iRestore | iRestore Restoration Software - Part 4

Inventory Management Made Easy With iRestore

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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

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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

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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,

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:

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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

Introducing You To The New and Improved iRestore

Where did our new tagline “Powering your Vision, Values & Leadership” come from? At iRestore, we believe in being your complete solution to operating your restoration company effectively and efficiently. We are a user-friendly tool that serves your company by serving the individuals and the team while supporting excellence in service. However, true success comes from the Vision, Values, and Leadership within your organization. We provide the system and support through our software that is designed by restorers for restorers. We will help you in “Powering your Vision, Values & Leadership.” Learn more about our thoughts on core and shared values by reading my Restoration & Remediation article “Restoring Success: Core and Shared Values.” You can find all of my monthly Restoring Success articles here.

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The Concept of Core and Shared Values

Whether your organization has them or not, they exist. You may have to dig a little and reflect. If you are a new company, this may seem like a fruitless task, but there is no better time than when you are starting out and beginning to build the organization to develop a set of shared values. If you know what they are but don’t have them in writing, take a time out and get them down on paper.

Your shared values can define who you are as a company – it’s your personality and can serve as a compass as you grow. They should be shared with prospective new employees so they know the values of the company, and they should be reviewed and chanted as a team in your company meetings so that they are always the part of each person delivering your service.

If you do not have a set of shared values yet, here is a little help to get you started:

1. Maintain a positive and open work environment by providing honest and constructive feedback on job performance.

2. Be sensitive and responsive to the needs of the communities where we live and do business.

3. Take pride in your presentation and professionalism as a company.

4. Aggressively seek opportunities to grow and improve your business.

Around 10 statements that reflect your values as an organization can serve you well for years to come. Make it your own.

Of course, it’s easy to just put these values on paper. The challenging part comes when you have to ask yourself if the values are truly being reflected in the day-to-day operations of your business.

We have all heard the saying “it starts at the top.” To make your shared values align with your operations, it starts with the leadership. Owners and managers should start with themselves and behaviors should be reflective of your company values. Hold each other accountable to shared values. Acting contrary to a shared value is very harmful to an organization and those acting contrary need to be held accountable. Conversely, reward those who live by the values.

Schedule a demo today, and see how this affordable software solution can help you operate your restoration company!

Best wishes for your success.

iRestore Vice President of Operations