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This week, on The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast, we sit down to discuss Xactimate with Xactimate. Brian Austin is the director of instructional design at Verisk, Xactware division. Verisk is the parent company that owns Xactware which produces Xactimate. So, if you could ask Xactimate one question, what would it be? We asked Brian several questions and he said that Xactware has worked diligently to build feedback into their systems. Xactimate wants to hear from the everyday restoration contractor and all of its users. SPONSOR: The DYOJO Podcast is sponsored by Advocate Claim Service (ACS), "Where you can find solutions to claims that are causing you anxiety." David Princeton and his team are ready to help you navigate doubtful and disputed insurance claims. Are you able to deviate from Xactimate pricing?The Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) Committee of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) was able to bring Mike Fulton, President of Xactware on for a industry briefing on Facebook Live, June 18, 2021. It appears that this video may no longer be available but portions can be seen via THIS LINK. Ed Cross, The Restoration Advocate, reminds contractors that Section 9 "Limited Warranties" of the Xactware licensing agreement reads, "You are responsible to ensure the estimate includes pricing consistent with components including, but not limited to, actual materials, equipment, and labor pricing...You agree to not inhibit or preclude deviations from the Price Data where contractor requirements, market conditions, demand, or any other factor warrants the use of a different line item price in the specific situation." Resources from Xactimate for new estimatorsThe Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast File 002 - Learning to XM8 with all the resources from Xactimate The DYOJO Podcast Season 3, Episode 66 Guest: Brian Austin, Director of Instructional Design at Verisk Brian shares many of the tools available to all Xactimate users including many that are included with your annual Xactware subscription:
Three tips elevating your Xactimate skillsIf you didn't catch this from the previous paragraph, Xactware offers ILX Construction Training which is included in your annual Xactware license and is designed to help take an employees through the complete building process. In addition to these resources, Brian shares three tips for elevating your Xactimate game as well as your personal and professional development:
The DYOJO collaboration with DocuSketch offering a $200 discount on the initial hardware package to members of The DYOJO Nation who use the custom code "DS-DYOJO1". The DYOJO Podcast, the official home of the DYOJO Nation as so declared by The Global Watchdog, Pete Consigli, exists to help intentional restorers to shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. WATCH on YouTube or LISTEN on Spotify, Thursday at 9 am PST.
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I made it to the 2021 Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Convention and Expo in Orlando, Florida.
We also tease our next bonus video, which will start the chronicles of "Two Cool Dudes" as Pete "The Global Watchdog" Consigli and I hit the road to meet with friends and discuss property restoration history. Stay Tuned - thedyojo.com/listen  Can you teach a child to sketch for Xactimate? Property restoration technicians, project managers, and estimators work in a variety of property damage scenarios including water damage, fire damage, mold removal, and insurance claim reconstruction. The most common tool for constructing estimates and/or agreed-upon scopes of work in the property insurance claims realm is an estimating software called Xactimate. As Jon Isaacson discusses in his book, Be Intentional: Estimating, every insurance claims estimate, especially those composed in Xactimate, need two key things:
Many restoration contractors, business owners, and managers struggle to train their teams to clearly and consistently document the story of the loss. This video from The DYOJO Podcast is an excerpt from their latest podcast episode (Season 3, Episode 65). This episode serves as the launch of their NEW season as well as their NEW series The Xactimate Sessions. The Xactimate Sessions - File 001 Learning Xactimate from Scratch Guest: Greg Power (Tacoma, WA) Four Tips for New Estimators When Creating Your Sketch or Diagram for Xactiamte
The DYOJO Podcast - helping you shorten your DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. Thursdays at 9am PST on YouTube and Spotify. Stay tuned as The DYOJO will be using the content from this current series, The Xactimate Sessions, as the foundation for a new book that will release shortly after the series finale (date TBD). NEW SEASON + NEW SERIES from The DYOJO Podcast The Xactimate Sessions from The DYOJO Podcast File 001 - Learning Xactimate from scratch with Greg Power The DYOJO Podcast Season 3, Episode 65 Greg Power Discusses How He Learned XactimateGreg Power is a project manager/estimator based in Tacoma, WA who learned Xactimate rapidly with no prior industry experience. He initially started writing estimates for property managers responding to damages in apartment complexes and then was soon inundated with a high volume of program work (third party administrator or TPA) for insurance claims. Greg will share some insights on how he approached learning Xacitmate which will be helpful to aspiring estimators and training managers alike. The Xactimate Sessions - File 001 Building from the success and reception for Benchmarks of Growth, a six-part series which The DYOJO Podcast produced earlier this year, the team will be releasing these multi-part Xactimate Sessions weekly over the next few months. Viewers and listeners will receive a great deal of value from the mindset and habits that have helped our guests as well as some deals from the participating vendors and sponsors of the show. Listeners are encouraged to leave comments and/or questions on any of the social media platforms including Youtube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram so that the discussion can evolve in relationship to need as the episodes drop. SPONSOR: The DYOJO Podcast is sponsored by Advocate Claim Service (ACS), "Where you can find solutions to claims that are causing you anxiety." David Princeton and his team are ready to help you navigate doubtful and disputed insurance claims. Learning Xactimate With No Prior ExperienceOur discussion on The Xactimate Session - File 001 with Greg Power includes:
