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< PreviousBDMA TRAINING NEWS 10 LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT To view all our training dates, please visit: https://bdma.org.uk/training-and-education/#training-calendar Upcoming Training Dates Core Damage Management for Claims Practitioners Virtual Training and Examination The course aims to provide delegates with basic knowledge of Damage Management procedures and best practice in line with the BDMA Standards. Date: 18/08/2021 Core Damage Management – Technician & Claims Practitioner Classroom Training The course aims to provide delegates with basic knowledge of Damage Management procedures and best practice in-line with the BDMA Standards. Date: 07/09/2021 The Correct Use and Interpretation of Moisture Meters Classroom Training The course aims to: • Gain a better insight to the operations and functions of different types of moisture meter • Understand the correlation between different meter readings on different materials • Improve consistency and standards across the drying industry. Date: 05/10/2021 Core Damage Management for Insurers and Loss Adjusters Virtual Training and Examination The course aims to provide delegates with an understanding of core Damage Management best practice as delivered by professional practitioners. Date: 06/10/2021 Core Damage Management – Senior Technician Classroom Training The course aims to identify Damage Management procedures, protocols and techniques relevant to complex scenarios and the management of activity at a senior level, in line with BDMA Standards. Dates: 11/11/2021 The BDMA has continued to adapt, reinvent, and transform the way it delivers its programme of formal structured training. The approach we have taken is to put our members at the heart of what we do, and we continue to develop our accreditation learning pathways to raise standards in the Damage Management industry. Since starting our digital journey, we continue to listen to our members and use their feedback to provide them with the necessary support and resources to aid the progress of their career in our industry. The response from our members to our new virtual instructor-led training and online exams is reflected in the unprecedented demand for our courses since the beginning of 2021. We would like to say a sincere thank you to all who have taken part in our training courses and examinations, and to those who continue to support the BDMA. Demand for Training Because of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic we accelerated the development of virtual classroom training, along with the expansion of our online learning through the BDMA e-Academy. Throughout 2021, we have successfully held a course almost every week and have delivered the highest ever number of training and examination sessions in Q1 and Q2. Claims Practitioner Online Training Course Earlier this year, we developed the capability to deliver our popular in-house Claims Practitioner training online and delivered our first ever public Claims Practitioner virtual training courses. After a successful launch, we have since released two new dates to meet the demand and interest of our members. Some feedback from our most recent Claims Practitioner course: “Good training, clearly outlined and explained, enjoyed the two days on the course very much.” “The staff from the BDMA must be credited for their enthusiasm and input. The course leader was very entertaining with a vast reservoir of knowledge. The contents learnt will be put to good practice.” Online Examinations In June 2021, we launched our first online Level 1 Technician examination. We have now announced a date in October for our first mixed category online exam which is open to candidates wanting to achieve Level 1 Technician, Insurance Technician or Claims Practitioner accreditation.11 Introducing Greg French, Managing Director of Davis French & Associates and a former Chairman of the BDMA. BDMA EXECUTIVE BDMA EXECUTIVE INVOLVEMENT WITH THE BDMA The Damage Management industry’s use of technology has improved greatly and the BDMA has played an important role in that through the development of professional standards. I was part of the original thought process behind the association and was there at the very first meeting. We were looking to import a version of the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) that they had in the United States. We brought five companies into the same room who were rivals when it came to competing for work but could see the benefit of coming together to improve the levels of professionalism in the industry. From the outset it was never a trade association for the betterment of the companies involved – it has always been for the betterment of the individual practitioners out in the field. It was a lot of hard work in the early stages, writing the syllabuses and setting the exams. I served as the second BDMA Chairman during my time at Belfor, which actively supported the association in gaining momentum. I re-joined the BDMA Executive a few years ago as Chair of the Commercial Operations Special Interest Group and have developed the qualification for Commercial Technicians. Looking to the future, I think everything is going to become more interconnected through technology, there