More Floods

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For most homeowners, spring cleaning is characterized by Saturdays spent scrubbing baseboards and decluttering drawers. We open our windows, let fresh air in and take the warm weather as a sign that it is time to refresh our homes with a good cleaning.

What if we took the idea of a fresh start and applied it to our water damage restoration businesses? What if the arrival of warm weather became an opportunity to refocus on our business goals and refresh our workdays with better systems and a commitment to continued growth in a changing and evolving industry? In the restoration industry, if you aren’t growing you’re falling behind and these four actions steps will give you the growth your company needs for a productive spring and summer season.

Go digital with your filing system

Since recent technology allows for companies to operate completely paperless, it would be foolish to miss the opportunity to better organize your filing system by going digital. Not everyone will be ready to abandon paper altogether, but digital filing of your paperwork can save you major headaches in the future.

In addition to reducing office clutter, digital filing allows employees access the important information about past jobs and the current restoration work being done. Whether they need a quick look at the original estimate provided or a confirmation of what tasks have been completely at a job site, filing your paperwork on an online network would allow them to have access at from any internet capable device. Additionally, having backed up digital copies of physical documents is smart, reducing the risk of losing important information you may need in the future.

Put your daily systems on autopilot

Systems should be an integral part of your restoration business. At More Floods, we equip our members with systems for everything from answering the phone, tracking job leads, hiring and training employees and getting paid. These systems are necessary for your success as a business and will play an important role in allowing your business to grow.

Of course, systems are the most beneficial when they are automated, when you can walk away from the business for a day, week or more and trust that what needs to happen every day will happen. Automation of systems can be accomplished through the computer software you use but may be as simple as a form that prompts your employees to complete a specific task before moving on to the next step of their job. By putting your daily systems on autopilot, you can avoid missteps and miscommunications that could cost your business.

Run reports on your year-to-date

Chances are high you set very specific goals for your year. Maybe you have a profit goal for your business or you are planning to expand as a service provider in a new geographical area. Goals are important to growing as a business, but without consistent monitoring of your goals, you can’t be sure you are on track to end your year as a success.

Printing reports that give a clear picture of your year-to-date is one task you can’t neglect this spring. In fact, you should really be running reports quarterly so you can adjust course if you aren’t on track with your goals. Go ahead and spend some time taking a close look at how many jobs you have completed this year, how much your company has made after expenses, where your jobs leads are coming from and how many leads are walking away instead of hiring your company. Use this information to make adjustments, such as where you are spending your marketing dollars and how you are training your employees, to set you up for success for the rest of the year.

Get serious about using mobile technology to operate in real time

Technology has given restoration businesses the gift of remaining connected at every step of a job. When your employees leave your business to perform an estimate or get to work on a restoration job, they should be using mobile technology to provide you, your client and the insurance agent involved with real-time updates.

Operating in real time may seem like a hassle at first, but mobile technology is your friend. With automatic updates on a job, you can avoid unmet expectations because of the constant, open communication taking place between everyone involved. For example, if the scope of a job changes, even slightly, instead of disclosing this information to your client on an adjusted bill, you can text them right away to get approval before spending any more of their money.

Every business is different and how you apply the tips above may vary based on your company’s needs. No matter what, don’t neglect to the opportunity to tighten up your business practices, to embrace new technology and to grow your company this spring. At More Floods, we provide countless operational resources to our members. To learn more about what being a member would mean for your restoration company, click here or call 1-866-667-3356.

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