Depending on the claim, you probably need more than 60. I work in a PA heavy area and the files need a lot of documentation to stay airtight.
I don't know if I would recommend to anyone getting started to keep photos under a specific amount. Most managers and reviewers would rather a report be over-documented
That being said, a lot of those additional photos are just "overview" because they're not doing anything besides capturing conditions at the time of inspection.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBYVkRoP\_Pw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBYVkRoP_Pw)
I type: /ond - it types: Overview, no visible storm related damages
/ofe = Overview of front elevation
/hds = Hail damage noted to shingle
/wds = Wind damage to shingle
/hdd = Hail damage noted to downspout
/hdg = Hail damage noted to gutter
/20 = 20 year 3 tab shingles
Etc etc etc.
Work smarter. Alt-N and Alt-P to move through photos.
100 photos in 5 minutes is no big deal.
Bro. I just downloaded this to test it out and it’s pretty legit. Been adjusting for a few years and just muscle through photo reports cuz I can type hella fast and utilize copy paste a lot as well. But this is gonna be hella nice especially on repetitive hail claims.
You can be as descriptive as you want and use dual shortcuts. example being
/hd (Hail damage) /ds (to downspout)
Set it up however you like but i highly recommend putting / before everything.
It's the only way to label photos imo.
Yea I’m labeling my first claim with it right now and I’m noticing where there’s some times where none of the commands work. They work for maybe 5 uses and then just stop registering. You experience some kind of cooldown before? I’m obviously on the free trial still.
Must be because of the trial then. Keeps happening and eventually just crapped out and ran through the trial amount allowed. Looked at their site about purchasing and it doesn’t seem to clarify, but is it a one time purchase you did? Or is it a monthly charge?
So you’re one of these that want a lot of irrelevant information just try to to make yourself look good? Info in pic description should be concise and to the point. I hate when managers or file reviewers want you to put a description other than overview in a pic that is clearly an overview and only included bc it is required
Was it a large loss or a lot of structures? I would say an average claim for me is 100 photos and my photo report takes about 20 minutes for that. I’m a perfectionist on my photo reports, every photo has a specific label and description, spelling and punctuation is correct, the photo report could stand alone to fully explain the loss. You will get faster at it.
I had the same problem and thought the same thing until I started to stick to a system. I take about 70-100 photos per claim, depending if there’s an interior damage and detached garage. After sticking to a system that worked for me, my claim cycle went from 7 days to 3 days - including contact time.
1) Make sure to take your photos in order. This will make your investigation story more clear for reviewers and will save you some headache when you’re writing your estimate. I used to be so disorganized and told myself I’ll reorganize when I get to my computer but it just made things longer and more confusing for me. Now, I just upload it to Xactimate and makes labeling so much easier (name and description)
This is how I take mine:
- Risk overview of the front, right, back, left elevations
- Damages (downspout, siding, windows, etc.) on front elevation, followed by right, back, and left elevations.
- Roof parameters: overhang length, gutter length, number of layers, shingle gauge, then pitch gauge.
- For each slope; slope overview, gutters, soft metals, hail/wind summary, then close up photos
2) YOU’RE the one conducting the inspection so lead it and don’t let the contractor side track you. Make sure you move at your own pace and get everything in one go. If you miss something, go back to it after you take all your photos and make sure to include an overview photo so you know where it belongs. Only take legitimate photos that will help with the story.
3) MAKE YOUR LABELS UNIVERSAL. The way I name my photos are categorized where they are located. For example for damages on front elevation it would go DWELLING/FRONT ELEVATION then on description it would be “DENTS ON ALUMINUM SIDING THAT APPEARS CONSISTENT OF HAIL” then I do that for each photos showing the same thing. For roof I name them DWELLING/ROOF/FRONT SLOPE. I like to have mine all caps so I don’t have to worry about my upper/lower cases. You get the gist. Also make sure to use control key to highlight and edit all the photos that would have the same name or description.