will be changes in the frequency of events and their severity, and who’s providing the insurance could change – if Amazon is providing services to your home, it could step up to offer insurance. This could lead to disruption in the way insurance is sold, the way claims are handled and how Damage Management companies are notified. We also have to look at making things much more sustainable. On residential claims, the biggest carbon impact is the wholesale gutting of a house and bringing in new materials, but if there’s no need for strip out, then don’t – it makes the whole situation more sustainable and environmentally friendly. For the BDMA, going forward it’s about supporting the ways of doing things right now but also preparing for change. It’s a case of embracing it and not feeling threatened by it. It will happen and you just need to come up with new ways of making yourself attractive so that people will continue to use you.” MEET THE BDMA EXECUTIVE BOARD Your background: “After studying materials science at Manchester University, I started my working life in a research and development role for Chloride Batteries. Being blessed with quite a short attention span, I found it was a bit like watching paint dry; I couldn’t face waiting years for another project to come to fruition. More by accident than design, I ended up working in Damage Management, having answered a job ad in New Scientist magazine. It was for the restoration of electronics after fire and flood, and I began a week after the Great Storm of 1987. It’s been an adventure ever since then. My academic training has allowed me to apply scientific principles to decontamination and bring a technical perspective to our work. The beauty is that the variety is endless – you’ve no idea what or who you’re going to be dealing with. For the past 30 years, in the UK and around the world, I’ve worked with fires, floods, hurricanes and explosions. I’ve still got shards of glass in my hand from responding to the IRA bombings in London and Manchester. I have met a variety of people when they are at their moment of greatest crisis. Even in corporate environments, people are super- stressed, and being able to use your experience – being able to help solve their problems and get them up and running again – is very satisfying. Greg French12 GUEST FEATURE EQUIPPED FOR WHAT COMES NEXT GUEST FEATURE 1. How has the pandemic changed the game for equipment suppliers? Billy Cooke: In terms of hire, the pandemic continues to affect things in three distinct ways. Firstly, we had to almost re-write the procedural playbook in terms of social distancing, sanitization and quality control (QC) to comply with legislation and go about our day-to-day operations safely. Secondly, the pandemic caused a short in the supply chain, with manufacturers facing delays in the importation of parts, materials and machines. The need for forward planning has been crucial, and in our line of business, hire has been a helpful interim stop gap for customers purchasing machines who face long delays. Finally, we are seeing a steady rise in the cost of living, which may lead to pressure on inflation and, consequently, interest rates. This may have an adverse effect on consumer confidence and companies’ ability or confidence to invest. We will almost certainly see a situation where the combination of a lack of components and inflation may force manufacturers to increase their prices, making hiring an even more attractive proposition. Paul Brown: Legend Brands Europe hasn’t really seen any changes during the pandemic. Customers still require equipment, we have continued to supply and support the industry throughout, and we will continue to do so. In fact, this past year has seen an increase in demand for our equipment throughout the markets we service. Simon Robinson: Initially we found it very difficult to get in touch with any key decision makers, and although it still can be challenging, things have eased slightly. Travel restrictions also didn’t help, and we have had to implement multiple new ways of meeting people and demonstrating our products. Daniel Ruell: The pandemic has brought with it many challenges. Typically, we spend a lot of time face-to-face with customers on site, but the last 12 months hasn’t allowed this. Our main focus has been to make sure our business was secure through this period and to keep our skilled workforce in place. We are very happy to say we have been able to do this and now we are seeing a period of extended growth. Neale Vickery: We have observed greater interest in, and use of, remote monitoring options. Corroventa created our Supervision remote monitoring system to reduce the number of technician visits to site and during the epidemic, when we have been trying to reduce the amount of person-to- person contact, it has come in to its own. Martin Gray: Apart from the obvious consequence of there being less business to go around, the pandemic has had unexpected impacts. Almost counter-intuitively, the cost of raw materials has rocketed since December. Transport costs are up three-fold and Brexit has created more costs between the UK and Europe. Microchips are now on long lead-times and the labour cost in China continues to climb rapidly. To compound matters further, in refrigerant restoration