Industry Tips | iRestore Restoration Software

Restoring Success: How to Effectively Use Lists for Restoration Operations

Posted on May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 by iRestore

By Lisa Lavender M.T.R., M.F.S.R., M.W.R.

Photo credit: eyfoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

May 8, 2023

For nearly 23 years in the industry, I have been making lists. All kinds of lists: supply lists, task lists, inspection lists, to-do lists, lists of lists that need to be made. After all these years, I am still making lists but with new eyes, knowledge, skills, and inspiration.

Over the years, I had moments of frustration and thought, “no more lists!” I have had a few rants: “Do not make another list because I probably already made it!” I have pondered the use of lists after they were made. Some of the lists fall into the category of “they don’t work if we don’t use it.”

If you are in this industry, you likely use a list, made a list, planned to make a list, or want a list. You may have experienced some list frustration. Where does our list passion come from? I have had the opportunity to have some great collaborative conversations with some of my restoration friends, and during one conversation I was referred to the book, The Checklist Manifesto, How to Get things Right, Autl Gawande. The following book review gave me goosebumps: “An electrifying manifesto that pairs the most advanced medical science with the humblest of tools: the checklist….” Donna Seaman, Booklist. The title alone tells us where our list passion is found, “How to Get things Right.” Summary: “…Atul Gawande makes a compelling argument that we can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist….how they could bring about striking improvements in a variety of fields, from medicine and disaster recovery to professions and businesses of all kinds…”

Lists are widely adopted tools in many sectors and well-developed, accessible lists can be valuable job aids that help our teams succeed and improve our operational outcomes. I am always inspired by my military veteran restoration friends. Not only is their service to our country an inspiration but also the experiences, ideas and strategies from their military background being applied to restoration operations.

I asked a process-driven military veteran and restoration business owner who I admire to share his thoughts on lists. Chris Sanford, MBA, Navy Veteran Business Owner, PuroClean Disaster Restoration Services:

“I believe lists are critical to help prioritize and maximize what one can accomplish in a defined period of time. For more than 23 years in the Navy while on active duty and now in the reserves, I have kept a “wheel book,” aka notebook, by my side or on my person and each one is filled with a list of tasks for each day. I’ve broken pages up into tasks for me, emails to write, calls to make, and tasks to assign. I also use different color pens to differentiate normal vs urgent tasks. I’ve tried different digital solutions, but haven’t been able to switch over completely. Bottom line: every successful officer I have met in the military uses lists extensively to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. I also appreciate a good checklist, which is a specific type of list that can be a template used to perform a routine task without missing a step over and over, or a one-time-use checklist for a specific event or project. If you are really into lists for larger events and projects, Google “Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM),” it’s a list on steroids. . .the military loves lists! I have incorporated this into my business and encourage our staff to use both task lists, reminder lists, and checklists each and every day.”

If you have struggled to make lists to serve as job aids, you are not alone. As you read The Checklist Manifesto, you will gain valuable insight and knowledge regarding the use of lists, the expertise, and the development process. Today, I collaborate with our teams to make job aids to use in our own operations, as training tools, and for the restorers we serve. Below is a glimpse of the variety of efforts which also resulted in our internal joke of making things simple is not so simple.

Textile Sorting Chart: Took about two weeks and many iterations. After testing it, it needed to be adjusted several times.
Water Truck Inventory List: 97 items, only basic items, 3 months of perfecting the list and formatting for practical use and implementation.
Basic Water Loss – Day 1 Simple Steps: Not simple to make simple steps. Approximately 3 months, many iterations, and resulted in 17 Simple Steps, with some reminder bullets.

Why is it so hard? It is a discipline with a series of best practices. This is important because the reality is all job aids, lists, are not created equally. I dug into the archives and as a young restoration company operator, I found my documents that were meant to be job aids were wordy documents that ranged from 300- to 1,000-word, single spaced, documents. This was the source of the problem. This was not an effective approach to giving the tools to the team that I was trying to create. They would be fine in a comprehensive manual but not serve as job aids. Here are a few tips (checklist) to help you develop and/or implement lists as job aids.

