect everything to work using their mobile phone. As young adults their phones are key to all aspects of daily living and they are totally put out if they can’t make things work via a mobile app. If I apply this mindset to a customer making a claim, the question is what would a customer want to have access to? It could be live data on how their home is drying, where a technician is on their journey and when they are scheduled to arrive, or when a replacement item is due to be delivered. You have to maintain a positive mindset with regard to how technology can help optimise the work we do, anticipate customer needs, and deliver a platform that complements this approach. Where I think there’s still room for improvement is in connecting platform participants – bringing the multiple suppliers who regularly feature in a claim setting together onto one single platform. The use of different platforms in the supply chain process only serves to make life harder for a customer, who has to navigate differently designed systems. It highlights a lack of synergy between the competing platforms that, in my view, hinders more widespread universal thinking when it comes to designing a customer friendly model. BDMA EXECUTIVE BDMA EXECUTIVE09 BDMA EXECUTIVE BDMA EXECUTIVE Adam Waters WHAT IS THE CURRENT UNMET NEED WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY? Adam Waters: There are three areas: one that gives you long weekends, sunny days and a fridge that always has a cold glass of Prosecco waiting for you when you get in! One that allows for seeing into the future so you can plan all of your routes to different jobs in the same area. One that could forecast surge events. Although this is a double-edged sword – it could be bad for the restoration business! Chris Edwards: We are definitely lacking integration between systems. Enabling each one to talk to the other to provide a slicker customer journey is something that I believe is untapped. A stumbling block to this integration, however, is the issues around information security systems. I’m also not sure that having it all in one place is really the answer as we all know technology can often fail, and if it all fails at once where would we be? James Parsons: Not far around the corner, I’m sure, is an easy-to-use operating platform that customers can log-on to, and it will pull together all suppliers needed on a claim in one easy-to-navigate space, where all parties have access and can update the progress of their respective area of the claim on the fly. At present, the ever increasing need to keep sensitive customer information secure does tend to conspire against the vision of sharing information across a supply chain. The question is, will there be a future where this can be held securely to enable this one platform approach to prevail? James ParsonsChris EdwardsNext >