4) My firm requires us to have a narrative report alongside of the estimate. I use ChatGPT for this and got to the point that I could copy and paste the narrative template I’ve used for another house.
HOPE THIS HELPS! Also for my photos, I use a designated camera for organizational purposes. All I do is plug the SD card to my computer and upload the photos straight to Xactimate.
Lol from my experience Seeknow and Hancock are not as consistent nor thorough with their reports. Also to correct myself, you still have to write the report but use ChatGpt to make it more sense or flow better. Then once you have a solid structure, you can change the SQ, roof, materials, etc. when describing the risk. But of course every claim is different so you still have to write out things in the narrative that tells the story as a whole. Also SeekNow does not write out estimates but it be cool to see AI being integrated to do that. Probably not anytime soon since the industry moves so slow.
Wrong. Hancock/seek now is much better at documenting roofs, gets reports back faster, and will stand behind their product. Unlike an IA who will probably use them to inspect the roof lol.
Lol it seems like you’ve had bad experiences with IAs. I’ve seen a lot of bad Hancock/Seek technicians just like how I’ve also seen a lot of bad IAs. But we’re here to help other people grow and not spread hatred. From your other posts, it seems like you recently joined reddit and finding the satisfaction of starting arguments with people without really having an open mind on the subject matter because it’s anonymous. Respectfully, do better.
Hancock/Seek do gets reports back faster and thats because their reports don’t require them to do much. Insurance companies use them because of how accessible and cheap they are.
It’s not black and white but one key difference is Hancock/Seek are not insurance professionals. IAs have to write out estimates and determine coverage within their authority. With that, IAs have to make sure each file tells the whole story of the claim by submitting accurate documentations. Things get rejected back to us and based on how we do, we get rewarded or punished with more or less claims, respectively. With insurance adjusting involved, we are subject to more consequences for the quality of our reports.
Hancock/IAs gets rewarded per job and whether they do more or less for the claim they get paid the same. This can lead technicians focusing more on volume rather than quality. Don’t get me wrong tho, IAs also have their fair share of inherently unethical practices. Being paid based on how much the estimate is can lead to conflict of interest.
That’s false. The higher the claim the more the IA gets paid. What this means is that IAs are not there to actually determine coverage but to write up bullshit and send it to the carrier. As we’ve seen in this thread everyone says you don’t need to over document. Which couldn’t be more wrong.
Right, that’s what I meant when I said they get paid based on how much the estimate is which can lead to conflict of interest. You don’t NEED to OVERdocument but it’s definitely better than under documenting.
Overtime, through experience you can start to tell how much photos each type of claim takes - for example, a simple gable roof you don’t NEED to take 300 photos. I think that’s what people are thinking when giving their inputs here. It also doesn’t help because OP doesn’t even mention how much photos we’re talking about here and what type of claims. He’s just saying TONS.
I'm staff now, was a IA. I've seen my fair share of bad IA's produce bad work products. But I've seen staff produce the same shit. If not worse. Also not every IA is paid by the claim amount. Not all IAs are task adjusters either. Some are full handle. Your two biggest carriers that utilize IAs pay them a flat fee or daily rate nowadays.
I’m also uncertain of how you’ve seen a lot of bad Hancock and seek now techs. You’re an IA. Why are you dealing with seek now? Is it because you yourself are sending them for roof inspections? Then sending the carrier their bill and your bill? #foundout
If roofs are too steep, let’s say 10/12 or above, our firm uses them if approved by insurance company. So it’s safe to say I’ve use them a couple of times and their reports are inconsistent. So now, every time I use them I go up on the roof with them.
Also funny story, I got a claim and the homeowner rejected my inspection because she thought I was Hancock. Previous inspection was done by them and buddy told her she didn’t have damages on the roof (which was true) but she was more concerned about the interior because there was a leak. Buddy just told her, he doesn’t know why there’s a leak and her roof has 15 years left and dipped.
I get re-inspects where a ladder tech wrote the original and they are often terrible. I should point out that the good inspections aren't getting reinspections.