dehumidifiers, R410a gas has been banned since January 1 st for environmental reasons in favour of R290. This will mean servicing any R410a stock will become increasingly more expensive until they are completely banned in 2025. In short, for manufacturers there is a serious cost burden right now, and on the sales side, the market is certainly not as big for replacement restoration kit as it was – customers have struggled with restoration revenues falling. Alan James: In January 2020, new F-gas legislation came into effect, and while manufacturers were hard at work finalising designs and launching new versions of equipment, we found ourselves in a position where workers were sent home and our direct access to customers was heavily restricted or cut-off. The bread and butter of the business development role is to nurture personal relationships, provide hands-on support, and enable knowledge transfer relating to new technologies. We were forced to adapt quickly, with face-to- face meetings moving to Skype, Teams, Zoom and even WhatsApp or Facebook messaging services. A selection of leading equipment suppliers reflect on the impact of the pandemic and look ahead to the innovations that will define the post-COVID restoration landscape.GUEST FEATURE WHAT COMES NEXT Billy Cooke, Edge Group Paul Brown, Legend Brands Europe Simon Robinson, Alorair Daniel Ruell, DBK Neale Vickery, Corroventa Martin Gray, Ecor Pro Alan James, Dantherm 2. What is the biggest hurdle (legislative or otherwise) you face today? Billy Cooke: Importing goods post-Brexit has become trickier and more time consuming. Paul Brown: The biggest challenges we have faced have been with the new F-gas regulations and the impact Brexit has had on supporting EU customers. Availability of raw materials and parts along with the increases seen across the globe in freight costs have impacted everyone. Availability of containers to ship our products in from the U.S. has also been a real problem, but we are managing this reasonably well now. Price increases have been inevitable, but we have managed to absorb most of these to lessen the impact on our customers. Simon Robinson: The biggest hurdle at the moment is Brexit and trying to buy products from Europe. Trying to export is a bit of a nightmare too – prices for freight have gone through the roof. Daniel Ruell: The biggest hurdle has been procurement of materials. With a ramp up in demand from our customers, we have seen even more pressure on a creaking supply chain caused primarily by the pandemic. DBK has done its best to absorb price increases and keep our product ranges competitively priced, but the extended lead times have caused a lot of work. We now have plans in place to mitigate these issues and are coping with the increased demand. 14 GUEST FEATURE GUEST FEATURE Neale Vickery: The equipment supplier industry is constantly changing and we, as a company and as individuals, must accept the change and look for opportunities to improve in everything we do. At the beginning of 2020, the F-gas regulations came into force and all our units from 2020 onwards were compliant with this requirement. There is then the requirement to have MID energy-compliant meters on all our equipment, and we now have tamper-proof energy counters to ensure that accurate energy consumption figures are produced and recorded. Martin Gray: Ecor Pro’s biggest – and perhaps only - hurdle is an ongoing one: changing the traditional mindset of customers. I’m dyslexic but I don’t need to read a business book to know that most of your business problems simply disappear if you sell more. Once people use our equipment, they understand what it is, feel the quality, and they come round to the fact it’s pretty good. Alan James: Our markets extend beyond water damage restoration and the F-gas changes had a significant impact on the diverse range of products we deliver. At the same time, we now find ourselves in an incredibly difficult position with the global supply chain – raw material and freight costs have increased exponentially, lead times are increasing on components and there are shortages in supply. We have taken steps to mitigate these risks for customers, but the long-term view is that these constraints are not going to ease in the latter stages of 2021, particularly if we see further outbreaks of COVID-19. 3. What will be the next innovation and how will it benefit the industry? Billy Cooke: The next innovation will be how policyholders can access various types of insurance cover. Potentially, we could see some of the huge players, such as Amazon, try to access this market and simplify the process completely. There is also still too much jargon surrounding insurance cover and it confuses people – we may see legislation that changes this together with, I hope, the end of cash settlement. Paul Brown: Product development is always a high priority and Legend Brands is currently working on several new product projects that will benefit the industry, including dehumidifiers, air movers, indoor air quality and cleaning portables and chemicals. Simon Robinson: We have two new products arriving shortly that are directly linked to the pandemic. The first is the Pure AiroPro, which is an air scrubber with a built in UV-C light that helps kill bacteria and viruses as the air