Simple: Be extremely concise. It is not a replacement for training and experience. I can attest that this is a very difficult element to conquer.
Format and Approach: There are a variety of approaches from a simple checklist to a flow chart. Example: How to Train Someone is an 8-Step Flow Chart
Design: The graphic design, font, colors, and imagery should all be considered.
Test: Test your list/job aid. Your first iteration may have missed something. This is part of the development process.
Incorporate the use of the lists and company expectations in your training and development initiatives.
Accessibility: The team must have access to the lists & job aides. It may be digital, attached to assignments, paper hanging in the warehouse, truck, or placed strategically like putting a PPE Bag Inventory List on the bag itself.

May using lists bring you much Restoring Success.

KEYWORDS: employee training how to increase restoration

How to Train Someone From Outside or Inside the Restoration Industry

Posted on March 4, 2022March 4, 2022 by iRestore

employee onboarding — March 3, 2022. Lisa Lavender M.T.R., M.F.S.R., M.W.R.

Hiring outside the industry brings fresh ideas to your organization. It is a necessity for overcoming labor shortages and has many other advantages like avoiding the need to overcome bad habits that sometimes come with experience. You have a clean slate to train. So, now what?

Over the years, I have been asked the how and what of training a new person. I know everyone who has asked this question wants an easy answer like, “Send them to water restoration technician (WRT) training and then send them to ‘X’.” My answer typically involves me walking them through a simple series of questions.

Training a new person for success is not quite as simple as we may want. However, it can be simplified. When approached deliberately and applied consistently, setting up a new hire for success can be done and produce desired outcomes for both the company and employee. The first tip is that it should be a part of a developed on onboarding program. Are you on board with employee onboarding?

Next, I present the idea of a personalized learning path. In the context of the workplace, it is best defined as the “Learning Paths Methodology,” which, since 1993, has been applied as an employee training approach. It is touted as reducing time to proficiency by more than 30% in every case, across employees of diverse roles. As Learning Paths International explains, “A Learning Path is the series of learning activities that go from day one to proficiency. These activities include formal training, practice, experience and more.” The three principles of the employee training methodology include: 1) Learning as a process – not an event – extending beyond the classroom, 2) Knowing and doing are different things, 3) Training should be by design rather than by accident.

Learning paths provide a transparent and deliberate approach to the training process. At Restoration Technical Institute (RTI), the concept is a cornerstone to how we help companies with their training programs. Identifying gaps and needs helps individuals and companies achieve their goals. It is a basis for our development of curriculum so that needed resources are available and accessible. You can learn more about learning paths and other training technology at Learning Today with RTILearning.com.

Steps to Develop Personal Learning Paths for Training Success

Determine the training objective. What is the desired outcome? You can approach this a few different ways. As you build the plan, keep in mind the complexity of the path will be based on the individual, their capabilities and limitations, as well as the desired outcome. Examples:
1. By task: Fire structure clean, extract water
2. By key function: Run a water loss, schedule coordination
3. By job title: Project manager, lead technician
Identify skills and experiences needed to meet objectives. It will be challenging to develop an effective training path if there is no clarity regarding the skills and experiences required for the objective. In “A New Tech Under Your Wing,” one of the tips calls for the use of a training guide or matrix. The matrix will allow you and your team to consistently apply a specific set of desired skills and proficiencies. It can also be a tool for the trainee to engage and have clarity on the requirements.Be sure to capture all the training necessary: Technical skills, soft skills, computer, software, equipment, products, safety and other specific company processes, etc. A brief example for a lead technician may have these elements:
- Perform the following on water losses > 5,000 square feet
  - Calculate equipment and layout drying plan
  - Map and monitor
  - Remove baseboard, cove base, insulation, drywall
  - Set up equipment
- Lead and supervise a crew of up to five people
- Proficiency in using company software
- Ability to communicate progress, changes and meaningful information to property owners
- Completed on-the-job training by successfully engaging in:
  - Clearly defined experiences
  - Use of equipment/products/other
- Account for company-specific training requirements that may include but are not limited to:
  - Standard operating procedures
  - Software and systems
  - Formal and informal processes
Inventory the skills of the individual. An inventory of the skills and capabilities the individual has may be determined by a combination of the following: Previous job experiences, credentials/certifications/degrees, assessment testing, skillful interviewing, etc.
Determine the training and experiences required. This can be viewed as a mathematical equation: Skills needed – skills present = training needed. An example of this may be an estimator from outside the industry who came to you with experience equivalent to the skills needed in sketching a building. Sketching may be a skill required for the position of the estimator, and this was accounted for in the individual’s inventory.
Path the training and timelines. Now that we know what the training needs are, we can lay them out, correlate timelines, and facilitate a path based on the individual and the criteria established.
Celebrate and recognize the milestones along the path. A learning culture and engaging the new person on their training journey is of great importance. It encourages everyone to celebrate and support each other’s learning and growth.
Review and adjust the path, if necessary. The idea is to make this personalized for the learner while meeting all company objectives. As an example, you may have pathed a water technician to learn to extract > set equipment > monitor > basic demo. As the learner progresses, you may notice that the monitoring and math may not be the best next training step after learning to set equipment. You then adjust and change the path to basic demo.
Celebrate the outcome! Following a basic system of training in your company will help you achieve consistency and positive results.

