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." 

The 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:

• Self-paced online training for Xactimate
• Training courses for Xactimate with certified trainers
• A YouTube channel with Xpert Tips Xactware Training 
• ILX Construction Training - 50 courses that take students through the complete building process—from selecting a building lot all the way to the final inspection

If 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:

1. ​Embrace the change, or as Brian says, "The suck." Most of us are resistant to change but the rate of change is always accelerating and if you want to remain competitive you must embrace it. 
2. We are all very busy, yet you must set aside time to work on your personal and professional development. If you recognize the truth of the first point, you understand that making time, even if its thirty to sixty minutes a week, is critical to your growth as a leader, manager, and restoration professional. 
3. Participate in the discussion. Brian outlines how Xactware had built in feedback from contractors and encourages professionals to reach out to him directly if they are in need of assistance. 
4. Listen to The DYOJO Podcast. Brian literally says it is, "Terrific." 

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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.

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:

1. 1) Photos - lots and lots of photos. Photos of the source of the damage, the extent of damages, room by room, all four corners of each room, continuous surfaces and materials, contents, building materials removed, etc. You can never have too many photos.
2. 
   
3. 2) A sketch or diagram - a dimensional drawing of the structure so that all parties, the homeowner, the insurance carrier, and the contractor can work from the same "blueprint" to assess damages, develop an agreed-upon scope of work, and assign values to the work that needs to be done.

​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)

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:

• Develop a process to help you consistently capture thorough data relevant to the claim.
• Create and/or refer to a database of carrier guidelines (most adjusting firms have these resources).
• Internal review can help you to get ahead of rejections. Especially for larger or higher end claims, have people in your network that you can utilize to get a second set of eyes on your estimate.
• There are third party services that can provide you with an instant review and suggestions for items you may have missed, and may also provide carrier profiles which help you identify common items specific to that organization.

For further reading, contractors and adjusters alike will find value in Jon's book Be Intentional: Estimating. 

For those who work in the insurance claims profession, writing an estimate in Xactimate is a constant learning process. As with any tool, Xactimate has its strengths and weaknesses. Often the issues with the platform are related to communicating the story of the loss to the various parties involved in an insurance claim. We will discuss five common Xactimate issues as well as the corresponding responses and resources that will help you transform them into opportunities to improve your process. 
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Common Xactimate Estimating Issue One  

Writing an estimate that accurately reflects the conditions of the structure and how you plan to restore it to pre-loss conditions is only part of the battle. When working with insurance companies, especially if you do “program work” through third party administrators (TPAs), you have to also learn the requirements of the carriers. Issue number one is poor carrier and program basic level compliance. If you, or your team, is consistently getting rejected for the same basic things, you must STOP blaming “the other side” and START to pull your head out of the dark places of the status quo. Learning from rejection is key to your success with insurance claims estimating.   
 
Response: Develop a better mindset, starting with training and consistent processes for estimating compliance.
 
Resource: The Three R’s of Mastering Xactimate discusses the mindset of learning from rejection, repetition, and relationships as you develop your estimating skills. 

Common Xactimate Estimating Issue Two  

Even if you are independent and don’t do any program work, you will want to learn the estimating compliance requirements of the carriers that you want to work with so that you can develop a working relationship with them. There are requirements and then there are nuances. Contractors who have poor execution of initial estimate components, such as opening statements, structure and flow of an estimate, and labeled photographs lead to breakdown in communication of the story of the loss. This is basic stuff for restoration contractors, yet it is often someone else’s fault. If an adjuster doesn’t understand the story you are telling, learn to be a better storyteller. The blame game is NOT The DYOJO Way. Have your tantrum and get it together. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.  
 
Response: Develop better habits, starting with attention to details. Learn to become a better claims storyteller.
 
Resource: The Format for Fire Damage Restoration Estimates discusses how to approach and structure your estimate for these complex projects.

Common Xactimate Estimating Issue Three  

Xactimate line items have a basic description and then a detailed breakout, it is clear that many who use the program don’t read either. A lack of clarity regarding proper use of line items relevant to the claim is a common source of back and forth between the parties involved in an insurance claim. You can also use this as a good negotiating tool, whenever there is a rejection, ask the reviewer, “Which line items are not in compliance or have not been thoroughly explained?” As Chris Stanley shared on Episode 38 of The DYOJO Podcast, people in a position of leadership should develop structure and cheat sheets for their teams. Chris reminds contractors that everyone has a boss and a box, if you can help the adjuster work within their box you may find mutually beneficial ground. Do as much as you can within the box and then work with the parties involved in the claim to determine an agreed course of action for those items that don’t fit neatly in the box. 
 
Response: Skills development through research, peer to peer counseling, and consistent training will help adapt systems so that everyone is learning from prior rejections.
 
Resource: Habits of Xactimate Estimating Success discusses those items that will help you to operate at your best and stand above your competition.

Common Xactimate Estimating Issue Four  
Each time you get rejected, it should be a learning experience and to the best of your abilities ensure that you don’t get rejected for that same item again. Unless, like myself, you like to push buttons. Assuming you have learned from issues one through three so that you have a consistent estimating structure, you understand the rules of compliance (even if you don’t always follow them) and you know your line items, the next issue is documentation. Poor illustrative support for proposed scope of work will sink your otherwise functioning ship. This ties into the series we did for The Intentional Restorer titled Garbage In, Garbage Out, which reminds managers that we cannot expect our teams to hold a standard that we don’t follow. Telling the story of the loss is a company wide commitment and everyone must learn to master their roles and responsibilities. 
 
Response: As you develop your story telling abilities, make sure your stories are packed with good pictures, supporting documentation, and thorough communication.
 
Resource: The DocuSketchers shares interviews with three insurance claim professionals who use this resource to assist in their documentation and estimating process.   

Common Xactimate Estimating Issue Five  

If you are frustrated with the claims review process, you are not alone. If you don’t like someone looking over your shoulder and you take it personally when you get rejected, you should not be doing program (aka preferred vendor) work as a contractor. Yet, even if you are independent, you still have to tell your story well and be prepared to defend your narrative. The claims process requires you to clearly communicate, using the tools of the trade, and defending your proposed scope of work. As Ken Larsesn says, you should speak for the structure, and master Andy McCabe’s approach, “Thickest file wins.” In contrast, if you are making up scope you are in dangerous territory and it will bite you in the end. If you are not supporting your claim narrative, your plan will get picked apart. Capture the details, be accurate and thorough in your presentation, and learn to master the skill of claims negotiation. 
 
Response: Gather data that will inform decisions so that progress (one of the Four Pillars of Success for Intentional Restorers) can be made. Invest in soft skills development for your team in the same (or greater) measure as you do for technical skills (which also should be high). 
 
Resource: Help! Claims Review Shredded My Estimate discusses the process of helping yourself and your team develop a better approach to claims rejections.