In the restoration business, responding rapidly to new job sites is vital. Each site must be scoped immediately so an estimate can be created quickly. But when field restoration technicians hustle to scope new restoration job sites, their documentation may end up lacking enough details for accurate estimating.
Most field techs are trained to perform specific work (e.g., “dry the structure”), instead of documenting in a way that supports estimating and billing. They’re experts at performing actual work, such as attacking a water-damage scene, ripping out wet material, setting up drying equipment, and getting a property back to normal. But when it comes to documenting a job site — before the actual work begins — they may not know how to gather enough details for your in-house restoration estimator to build sound, profitable estimates.
From the estimator’s perspective, here are the things that matter: a floor plan with accurate measurements, plenty of notes explaining observations of existing damage, recommendations for restoration tasks and materials needed, and an adequate amount of supporting visuals to justify the work. All of these things contribute to good scoping documentation.
But if your estimator is NOT receiving sufficient documentation from the field, that can cause problems: your estimates get questioned, your invoices get delayed, and your margins end up shrinking.
If your field techs’ scoping documentation is coming up short, It’s not that they don’t care.
The real issue is that they were never trained to think like estimators. They believe their job is to fix the problem found at each job site, not to justify every line item for an insurance claim. They simply don’t realize that adequate scoping documentation is necessary for accurate estimating and, ultimately, adjuster approval.
If you want your field documentation to support profitable estimates, you need to shift your team’s mindset. Explain that your estimator needs:
When scoping documentation includes these elements, your company’s estimates are more likely to be approved quickly and at full value. And that means higher margins for your business.
A common fear among field techs is that better documentation means producing more paperwork. But here’s the truth: it’s not about producing “more,” it’s about working “smarter.” With the right training and the right digital tool, your techs can capture necessary information without getting bogged down.
When techs understand exactly what to document — and have a simple method for doing it — creation of scoping documentation becomes a natural, normal workflow. No extra trips to the job site. No back-and-forth discussions with the estimator. No wasted time.
Set up a simulation of a job site in your shop or training room. Bring in your field techs and your estimator. Give everyone a blank scope sheet and ask the techs to document a mock scenario — say, a wet corner of a room. Then have your estimator fill out a scope sheet with the information they actually need from that scenario for writing an estimate.
When you compare the tech’s notes with the estimator’s notes, the differences will be eye-opening. Techs will see firsthand what’s missing from their documentation and why it matters.
This kind of training doesn’t take long, but it’s invaluable. It creates a direct line of communication between techs and estimators, and it helps techs understand the impact of good documentation. When they see that their scoping documentation directly affects the company’s profitability (and their own reputation) they’re much more likely to buy in.
Even with the right training, techs need to be equipped with a tool to make documentation quick and easy. That’s where a documentation app like magicplan comes in. Here’s how magicplan can help your field techs gather the right information, every time, without slowing down:
TRAINING TIP: Use magicplan during your mock training sessions as a real-time visual aid. Show techs the difference between basic notes and estimate-ready documentation, and let them practice capturing floor plans, photos and panoramic shots.
If you want your restoration business to thrive, you can’t afford to leave scoping documentation to chance. When your field techs document in a way that your estimator wants — capturing measurable, organized, and complete information — you set up your company for faster approvals, fewer headaches and higher margins!
Are you bringing in more business than your restoration estimator can handle? If so, try this approach: Let your field techs use the magicplan Pro Estimate+ (Powered by Epic Estimates) app to scope new jobs, and then let us create the estimates. You can send any scope to magicplan and get a ready-to-go, carrier-compliant restoration or mitigation estimate for insurance claim purposes — one that’s built by an expert using Cotality or Xactimate estimate software. Schedule a call with our sales team today to learn more about this unique service.