Learning To Sketch for Estimating with XactimateAs we close File 001 of The Xactimate Sessions, we extend the conversation by discussing approaches to training your team to sketch, as this was brought up in one of social media groups for restorers. Jon references an old video where he was teaching his young children to sketch and announces The DYOJO collaboration with DocuSketch which is offering a $200 discount on the initial hardware package to members of The DYOJO Nation who use the custom code "DS-DYOJO1". The DYOJO Podcast, the official home of the DYOJO Nation as so declared by The Global Watchdog, Pete Consigli, exists to help intentional restorers to shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. thedyojo.com/listen ​Recent changes to the IICRC S500 (water damage) and the role of industry standards of care7/20/2021 Have you reviewed the recent change to the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration (Fifth Edition) aka ANSI/IICRC S500-2021. The S500 was released in 1994 as the Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration (First Edition). One of the most significant changes to this Fifth Edition is the removal of the Reference Guide from the document. I reached out to Darren Foote as an IICRC S500 Consensus Body Member, to clarify on the status of the Reference Guide he shared, "The Reference Guide, it may have a different name, but there is a plan to release another version of it as a stand alone from the Standard." IICRC S500 Water Damage Standard CommitteeAs listed in the front of the S500: IICRC S500 Consensus Body Chairman
How Are Water Damage Industry Standards FormedHistorical references for how standards are developed and some perspectives on having a proper understanding of their role for the modern restorer. Please understand these are not endorsements of these authors or concepts, just presenting a broader range of information. Restorative Drying Quackery - IAQ Radio Episode 134 - Ken Larsen The Death of 3 Day Drying - R&R Magazine - Kris Rzesnoski “RIA, IICRC and ACAC training models are complimentary. Back in 1980, ASCR now RIA developed the Certified Restorer (CR) program and held it out as the most advanced designation that a restorer could obtain. IICRC courses are important stepping stones to that end. Since the CR course, RIA has developed the Water Loss Specialist (WLS) and the Certified Mold Professional (CMP).” Two peer reviewed articles appeared in the August 2016 issue of the IICRC Journal, edited by John Downy, along with details from the story behind them. The two authors and John appeared on IAQ Radio Episode 426 to further discuss:
On The DYOJO Podcast Episode 60 we started a historical discussion regarding the evolution of the standards with Cliff Zlotnik, John Downey, Ken Larsen, Pete Consigli, and a special message from The Restoration Lawyer, Ed Cross. If you would like a history of the development of voluntary standards in our industry, along with the evolution fo the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), you can read my article A History of Collaboration, a Future of Advocacy from R&R which includes a summary timeline. Sample Discussion Points with Your Water Damage TeamsSample discussion points for discussing the changes to the IICRC S500 as well as the inclusion of industry standards and best practices for your mitigation teams:
Feedback from Water Damage ProfessionalsIn preparation for a local networking and educational meeting for restorers based in Washington State (PNW), I reached out to a few water damage some notable water damage professionals to get some feedback on these changes to the IICRC S500: “The ANSI/IICRC S500 Standard relates to 'practices that are common to reasonably prudent members of the trade who are recognized in the industry as qualified and competent.” The Consensus Body and subcommittees draft the Standard which is then put out for public review and comment. Each comment is individually reviewed and responded to. There is also an appeals process. Once the S500 goes through this process and receives ANSI approval, the becomes the industry Standard of Care and is often referred to for proper water damage techniques, training resources, disputes, lawsuits, etc.” - Darren Foote, Remediation Training & Consulting and Consensus Body Member “I agree the industry is fed the standard as scripture and carriers take it as such. I am working to propose scientific and mathematical algorithms to answer the questions our industry has needed answers to for a long time.” - Chris Laney, Water Out of Fort Wayne and Instructor at the Dewald Academy of Drying “The Consensus Body (CB) operates on a consensus basis. If a member or members bring up a section of the standard or specific language they believe could be improved, the proposed edits must achieve consensus prior to adoption. I can say that consistency and clarity were a common theme in our process, there are many locations where similar topics are discussed throughout the standard and we made a considerable effort to ensure that the language was consistent throughout the document regarding these topics. We also made a noteworthy effort to clarify a number of topics and their surrounding language that could have previously been interpreted in multiple ways. I think it is fair to say that the 5th edition S500 is an improvement over the 4th edition, not only from a standard-language perspective but removing the reference guide from the publication should eliminate a lot of the misguided attempts to consider reference guide language as a component of the standard.” - Roman Redfrance, France & Company and Consensus Body Member “I would say that the role of dehumidification in the process has been very clearly defined in the 5th edition, the dehumidifier sizing appendix should be much more resistant to misuse. Section 12 (was section 13) is much more linear and easy to understand, and section 16 Materials and Assemblies has been cleaned up considerably as well.” - Roman Redfrance Additional Resources for RestorersIn relationship to defining the standard of care to support your scope, restoration contractors often find they have to defend their pricing as well. Membership in the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) provides contractors with resources such as the Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) Position Paper on Deviation from Standardized Pricelists. According to a recent press release, “The document states that most insurance policies require insurance companies to pay the “usual and customary” and/or “reasonable” price to repair property damaged in a covered loss. Pricing software providers recognize that project costs can vary depending on many factors. Standardized prices may not accurately represent the prices an insurer must pay to fulfil its obligations under the policy.” 
Jon Isaacson made an appearance on AdjusterTV with host Mathew Allen to discuss advice for new adjusters on how to deal with contractors - from a contractor. The relationship between an independent adjuster and a restoration contractor can be beneficial to all parties working on an insurance claim. While these parties may be on opposite sides of the issue, there are many aspects of their roles and responsibilities that overlap. In addition to learning Xactimate for claims estimating and negotiation skills with contractors, Jon shares how success in the claims process relates to the development of our mindset and habits. Many of the principles that Jon shared are included the article Jon wrote for ClaimsPages titled, The Mindset and Habits for Estimating Success as a New Independent Adjuster. Some of those items to shorten your DANG learning curve include:
For further reading, contractors and adjusters alike will find value in Jon's book Be Intentional: Estimating. |
AuthorJon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is a 19 year veteran of the property restoration industry and a business coach through his organization The DYOJO. Archives
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