RTI learning path — Photo credit: Restoration Technical Institute

As you develop your systems to train people from outside or inside the industry, the learning path method will bring you success. The following is a short list of some of the things needed to help you effectively and efficiently deploy:

Budget: Training is an investment in our most valued asset, our people.
Assignment of responsibility: The company must support the responsibility of managing, deploying and pathing the team’s learning initiatives.
Apprenticeship and team: Have a defined expectation and the tools to measure the outcomes of field training. Other team members should be engaged in applying a consistent and positive approach to on-the-job training.
Resources and tools: Like everything else in this industry, there is a constant evolution of technology and resources. This makes the delivery and management of training easier than ever before. According to an article in Small Business Trends, 98% of planned to use eLearning by 2020.

May using Learning Paths bring you much restoring success.

Originally published here https://www.randrmagonline.com/articles/90014-how-to-train-someone-from-outside-or-inside-the-restoration-industry

Some Things Old, New, Borrowed and Blue: Restoration Edition

Posted on November 11, 2021November 11, 2021 by iRestore

innovations in restoration — Photo credit: breakermaximus/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images.

***Lisa Lavender, M.T.R., M.F.S.R., M.W.R.***

***“To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.”*** **–Abraham Maslow**

As trainers, this quote is very powerful as it speaks to our skills, abilities, processes, technology, tools, equipment and supplies. It reminds us that we must constantly be evaluating new developments and offerings that are evolving at a rapid pace so that we can improve and advance our operations.

Employing anything new should be a conscious effort. We are offering some tips on deploying new initiatives to your organization and some of our favorite things: old, new, borrowed and blue.

This piece is a collaboration of Lisa Lavender, COO, Chuck Boutall, director of education, and John Perella, curriculum developer & trainer, with Restoration Technical Institute (RTI).

Lisa’s Light-Bulb Moment:

I recall a very specific moment when I was introduced to a new technology. I was excited to implement it in our organization. I went to a co-worker and explained enthusiastically what I wanted to buy and what it could do. He engaged me in positive dialogue and articulated to me why the cost of implementation would exceed the value. He went on to say, “Did you think about all the pieces?” I did an informal analysis in my mind, set aside my emotions and realized that it was not in our best interest to move forward.

Next, the years of what I will refer to as emotional purchasing (the management of things collecting dust or simply not providing the intended value) began to run through my head. We must be deliberate in our approach to deploying anything new!

For some, one of the most exciting aspects of the industry is the constant evolution of technology, tools and equipment, a.k.a “toys.” Employing new things can bring value in many ways, including but not limited to:

Improved efficiency and expansion of capacity
Enhancement of service and quality to those being served

Before jumping in and thinking, “Wow! That is cool! I want it! We can use it,” we offer the following tips and considerations:

Evaluating and implementing an innovation should be a specific, defined function assigned to a member or members of your team. The function should have a clearly defined expectation. A timeline for deployment should be part of the clearly defined expectation.
Always take a cost-versus-benefit approach. Be objective; it is easy to be overcome by excitement and vision, and lose focus on facts.
Consider all things that relate to anything new:
- Communicating to team: Did you ever hear a team member say, “I did not know we have that”?
- Accessibility
- Training
- Updating: Inventories, systems, SOPs, supply lists, etc.
- If applicable: Storage, maintenance, repairs, etc.
- Communication of the value added to those you serve
Develop and/or use a standardized evaluation form or process: For example, from learning the “hard way” when applicable, ask, “How are we going to keep track and inventory all the pieces?” (See “Plan for the pieces infographic below)
Gather input from the end-users. For example, if it is something that a technician in the field will utilize, listen to their feedback and engage them.

