After a home or workplace disaster resulting in water damage, restoration companies play a vital role in mitigating the effects and restoring the property to its pre-damage conditions. However, proper documentation is critical even after the initial cleanup and restoration of the building and content.
Accurate and detailed documentation is crucial in establishing the extent of damage and the resulting loss. That’s why all restoration companies involved should take great care in the documentation phase, including the property and its contents. This includes using photographs, videos, written descriptions, and maybe even today’s digital tools to ensure a more streamlined recovery.
The Role of Technology in Documentation
Advanced technology and content documentation during the restoration process significantly benefit homeowners, insurance companies, and restorers and ensure a successful restoration.
For homeowners, proper documentation and cutting-edge technology can help streamline the whole process, keep track of content, and restore everything to its full potential. Good documentation also allows homeowners to see where their contents are in the process and estimate the time remaining until completion.
For insurance companies, thorough documentation allows for a streamlined insurance claim with maximum coverage and fewer delays or disputes.
For restorers, detailed records and today’s technology aid all restoration companies involved in understanding the scope of the damage, finding issues that may not have been visible at the start, and developing an effective plan. Then, execute the plan for maximum recovery.
Tools for Electronic Documentation
In today’s technologically advanced world, several tools can be used to more easily track and document during the property and content restoration process, from inventory to photo documentation, restoration estimates, and replacements.
Consider DocuSketch, an app that allows restorers to utilize 3D documentation, sketching, scoping, and estimating in one spot to envision and build out the restoration project quote and full scope of work more efficiently. The technology allows users to capture a 360° view of the project with close-up photos and comments that can be shared with the team.
Then there is Matterport, a technology that allows users to create 3D virtual tours to visualize the scope of damage remotely. It can also be used to evaluate and plan the restoration procedure, as well as help everyone involved study the affected properties from various angles and even produce a budget. Insurance companies can also utilize the technology to tour the property and approve claims virtually.
When replacing your personal belongings, there is XactContents, which helps content claims adjusters and content restoration providers estimate personal property claims faster and more precisely. XactContents’ database includes:
- millions of vendor-specific items
- tens of thousands of discontinued items
- thousands of general quote items.
It provides direct access to major retailers in the U.S. and Canada, from which replacement products can be directly ordered.
As you’ve read, software today allows restorers to document damage with video and images and even document progress to keep everyone involved on the same page. That way, there is no confusion about the work that needs to be done, nor is there any guessing about what the finished result will look like.
Using Technology to Restore Content
At Core, we leverage technology like these listed above in our claims process to better track and restore your personal property. We manage the process, including establishing proof of damage, streamlining the insurance claim(s), and ensuring full restoration. Part of that process lies in the vital role of documentation. In today’s digital world, this documentation is more advanced than ever to document and track each item as it moves along the restoration path and help insurance companies determine appropriate coverage.
As you may know, we provide complete content management from our pack-out to pack-back services, so our customers stay connected while their damaged content is being restored. We use advanced inventory software with detailed documentation of all items, including boxes, furniture, and clothing, with barcodes on everything. Our estimates are written in industry-standard Xactimate software for a streamlined restoration process.
In today’s digital world, claims and restoration projects are being streamlined and processed more efficiently than ever. For your next restoration project, partner with a content restorer who values how vital documentation and technology are to a faster, more thorough recovery.