moves through the machine. We are also just about to introduce two ozone machines which are excellent at killing viruses, leave no residue, are easy to use and have no additional requirements for ongoing costs (unlike fogging). Daniel Ruell: We have new products launching into the range including a DBK Drymatic air mover. This will complement our Boost Bar and Drymatic Mats range. We are also working on another development and will be releasing information on this soon – watch this space! Neale Vickery: Corroventa is a company with innovation in its DNA – almost a tenth of our employees are involved in R&D. Our overall objective is achieving more with less – less time, less money, less resource, less energy and lower environmental impact. In 2019, at the joint ISS / Rainbow conference, we launched our new L4 range of air-cooled condensing desiccant dehumidifiers, which have the power of an A4 desiccant and the benefits of condensing pump-out operation. Then, in 2020, we launched our new A1 desiccant for smaller projects. We have further new products coming to the market in the very near future. Martin Gray: Whatever we are missing from our range we are either putting into production or having designed. We are fast to make decisions. Our new EPD170LGR was created based on a meeting last summer with a customer’s senior technician who worked close to my home in Newcastle. He, in effect, designed our LGR product in a ten-minute conversation. The EPTB2 RESTO turbine is coming, as is the EPD300 RESTO desiccant. Alan James: Over the last decade, remote monitoring and remote control of equipment has been a technology that existed but never reached its full potential. Now that momentum has been gained, the expectation is that it will be difficult to stop. We are incredibly excited by the opportunities we are involved with and look forward to bringing some new innovations to market in the coming months. In parallel, we have seen a huge increase in technologies designed to remove airborne particulates and viruses. After a year of wearing face coverings, washing our hands constantly, and sanitising every surface, we are all more aware of the environment around us and this has increased the level of sensitivity towards things such as air quality. 4. COVID will have required you to work differently. What changes will you keep in the new normal, and which ones will you lose? Billy Cooke: The obvious ones will be more use of virtual meetings, which are less time consuming and kinder to the environment. With the ability to hold several meetings per day rather than blasting round the motorways all day for one or two face-to- face meetings, could we be seeing the end of the salesman’s car in return for an IT or home electric use allowance? The other key area is around flexible working from home, and understanding how this works in terms of productivity, employee performance and job satisfaction. It’s about balance; teams need to have some human contact from time to time. Paul Brown: I believe a lot of the precautions we’re currently taking will continue for some time to come, and this is the right thing to do for the ongoing safety of everyone. Meetings, customer visits and travel will be kept to a minimum and will only happen in situations that demand this type of interaction. Conference calls will continue to be a big part of our daily working lives. Eventually things will start to get back to some sort of normal but that will be a slow and careful process. EQUIPPED FOR WHAT COMES NEXT CONT.15 GUEST FEATURE GUEST FEATURE Simon Robinson: Hopefully we will lose the masks as voices can be muffled, but the social distancing measures and also the more frequent handwashing and sanitising are good practices to keep. Regarding meetings, I think we can do better with some more Teams / Skype / Zoom / Facetime style calls as this will help reduce carbon footprints as well as travel time. Daniel Ruell: DBK is an international group of companies so connecting to one another outside of the office was already commonplace. Some of the departments had to take this way of working on board for the first time, but it has improved our connectivity within the company. DBK is embracing the new way of working fully. Productivity continued to be high during 2020 despite the challenges, and we finished the year strongly. We look to build on this success in 2021 and our restoration product range is a key part of that success. Neale Vickery: We now have more people with the ability to work from home and there is greater use of technology to communicate with people both inside and outside the organisation. We are running training via webinars and Zoom meetings, and we have revamped our training offering through the Corroventa Academy. We have also been able to continue offering our expertise and on-site support via mobile systems and devices using apps such as WhatsApp. We have arranged conference meetings with insurance surveyors, insurers and ourselves to discuss and agree drying regimes with only the technician being on site. This has led to a huge saving in time and costs, and appointments have been significantly easier to co-ordinate, resulting in a speedier resolution. I believe we will continue to take advantage of the benefits that technology has brought us, but we are