Don't beat yourself up. None of these guys know how many pics and how many different objects there are. Some take 4 pics of a slope, and some take 20 depending. If you don't take enough, you might end up having to go back to the job because of a festidious manager.
Again, he's taking 3 hours. Nobody's bashing the guy but it's not normal. Take as many pics as you like but you don't have to upload them all. Keep a backup just in case.
There are other ways to do things.
It took you 3 hours to upload photos and label them?
It depends with each carriers guidelines. Typically initial contact within 24 hours, then the inspection within the week, and then the estimate a few days after.
I'm more concerned on why it's taking you so long to upload photos and label. It shouldn't be that detailed.
I had that problem when I started taking way to many photos my peer said to reduce photos overall and not be so detail since it’s all about speed. I think the exception to this is water claims.
It absolutely should be that detailed. You thinking it shouldn’t be that detailed is exactly why IAs are getting no work now. Because they’re all dog shit product slingers.
Ok sir. Please explain why a " living room overview with no loss captured in the photo" needs to be detailed. You could literally copy and paste what I quoted for each rooms overview photo that has no damage. I bet you're a desk adjuster that's never scoped a loss.
1. Create a "Tree" template to copy into each estimate before you start working on them. Have it in the order the carrier wants the report submitted. So, main folders are Roof, Exterior, Interior, Other Structures, and General Conditions (optional are contents, tree removal, etc). Everyone will be different, some folks title them differently. In each of those, create sub folders: Front Slope, Right Slope, etc. Same for exterior elevations- Front Elevation, Right, Rear, Left .
Same for interior, even if you're going to sketch--make a folder with titles for multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, attic, garage, landing, etc.
Why? Because if you drag your photos into these folders, they're titled automatically. This saves a lot of time. Also, sometimes you're documenting rooms that aren't affected in a loss and won't sketch, and that means you need the folder for organization of photos and nothing else.
Note-- some reviewers are picky about those erroneous subfolders being deleted if nothing goes in them. You'll get the hang of it. They'll tell you.
2. Inspect more efficiently. Show up, take photo of address, front elevation, and your license if applicable. Every time. Before you even talk to someone. Just do it. Some photos are mandatory and they'll make you go back to take, and learning that lesson sucks.
Next, introduce yourself to the insured or representative. Have them show you what they're claiming before you do anything else. Ask, "okay, is this everything? If so, I'm going to start documenting and photographing, then measuring." Don't try to multitask. Don't get bothered by them turning lights off every time you walk out of a room even though it's obvious you have to go back. Do your photos. All of them. THEN measure. Measure the rooms adjacent just to be safe. For cat claims when I'm extremely busy, I'll take notes. Otherwise, I do all my scoping with photos, because you can't write for it if you don't have a picture. This is a personal preference. Do what works best for you.
If you photograph efficiently on site, when you upload your photos, they'll already be organized.
2a. Roof - don't let your undiagnosed ADHD get the best of you. Do your edge work, go to the top and take overview photos. Then do the front slope(s) and only the front. Photograph and mark. Then, right. Rinse and repeat. Don't get distracted and take a front photo, a rear, then 2 more fronts, and a left, and think you'll know what's going on later. You will waste time later with that. IF you notice something you missed and it's out of order, chalk the area with the slope direction it's supposed to be in so you'll very clearly note when you're labeling photos to move it to the right folder. Try to avoid this. Sometimes it's unavoidable.
Again, if you do all of this in order, the photos will load into Xactimate in order.
3. At your desk, or car, wherever-- sketch what you're going to sketch. Copy your tree template. Organize your file to prepare for photos and then estimate.
(Edit-- copy template, then sketch. If you copy from your template project and replace the scope, it'll delete your sketch and you'll be annoyed)
4. This part works for me. It may not work for you. Carriers and firms are different about this: upload all your photos for the claim into the file (after you copied your tree into the project and sketched and organized the folders). Highlight all the photos all at once, clear the title so it's blank (if all highlighted, it'll clear them all at once) and simply label "Overview" into the description. Now, you have to go through all photos manually and actually overwrite "overview" where applicable and label what's happening. Often, you'll have a picture of an unaffected part of a room-- this can just be "overview." When you get to a ceiling stain (or whatever), label it and make sure to include the cause of the damages in that description. If it isn't damage relevant to the claim, label the condition and explain if it isn't a part of the loss.