And now we present some of our favorite things: Some things old, some things new, some things borrowed and something blue.

Although this is rooted in a tradition for new brides of which the origins are thought to date back to 19^th-century England, we have adapted the meanings for our industry.

Some things old: To keep us grounded in our past and connect us to a bright future

There is an endless list of tools, technology supplies, etc. These items are both industry-specific and have broad applications, and we think they are great to have in your inventory.

Dust-collection tools, used in a variety of applications, from sanding to sawing.

Used For: Construction, water mitigation and more.
Why we like it: Improve efficiencies and results by deploying these tools. They may reduce the need for containment in dust control, cleanup efforts, and mitigate the potential of secondary issues to the structure and contents.

Self-dispensing cleaning tools, like a bucket-less mop.

Used for: Cleaning floors, windows and more.
Why we like it: Efficiency can immediately be improved. You can be more nimble while doing the related tasks as your tools and solutions are all self-contained. Depending on the task at hand, you can also improve quality.

We also point you to what remain some of our favorite “old” things presented in 2017, Restoring Success, The Odd Ball Tools in a Restorer’s Toolbox.

Some things new: Optimism for what lies ahead

For the early adopters, we found some great new things at The Experience in September 2021 that got our attention.

Phoenix Focus II Dual Axial, spreading the air with power

Used for: Ventilation and restorative drying.
Why we like it: It provides a lot of air (1,000+ CFM) and needs only 1.1 amps. It is small and lightweight, making it easy to move, clean and store. It allows us to maximize the use of space in the warehouse and vehicles. Dual-focused fans offer great dispersion of airflow.

Inflatable containment by Airwall; you must blow it up to contain it in

Used for: A wide variety of scenarios and applications, including but not limited to: Source removal; general demolition; containment of dust, debris and contaminates.
Why we like it: It is much faster and easier to deploy than your typical containment system.

Hose cleaner by Frosty’s Innovations. Does the snowman know?

Used for: Cleaning vacuum hoses.
Why we like it: Super-fast and easy way to decontaminate vacuum hoses used in cleaning, extraction and other endeavors.

Relax Saunas’ Spa. Heat up and purge out just in time for the holidays!

Used for: Removing contaminants from the human body…
Why we like it: The infrared light and heat feels good. During the session, Chuck received a great sweat-out and purging of the lymph system, and he left feeling rejuvenated! Just what a restorer needs.

Restoration of facial skin by Lola Soap. Facial restorer; look your best while you perform your best.

Used for: Wrinkle removal! Do I need to say more if you’re over 40?
Why we like it: It seems to work very well, some of us were accused of having cosmetic work done in Vegas! Designed to rebuild collagen.

KleenRite PumpOut Shield, to attach to the top of toilets.

Used for: Easily discharging water from the pump out of portable carpet cleaning or water extraction units to the sanitary sewer system.
Why we like it: If you’ve ever extracted a room of carpet, then walked into the bathroom to only discover that your discharge hose came out of the toilet or tub and deposited all the water into the bathroom, you’ll understand.

LiDAR technology: We were made aware of this technology from industry friend Cory Graves, Restoration 1, who remains on top and ahead of technology. It is important to network in the industry and share ideas.

Used for: In our industry, it is being offered in some of the new generation of devices, and is being integrated in applications for measuring and sketching spaces.
Why we like it: It allows us to improve both the quality and efficiency in gathering important information in the field when combined with easy-to-use-and-deploy applications.

Some things borrowed: To bring good fortune and luck

Once you have gone through the evaluation process, you may have concluded that it is better to borrow, i.e., rent. Whether you own these things are not, there are some things that you may always be ready to rent.