looking forward to being able to go and meet our clients face-to-face again. Martin Gray: People have realised how much wasted time there was travelling to “meetings”. Zoom and Teams have meant that face-to-face conversations are easier to arrange and less formal, so more productive. In the third quarter, we will start to see the impact of the end of furlough, unemployment rising and optimism in the market correcting itself as the housing market corrects itself. Businesses may look even harder at capital expenditure and then we become, more and more, the most logical choice. Alan James: My work life has changed dramatically as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Historically, I would probably spend 80% of my working week out on the road visiting customers – WDR is not an industry where hiding behind a desk five days a week delivers results. COVID-19 has forced us to find new ways to communicate and retain these relationships, from increasing the number of phone calls (or video calls) to the creation of forums or WhatsApp groups that help share information in ways which were probably never utilised before. We all know that leaks are a costly business, with Escape of Water [EoW] claims dominating many discussions between Damage Management companies and insurers. ‘Prevention-as-a-Service’ technology is based on internet-connected sensors, which detect leaks by feeding information on water temperature, flow rate, pressure and humidity into a central data- processing platform. The use of machine learning algorithms and data, then cross-referencing it with typical usage patterns can provide intelligent insights into possible leaks. As soon as a leak is detected, these systems can automatically cease water supply through links to shut-off valves or trigger a rapid response from Damage Management experts to keep the impact to a minimum. In commercial environments, such as hotels, this technology aims to identify the specific location and nature of a leak, enabling it to be controlled in isolation rather than causing more widespread disruption through a blanket water shut-off. By following the rule that prevention is better than cure, technologies such as this have clear advantages for property owners and tenants, but it is an approach that also benefits stakeholders in the insurance supply chain. Early detection and rapid response minimise the amount of replacement required and is estimated to reduce overall costs by 70%. Fanny Jonsson of Hiotlabs explains: “If a leak can be stopped from happening, you are saving a lot of money, time, disruption and CO 2 emissions, but if it does happen, we can ensure things are managed a lot faster. There’s instant notification so we can have people on-site and starting the restoration work as soon as possible, handling the situation in the best possible way.” While solutions are retrofittable, Fanny says it represents a logical progression to integrate this level of leak prevention into the fabric of modern connected properties, where it would sit alongside systems for fire detection, security and maintenance. With this in mind, we need open APIs for integration into centralised building management systems to enhance the information and control available to Facility Management teams. Uptake of data-driven leak-detection systems will depend to some extent on the appetite among users to share data, with GDPR having heightened consumer awareness in this area in recent years. However, Fanny expects these concerns to be outweighed over time by the system’s benefits, not just in protecting against leaks but also protecting the environment by reducing water losses, encouraging restoration over replacement, and avoiding the carbon costs of replacing fixtures and materials. To date, getting a meaningful handle on available property and water usage data has prevented such an intelligent approach. But as the technology evolves, the data improves and the algorithms deliver ever smarter insights, the signs are that Damage Management companies are poised to provide an even more efficient, more responsive service in the future. Fanny concludes: “The majority of insurance companies today are sitting with a lot of data. That’s where you can bring in artificial intelligence and machine learning to facilitate treatment of that data and obtain insights that will drive underwriting, premiums and restoration responses.” SPECIALIST CONTENTS RESTORATION Call 0800 019 9990 for a no obligation quotation www.harwellrestoration.co.uk Supporting BDMA members throughout the UK o Documents o Books o Photos o Artwork o Ceramics o Antiques Shortlist – British Insurance Awards 2021 Winner – Business Continuity 2020 & InsurancePOST Claims Awards 2020 Awards: 16 GUEST FEATURE GUEST FEATURE SENSING AN OPPORTUNITY by fanny Jonsson Fanny Jonsson17 advertorial advertorial When MA Group acquired Revival in February 2019 it made a commitment to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds into Revival to simplify and modernise the business. MA Group set out a roadmap that covered training, systems and processes, infrastructure and technology and hired the right people to help implement the programme. Two years later, Revival is fully integrated into MA Group and has made significant progress along its technological roadmap. Revival