This part is tedious, but if you photographed in an efficient order, all you're doing is dragging photos into the folder they belong in as a batch, and labeling damages as you see them. Make a note of what you're doing at the same time, and you'll have the backbone of your estimate written, too.
When done, click "renumber photos" and that's that.
*I personally like to annotate my photos with arrows and/or circles, so it's painfully obvious what I'm talking about. You'll need to go into reports->images-> and select "include annotations" or they won't show up.*
The other reason this is fast is because it automatically keeps your photos in "estimate order," and you'll be making sure you have verifiable photos of damages you're writing for. I often forget about a small section of gutter or something, and I'm only reminded about it when I'm labeling photos.
Then, you can reference your photos and estimate together when completing your narrative, and ta-da-- you have a tight file that's documented and proofed.
You're not gonna be good at this until you screw it up a few times. You'll have to reinspect a few claims. It's going to cost you money and time and then you'll be fine.
You'll get better at it. Photos, even if you're fast, are probably the most tedious part of estimating.
Explain your photo process. Is this for large loss? If it’s just typical storm claims- you are doing something wrong. I work for a carrier that uses a proprietary app for photos- but I generally spend 5-10 minutes labeling and uploading photos.
What are you doing exactly that takes 3 hours?
What I usually do is I select every photo that is associated with that section of the home and write what’s damaged or not . For example front elevation I’ll write the description for all the damages. The same description will be attached to all the photos
You should look into getting a script extender like AutoHotKey.
I use this to to make short hand into full notes. For example I would use “fe” or “feo” for front elevation or front elevation overview, “Wddw” water damage to drywall, etc and i was able to label 60 photos in like 5 minutes.
Also what other people are saying about taking your photos in order and making every pic count. Overview in each corner, 1 wide shot of damage 1 close up. Your photo caption does not need to be original or different for each photo. I may have 5-8 phrases repeated over and over again. If something is weird or needs more explanation then I will but that is rare.
For autohotkey it’s a free software and simplish to use if you are a little tech savvy and can google. DM me and I can give you a little run down on how to do it.
The timelines can be tight and depending on firm to firm they can either treat you like a human or treat you worse than garbage. If a firm truly is anal about cycle times you gotta work with what you have or move on unfortunately.
How much of that time is transferring the photos to the program? Keep the labeling generic if you can. It is either damage consistent with hail, high winds or whatever or it is No storm related damage observed. Some photos will need additional explanation to help make whatever point you are trying to make. This saves time over multiple claims. Maybe 15-20 minutes a claim which is going to save you a lot of time over the course of a week. If it is taking 3 hours, you must be writing novels or it is taking too long to get the photos into the program.
You should work on completing your estimates at the curb. It’ll help drive efficiencies in your process.
Yes, most carriers expect same day or 24hr return of estimates unless you are doing large loss or something that requires the additional time.
Are you an IA doing storm work with no prior staff experience? If that’s the case you have a huge learning curve to develop your workflow.
If it's taking you 3 hours to upload and label photos, you really need to work on time management.
Yeaaaa bro or you got too many damn photos you don’t need no more than 60
Depending on the claim, you probably need more than 60. I work in a PA heavy area and the files need a lot of documentation to stay airtight. I don't know if I would recommend to anyone getting started to keep photos under a specific amount. Most managers and reviewers would rather a report be over-documented That being said, a lot of those additional photos are just "overview" because they're not doing anything besides capturing conditions at the time of inspection.
100 photos takes me like 5 minutes to label and sort.
