restoration management software | iRestore Restoration Software - Part 11

Inventory Management Made Easy With iRestore

irestore, restoration management, restoration management software

Your iRestore package comes complete with a robust inventory management system. With iRestore it is easy to scan, track, maintain records, and keep up on reporting. Chief Operating Officer of Berks • Fire • Water Restorations, Inc.℠Lisa Lavender, discusses this hot topic in her Restoration & Remediation article “Restoring Success: What’s Your Inventory Control Solution?” She explains, “A frustration shared by many restorers is inventory control. You wake up one morning and all the extension cords are gone, an air mover goes missing, or a dehumidifier gets left on a job site. How does this happen? This topic gets the blood boiling within every manager and owner that I encounter.”

Pictures, documentation, accurate and thorough measurements, and moisture readings are a few of the key ingredients to successfully managing your restoration company’s job files. iRestore allows technicians and managers to collect critical job information and manage it to everyone’s expectations by giving you the tools to efficiently hold the team accountable.

In Douglas Satterfield’s article, entitled “Leadership: Inspect What You Expect,” he says: “That‘s when I learned about the concept of inspect what you expect and its linkage to the human motivation factor. Telling people to do something is only a small part of a military leader’s responsibility, following up on it and checking to ensure what you’ve asked for is actually done is just as important.”

We agree, Douglas, and with iRestore we try to make this process easier. Check it out for yourself here.

Importing Photos to iRestore

irestore, restoration management, restoration management software

 

Adding pictures to iRestore is getting easier and easier. Here are a couple of tips to make it go faster:

  • You can import an entire folder of pictures into a job from your desktop, whether using a Windows or a Mac. Simply use the “Import Folder of Pics” on the Pictures tab to get the job done.
  • When taking pictures on your iPad or iPhone, make sure you use the “Medium” setting to take the photos. You only need to set this once!
  • The newest feature on our iPhone app allows you to add a photo from your camera roll. Just look for the following button at the bottom of your job menu:

Why I’m Passionate About Helping You

irestore, restoration management, restoration management software

 

I am thrilled to have this new role with iRestore. As I grew in my career as a professional restorer, my passion became restoration company operations. I get great satisfaction from making our company better by developing processes and procedures. My approach is to consider everyone affected in the organization and how I can make their job better, help them best serve and ultimately improve the operation with a happy customer at the end. Before I entered the restoration industry and fell in love with it, I worked in accounting. This taught me to build checks and balances into systems for consistent effectiveness and optimal efficiency. In my role in our training center at the Restoration Technical Institute, nothing gives me greater pleasure than a conversation about flow and operational development.

In my role as VP of Operations Design, I will be working directly with Ryan and our software developers to contribute to the design and development of iRestore so that it is best serving its purpose to power your team. I think through every movement, every piece of data, every service objective and every element of running the company – from the time the phones rings until the time the job is done, from the time you purchase a vehicle to the time that you dispose of it and from the time you hire a person and they stay forever. It is almost a dream come true to be able to contribute to the design of iRestore and fulfill my passion for operations in our industry with my passion for helping others.

I will never be done and that is exciting too. Our industry is evolving rapidly and your iRestore will evolve with it so that we will succeed in meeting the challenges that we face together down the road. As everything changes, we will be changing along with it so we can be your partner in powering your one guaranteed constant – your vision, values and leadership. I look forward to working with all of the existing iRestore organizations and those of the future.

Sincerely Yours,

Photos: A Critical Component of File Documentation

industry tips, restoration management, restoration management software

 

Photos are an important part of file maintenance for a variety of reasons. They are used as communication and reporting tools while also protecting your company’s interest. Specifically, the management of your photos within your operation affect the following:

Building Relationships:

  • With Insurance Carriers and Adjusters: Well organized photographs submitted in conjunction with your estimate will help you build relationships with the carriers and adjusters that you are working with. Read more hereBuilding Relationships with Adjusters.

  • With Insurance Agents and Other Interested Parties: By utilizing photos to communicate job progress and incorporate within reports, you will impress those you are working with on current jobs and you may have the opportunity to build long term relationships for the future.
  • Through Marketing and Social Media: The saying, “A picture tells a thousand words” still holds true and is more important than ever. Encourage your entire team to takes photos of their work and the team in action. Social Media, newsletters, blogs, presentations, and general marketing materials all look better with great pictures that will help engage potential customers.

Protect Your Team and Company:

  • When used properly as supporting documentation, photos may help you get your estimates approved and paid faster.
  • Taking thorough photos of pre-existing conditions of both the structure and contents help protect your team and company.
  • Photograph general conditions and other factors that may affect the delivery of your services. For example, an open window on a hot humid day may affect your drying progress.

Properly Label Photos:
The following is a list of photos to consider making part of your protocol.

  • Affected Areas
  • Cause of Loss
  • Daily Equipment
  • Daily Meter Readings
  • Debris Removal
  • Debris in Dumpster / Truck
  • Front Risk (Structure)
  • General Conditions and Other Meaningful Photos
  • Job Progress
  • Post Project
  • Pre-existing Conditions
  • Subrogating Factors (If Applicable)

Photos have become an important component of restoration management. It can be cumbersome and have an administrative consequence. iRestore was designed to accommodate and help you manage all of your job-related photos.

VP of Operations

Progressing Forward: The Future of iRestore

iRestore has joined forces with Ted and Lisa Lavender of Restoration Technical Institute, a leading restoration industry training center.

Meet the Lavenders:

irestore, restoration management, restoration management software

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Ryan Smith, founder and CEO of iRestore, and you, the restorers who have given Ryan the inspiration to develop and grow iRestore as we know it today. Learn more about how we met Ryan, our beliefs, and our vision for iRestore here.

In 2000, we founded Berks Fire Water Restorations, Inc., which is now a large regional firm with over 60 restoration professionals. We found great success as we grew with a dedicated team that thrived with the opportunity to learn, train, and operate in a company with a solid set of values, a vision, and leadership. We wore all the hats, we grew, and we passed along torches.

As we grew as a restoration company, so did our passion for training. In 2012, we founded the Restoration Technical Institute where we believe in inspiring happiness, pride, and innovation in other industry professionals. Learn more about us and the entire Restoration Technical Institute team here. Our team is ready to help you succeed in any way we can.

We look forward to working with you. The future of iRestore is bright.

Very Truly Yours,
Ted and Lisa Lavender