now uses MA Group’s core claims management platform, Pulse, which is used by all of the business units in the group. This underpins a key part of MA Group’s strategy – to provide an integrated, seamless service that enhances the customer journey and delivers value for money to insurers. Scoper has been an important part of the technological changes within Revival. This award-winning, bespoke, mobile scoping and validation app was developed by MA Group’s in-house experts a few years ago for surveyors working on property claims validation and scoping. It was developed with a clear understanding of customers and insurance clients’ needs, as well as the requirements of field-based suppliers. It is fully integrated into Pulse, creating significant efficiencies for staff, technicians and suppliers and is helping to minimise claim life cycles and improve the customer experience. Now Scoper is used in the field by Revival technicians to create initial reports and estimates, risk assessments and customer satisfaction questionnaires – all of which are transmitted back to Pulse from site and automatically loaded onto the relevant claim file. Within minutes photographs, video, voice recordings and documents can be viewed on the claim file, and accurate priced scopes of works are populated within Pulse, ready for validation and approval. Being able to create estimates and reports on site that are securely transmitted back to the office creates real efficiencies for Revival. The Scoper app is also used to collect moisture readings from site, which are again automatically transmitted to Pulse where they can be viewed and checked. This allows office staff to quickly validate whether the appropriate measurements are being taken and whether a drying regime is even needed. This technology has brought significant benefits to Revival and its branches: • Administration for technicians and office staff has been reduced – no more re-keying of data and manually uploading photographs and documents; • Reports, scopes, photographs and meter readings are logged on Pulse in real time, allowing quicker validations and approvals; and • Greater efficiencies increase capacity and productivity. The next part of the technological roadmap for Revival will involve monitoring drying regimes using data and algorithms to ensure the most efficient and effective drying processes are used, alerting office staff and technicians when a regime is not performing as predicted. We expect this to create significant indemnity savings for clients. MA Group is also developing Scoper to log equipment usage so that the branches know exactly where each piece of equipment is and can clearly demonstrate how long it has been on site. This will help increase capacity and, when combined with the predictive drying technology that we are developing, will create a world class drying service that makes the most of technology for all elements of the process. USING TECHNOLOGY TO SIMPLIFY AND MODERNISE Well-designed technology can bring huge benefits to any business. In drying restoration we have seen significant improvements in drying equipment where manufacturers have invested heavily in technological improvements for dehumidifiers and other equipment, but there has been less focus on technology when it comes to the process and science of drying. David Shimwell, Account Development Director for Revival, explains how Revival IS using technology to simplify and modernise the business.Instantly Share Photos, Reports, and More on One Platform FIELD DOCUMENTATION MADE EASY Encircle helps restoration contractors accurately document in the field with easy-to-use tools. Save time and money with contents documentation, homeowner communication, and instant reporting. Find out how we make managing claims easy. REQUEST A DEMO TODAY 00-1-519-279-6830 sales@encircleapp.com GETENCIRCLE.COM/BDMA 18 GUEST FEATUREGUEST FEATURE GUEST FEATURE GUEST FEATURE 5 QUESTIONS ON TECHNOLOGY WITH… PETE BROWN (BDMA SENTECH), BELFOR UK'S TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER, shares his thoughts on energy-efficient equipment, protecting the environment and the importance of education. What has been the technology that has created the most effective impact on job cycle times? While the science behind dehumidifier technology – both refrigerant and desiccant – has almost reached its peak, the application of this technology is still developing and becoming “adjusted and fine-tuned”. By better targeting the area that needs to be dried and focusing on the energy created in the process, it can not only reduce the lifecycle for water damage claims but may also decrease the need for strip-out works and reduce our carbon footprint by not sending waste to landfill. What is the key consideration for specifying technology? Efficiency, cost, CO 2 output etc. I like to look at the efficiency of the equipment to make sure the correct piece of technology is being specified for the specific claim in hand. The big thing at the moment is power usage, looking at how we can reduce consumption but get a comparable end result. In areas such as cleaning, technology is always changing, with new chemicals being developed to be more environmentally friendly thanks to the use of chemical-free cleaning agents. Again, these are developments