Improving Training Through Technology

By Matt Stojak, Accurence.

Just a quick glance at a recent hail report would confirm that storm season is in full swing across the nation.

This means that roofers everywhere are in a frenzy of hiring to keep up with the increased demand. Hiring might be the easy part, though—far harder is getting new employees up to speed and generating revenue for the company. Just about everyone is looking for an edge that jumpstarts this process, and technology offers a good place to start.

“Everybody is aware in the roofing industry that technology is growing,” said Joel Dant, Spartan Restoration’s CEO and Chief Visionary Officer of Swift Service Solutions. “Technology is just booming.” Dant was at our headquarters recently and we enjoyed picking his brain about his company’s approach to hiring and training.

Dant explained that most of his new-hires come to the company without industry experience, a clean slate that makes it easier to shape them in the Spartan Restoration mold. It wasn’t that long ago that such a lack of experience would be a major stumbling block, but Dant explained that his company’s use of our ScopeAssist app means he no longer has to spend time teaching incoming roofers how to write Xactimate estimates.

Instead, he said, “We spend a lot of time training how to identify roof components. [With ScopeAssist], as long as you know how to identify what type of shingle it is, what type of paper is on the roof, the drip edge, the flashing, if there’s a chimney—if we can teach them how to identify about 10 basic components of a roof, they’re now, with the leverage of the software, capable of writing a very detailed, accurate estimate. And maybe they’re only two weeks in.”

We like to say that ScopeAssist allows every team member to scope like a seasoned pro, and it’s a feature that gels nicely with the inside-out model that both insurance carriers and many contractors, including Spartan Restoration, are moving to. Dant explained that he needs to employ only a handful of experienced desk adjusters to review the work of a team of less-experienced field adjusters. “We have zero need to train anybody on how to write Xactimate anymore,” he said. “As you’re doing your thorough inspection out in the field via the app, ScopeAssist is writing the Xactimate as you go. I would explain it as pure convenience,” he said.

It’s a convenience that has made believers out of tens of thousands of roofers across the country. By reducing the time spent on a roof documenting damage, adjusters can tackle more jobs, and by getting the estimate done right the first time, after-the-fact supplements that drag out a job’s cycle time are reduced as well. With a job already submitted by the time you step off the roof, and back-end paperwork all but eliminated, ScopeAssist simplifies your workflow and gets you back to doing what you do best.

An all-in-one mobile inspection app, ScopeAssist uses a downloaded roof CAD to walk you through scoping a roof with comprehensive photo documentation. Pulling from generalized insurance carrier guidelines, it then integrates seamlessly with Xactimate to produce estimates that adjusters understand and accept—all in 60 seconds from the time you hit Submit.

We’d love to demonstrate why so many roofers consider ScopeAssist an indispensable part of their toolbag. Visit us to schedule a demo.