Generators

Used for: Standby, temporary and emergency power.
Why we borrow it: Generators are expensive and seldom used in our industry on a regular basis. With a high capital outlay and maintenance costs, they also require specialized skills and peripherals when utilizing on the job. When you rent, you can typically get support on the specialized skills and setup needs.

Large climate-control equipment

Used for: A wide variety of scenarios and applications including but not limited to planned outages, permanent system upgrades, construction drying and water damage restoration.
Why we borrow it: Like generators, they require a high capital outlay, often have low usage rates, and require highly skilled and experienced staff to use effectively. Storage and maintenance of these types of units may also present challenges.

Specialty surface preparation and cleaning equipment

Used for: Source removal, coatings removal, material removal and more.
Why we borrow it: In addition to the previously mentioned considerations of investment, skills and usage rates, for those who do not use this type of equipment on a regular basis or as part of your core business, it is a tool in the toolbox that is often best to rent. From the perspective of a restorer who encounters a wide range of scenarios, renting this type of equipment gives you the ability to evaluate the optimal equipment and approach for each individual project.

Something Blue: To ward off misfortune

Because we must finish with something blue…

Makita cordless cut-out saw with dust control options

Used for: Endless applications, but imagine having this ready to go on a water loss.
Why we like it: The ease and efficiency of cutting drywall on a water loss and the price point make this a great tool to keep in the arsenal.

As you embrace the old, new, borrowed and blue available to the industry, we hope it brings you much Restoring Success.

Originally published in R&R Magazine

Morale and Engagement: Built on a Foundation of Trust

Posted on July 27, 2020July 27, 2020 by iRestore

July 2, 2020

Lisa Lavender, M.T.R., M.F.S.R., M.W.R.

It is difficult to challenge the notion that good employee morale and strong engagement is important in our industry. In fact, being “happy” may be critical to our customer service. We spend much of our time at work, have 24/7 on-call rotations, and serve people who have experienced disaster, so why not do it with joy? In Is Your Organization Happy?, you will find some considerations and tips about creating a “happy” environment.

Morale and engagement are complex and have many contributing factors. Procedures, best practices, training, etc. will have limited value to your company if the individuals and team lack positive morale and are not engaged. Although there is much we can do in our day to day for Employee Morale Year Round, consider the notion that morale and engagement are built on a foundation of trust.

Trust is a big word that has many elements, synonyms, and influences in a variety of aspects of our organizations and lives. At times, there may be relationships within the organization that have voids of trust. If trust issues become widespread and unresolved or there becomes a feeling of distrust towards the organization itself, it will be challenging to successfully employ any morale-building and engagement initiatives.

Imagine for a moment…

You are with a group of people you trust and are working together, collaborating, getting things done; you probably feel good and happy. If one of these people gives you a cookie and a note thanking you for a great job, it would make you feel good, happy, and encourage you to continue to contribute to objectives or the purpose.
You are with a group of people you do not trust. The mistrust could stem from a variety of reasons, behaviors, and experiences with the people in the group and/or you may not even be clear on what is causing the mistrust; it is possibly just a feeling. If one of these people give you a cookie and note thanking you for a great job, may feel like there is an alternative motive, suspicious, and may not even want to eat the cookie!

Same gesture, same note, but different impact based on trust.

A culture filled with fear and mistrust will be a culture with a disengaged and unhappy team. Feelings of fear and mistrust could be a great motivator when perhaps running from an angry bear but imagine going to work every day feeling this way.

Start with reading “Speed of Trust” by Stephen MR Covey. If you are pressed for time and want to fast track your organization and team, watch the video: The Speed of Trust – Stephen M.R Covey @LEAD Presented by HR.com. You will gain the ability to understand, articulate, evaluate, and build trust within your organization. He presents what he refers to as three big ideas:

Trust is an Economic Driver

Trust is the #1 Competency of Leadership

Trust is a Learnable Competency

Where does it all begin? According to Covey, it starts with leadership.