that are both good for the environment and good for clients. What and where can restoration technologies be improved? To be honest, the restoration industry can come up with any number of innovative ideas but unfortunately cost plays a major part – pricing structures can limit the use of the most current cleaning technologies. Making some of this technology more efficient and more mobile will be beneficial to our industry. For example, ultrasonic cleaning methods can currently be bulky and use large amounts of power. Of course, having the correct skill set and access to the right training is still one of the most important aspects in improving our industry. What is the emerging restoration technology that excites you most? Equipment efficiency and power usage levels have vastly improved over the last few years. Knowing equipment is consuming less energy is a great thing; being able to keep the same performance is even better. Is there a risk that we’re prioritising technology over skills? Definitely. It’s like the old saying about having “all the gear and no idea” – you can have the best technology in the world, but it’s no good if you don’t know how to use it. All technology has its place, but it also has the risk of pricing itself out of the market. Having the training and skills to be able to apply the technology is the best foundation for success. 1 2 4 5 619 advertorial advertorial ENCIRCLE IS TRANSFORMING FIELD-BASED DOCUMENTATION FOR RESTORATION CONTRACTORS Encircle, the all-in-one field documentation tool, is disrupting the damage insurance industry by changing how restoration contractors capture data in the field. Restorers are replacing manual pen and paper processes with a mobile app that allows them to document damages quickly and accurately. In fact, as soon as a restoration contractor arrives on site, they can start documenting pre-existing conditions, cause of loss, and affected areas within a few taps on their phone. Simplifying data capture in the field enables restorers to tell adjusters and insurance clients a complete story of the loss, allowing them to build trust and help adjusters understand the severity of the damage and the steps the restorer took to mitigate it. “We’re proud to have created a reliable tool that helps harmonise all parties' understanding of the loss. This is a win-win for both insurers and restorers as they work together to deliver exceptional customer service,” notes Paul Donald, CEO of Encircle. Moreover, Encircle is changing how Damage Management companies are managing contents pack-outs. Instead of writing everything on paper and searching for replacement values manually, restorers are using the Encircle Mobile App to quickly and accurately document items, dispositions, and pre-existing conditions to organise pack-outs and reduce their liability. Even better, Encircle helps restorers find the replacement value for items in half the time it would have taken if done manually, all while including a link to support that value in a report. Plus, all photos and notes are organised and labelled to help restoration contractors easily create comprehensive reports and inventory listings within a few clicks. Additionally, Encircle is innovating on how restorers organise all the data they collect. All photos, notes, and more that are captured on the Encircle Mobile App are instantly available on the Encircle Web App. Office admins no longer have to wait for documents and photos to physically return to the office to start creating estimates and reports – both field and office teams can work together in real-time. Furthermore, by digitising manual processes, Encircle promotes trust and transparency among restoration contractors, policyholders, and adjusters with detailed documentation that clearly illustrates the severity of the damages, any pre-existing conditions, and how the damages were mitigated and rebuilt. Plus, all Encircle PDF reports are dynamic, meaning all the photos, sketches, and videos can be clicked on to be viewed in greater detail. In addition, Encircle is changing how restorers manage their resources. Before Encircle, restorers would receive a call, and based on the policyholder’s description of the damage, restorers would estimate how many techs and equipment to send to a job. Now restoration contractors can send policyholders a link via text or email that allows them to upload photos and videos of the damage directly to the Encircle Platform without having to download an app, providing remote insights into the loss. Restorers can review the photos in real-time to assess the severity of the damage to avoid ‘no claim’ situations, send the right personnel and equipment the first time, and triage claims in a CAT before even arriving on site. In these challenging times, Encircle supports social distancing by allowing techs to send and receive digitised forms and documents to get immediate sign-off on work authorisations and certificates of satisfaction without having to visit the location physically. Collecting signatures remotely enables restoration contractors to get the documentation they need while moving on to the next job. Trusted by Damage Management companies around the world, Encircle is a leading all-in-one field documentation tool. Learn more at www.getencircle.com/BDMANext >