#1 Job of Leaders

Inspire Trust

Give Trust

In building morale and engagement in your company, start with the foundation, trust. A person who is expected to engage in the mission, values, and goals of an organization needs to trust the organization and the leadership. As Covey breaks down the elements of trust, he lists the following “behaviors”:

1. Talk Straight
2. Demonstrate Respect
3. Create Transparency
4. Right Wrongs
5. Show Loyalty
6. Deliver Results
7. Get Better
8. Confront Reality
9. Clarify Expectation
10. Practice Accountability
11. Listen First
12. Keep Commitments
13. Extend Trust

These behaviors are a great place to start if evaluating or building your foundation of a happy, healthy, and productive work environment. The men and women in our restoration companies are the most valuable and important assets. They deserve to feel good and happy at work.

Share topics and ideas that you would like to read in future Restoring Success editions.

Happy Restoring Success.

Burnout in the Restoration Industry: Managing Workload | Part 2

Posted on December 13, 2019February 20, 2020 by iRestore

Editor’s Note:

This is the second article of a multi-part series on employee burnout in the restoration industry. Part one introduced the nature of burnout, and summarized findings from a study on burnout in the restoration industry. Part two begins a discussion on things restoration companies can do to manage one of the most complicating factors for burnout among restoration professionals – workload. Part three advances the conversation and discusses what restoration professionals can do at the individual level to manage workloads more effectively.

Nature of Workload for Restoration Companies

The nature of our industry has inherent demands and fluctuations that seem challenging to control. At any given point, a variety of circumstances from a catastrophic weather event to the loss of a staff member can have a dramatic effect on the workload of the company and the team members. It is safe to say that a career in restoration is not a 9 to 5, 40-hour per week job; however, in consideration of the findings of the burnout study, there is much to be gained by proactively managing the workloads of our team, our most valuable assets.

When we consider workload, we can look at it from two related perspectives: organizational and individual. Can solutions be found by balancing volume and capacity at both levels? In part one of this series, we will delve into some potential solutions that allow us to control volume and capacity at the company level followed by the second part, which will examine the balance at the individual level. It should be noted that these concepts are not exclusive to each other, but rather are inter-related strategies that can be considered in our efforts to reduce workload.

As we consider taking control of volume and capacity in our companies, there are added benefits of a few sound principles that apply to the effective management of our day to day operations. While avoiding the epidemic of burnout from affecting your team, we may be able to improve in our service to others and find sound economics and financial benefits.

employee burnout, restoration business management

Volume of Work

It may seem counterintuitive to control or decrease the volume of work coming into your company. You have strategized, invested, and have put great energy into having the phone ring and then we want to decrease it? At any given point, when your volume is exceeding your capacity, not only are we exposing the team to the threat of burnout, there is a risk of detrimental side effects to your reputation, customers, and quality of your services.

When do you know that it is time to dial it down in an industry where you could be inundated one week and waiting for the phone to ring the next week? There is not necessarily an exact science to this but rather an understanding of your capacity combined with intuition and being in tune with your team and organization.

In Eastern Pennsylvania, what started out as a steady summer, turned into an unrelenting series of individual localized flood events that continually moved around targeting and retargeting a localized area. The first of the flood events to wreak havoc presented itself in early July. The team worked diligently around the clock until everyone was taken care of in some way. Then another flood, and another flood, and another flood, with nothing but weather forecasts, there was no way to tell that the weather would cause extremely high volumes for over two months straight. After several weeks, it was time to dial it down for the good of the team and the quality of the services being delivered. There is no crystal ball in our business; therefore, we must be able and willing to pivot at any given point.

When volume is exceeding capacity, the following are a few strategies that may help control and reduce workload:

Managing Expectations:
- Evaluate and prepare to communicate realistic timelines that allow you a more manageable volume as a company.
- Be honest and upfront to those you serve and make commitments based on reasonable workloads. Example: “Normally we are able to respond to emergencies within an hour. However, due to the high volumes of disasters in our region, we are scheduling emergency responses two days out.” If you are managing repair/reconstruction volume, give accurate and upfront timelines for repairs to begin.
- Be prepared to help those who reach out to you. Refer other restoration companies who may be able to help sooner and/or give tips on how they can mitigate until you can respond.
Pausing / Controlling Streams:
- Many in our industry have a variety of relationships and strategies that bring revenues to the organization. As an effort to control workload, the following is a sample of potential sources that can be temporarily paused or reduced:
- Insurance programs: direct and TPA (third-party administrators)
- Lead generation and referral programs
- On-line initiatives and advertising
- Other preferred vendor lists
Territory/Coverage Area:
- The territory or area of coverage that your company covers may be something to evaluate when attempting to dial down the volume. Depending on circumstances and geography, reducing coverage area (even slightly) can have a reduction in volume that has an exponential effect on workload. As an example, if there are areas that you serve that require a 90 to 120-minute drive per day, you can potentially buy back three to four hours in drive time with a minimal effect on total revenues. At times, there may be good economics to this approach as drive distance can also have an effect on job profitability.

Company Capacity

When we consider capacity, we are literally looking at the amount we can produce with our resources. Our resources can include but are not limited to human, equipment, vehicles, and facility. Depending on the timing, both internal and external forces can influence capacity. As we look at the environment today, unemployment is at a historic low, and this could be directly affecting your company’s capacity by making it challenging to hire and add to the team. During the polar vortex of 2014, due to the widespread effects of severely cold temperatures, equipment and supply inventories were affected.

In general, to be able to adjust and control capacity we need solid systems and operations in place that allow us to know what resources are available at any given moment. Consider that you have depleted your equipment inventory, perhaps you rented additional equipment and that is also depleted, one may plan and schedule based on the timing of equipment being pulled and available by using systems and tracking.

Our team also influences capacity as it applies to the human resources within our organization. By employing a similar approach in scheduling and managing our equipment, we must also add the leaderships’ empathy and intuitiveness for the team. The individuals who make up your team may have a vast array of skills, proficiencies, individual training, and circumstances that may also contribute to your overall company capacity.

As we consider some possible solutions to increasing your capacity as a company with a focus on our human resources, it can decrease the workloads on the individual team members. In addition, there is sound economics to some of the considerations that apply when operating at any given volume level.

Expanding Capacity

The following strategies may be helpful when trying to expand capacity to reduce the workload on the individuals within the company:

Improve Efficiency:
- Examine and find ways to decrease the workload by improving efficiencies.
  - Duplication of efforts
  - Employing technology when possible
  - Routing and movements in our field operations
- “The way we always did it.” Be mindful of activity within workflows that may have little or no value to the organization and eliminate it.
- Within the workflows there may be opportunities to reassign tasks to better utilize the individual’s special skills and improve their workload while increasing the capacity of the organization.
Expand your Resources:
- Other Restoration Companies: Either referring other restoration companies or developing relationships to work together.
- Subcontractors: Utilize your existing subcontractors and aggressively build new relationships.
- Other Sources of Labor:
- Employment agencies may be able to supply a variety of labor and support for your team. They may also be a resource to manage the HR and processing of seasonal and other type of employment opportunities that could help the team.
- Be creative. For example, if there are local colleges in your area, you may be able to recruit college students to help monitoring water losses and other tasks which may prove to give some relief to your team on weekends and after hours. The college students could be run through the employment agency for your ease of management.
- Specialty Resources: From accounting to estimating, there are a variety of specialty services, some that are even industry specific, that may be utilized at any given point in managing capacity.
Develop and Train:
- Proficiency: Encourage and develop individual’s proficiency in their skills.
- Organization Skills: Including but not limited to email management, time management, etc.
- Leadership and Soft Skills: Imagine a great technician who was trained and developed in their leadership and management abilities. This technician can run a loss with two less experienced individuals allowing the opportunity to increase capacity.
- Cross Train: Cross training individuals within the organization not only gives team members the opportunity to increase their value to the company; it also allows the company to be nimbler when managing fluctuations in volumes.

Process and Structure

An overarching imperative to being able to proactively manage volume and capacity is having strong day to day processes and structure. Strategic scheduling, workflows, procedures, and best practices provide the ability to have information and structure to pivot and adjust these as needed.

At any given time, we can adjust volume and capacity to help us manage workload. Managing the company workload will help the individual team members enjoy the reward of being a part of the restoration industry and avoid burnout.

Lisa, Contributor and Co-Author

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