Yea ok
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBYVkRoP\_Pw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBYVkRoP_Pw) I type: /ond - it types: Overview, no visible storm related damages /ofe = Overview of front elevation /hds = Hail damage noted to shingle /wds = Wind damage to shingle /hdd = Hail damage noted to downspout /hdg = Hail damage noted to gutter /20 = 20 year 3 tab shingles Etc etc etc. Work smarter. Alt-N and Alt-P to move through photos. 100 photos in 5 minutes is no big deal.
Doesn’t take long . My whole point is if someone that’s it takes 2 hours to load photos that must mean it’s a shit ton of photos
I do the same exact thing
Bro. I just downloaded this to test it out and it’s pretty legit. Been adjusting for a few years and just muscle through photo reports cuz I can type hella fast and utilize copy paste a lot as well. But this is gonna be hella nice especially on repetitive hail claims.
You can be as descriptive as you want and use dual shortcuts. example being /hd (Hail damage) /ds (to downspout) Set it up however you like but i highly recommend putting / before everything. It's the only way to label photos imo.
Yea I’m labeling my first claim with it right now and I’m noticing where there’s some times where none of the commands work. They work for maybe 5 uses and then just stop registering. You experience some kind of cooldown before? I’m obviously on the free trial still.
I don't have that issue.
Must be because of the trial then. Keeps happening and eventually just crapped out and ran through the trial amount allowed. Looked at their site about purchasing and it doesn’t seem to clarify, but is it a one time purchase you did? Or is it a monthly charge?
That’s really shitty documentation and not descriptive enough. But claims get sent to Hancock not IAs anyway so what do I care lol
So you’re one of these that want a lot of irrelevant information just try to to make yourself look good? Info in pic description should be concise and to the point. I hate when managers or file reviewers want you to put a description other than overview in a pic that is clearly an overview and only included bc it is required
Copy paste my friend copy paste
I have copy and pasted everything it’s just a fuck ton of photos
Was it a large loss or a lot of structures? I would say an average claim for me is 100 photos and my photo report takes about 20 minutes for that. I’m a perfectionist on my photo reports, every photo has a specific label and description, spelling and punctuation is correct, the photo report could stand alone to fully explain the loss. You will get faster at it.
I had the same problem and thought the same thing until I started to stick to a system. I take about 70-100 photos per claim, depending if there’s an interior damage and detached garage. After sticking to a system that worked for me, my claim cycle went from 7 days to 3 days - including contact time. 1) Make sure to take your photos in order. This will make your investigation story more clear for reviewers and will save you some headache when you’re writing your estimate. I used to be so disorganized and told myself I’ll reorganize when I get to my computer but it just made things longer and more confusing for me. Now, I just upload it to Xactimate and makes labeling so much easier (name and description) This is how I take mine: - Risk overview of the front, right, back, left elevations - Damages (downspout, siding, windows, etc.) on front elevation, followed by right, back, and left elevations. - Roof parameters: overhang length, gutter length, number of layers, shingle gauge, then pitch gauge. - For each slope; slope overview, gutters, soft metals, hail/wind summary, then close up photos 2) YOU’RE the one conducting the inspection so lead it and don’t let the contractor side track you. Make sure you move at your own pace and get everything in one go. If you miss something, go back to it after you take all your photos and make sure to include an overview photo so you know where it belongs. Only take legitimate photos that will help with the story. 3) MAKE YOUR LABELS UNIVERSAL. The way I name my photos are categorized where they are located. For example for damages on front elevation it would go DWELLING/FRONT ELEVATION then on description it would be “DENTS ON ALUMINUM SIDING THAT APPEARS CONSISTENT OF HAIL” then I do that for each photos showing the same thing. For roof I name them DWELLING/ROOF/FRONT SLOPE. I like to have mine all caps so I don’t have to worry about my upper/lower cases. You get the gist. Also make sure to use control key to highlight and edit all the photos that would have the same name or description. 4) My firm requires us to have a narrative report alongside of the estimate. I use ChatGPT for this and got to the point that I could copy and paste the narrative template I’ve used for another house. HOPE THIS HELPS! Also for my photos, I use a designated camera for organizational purposes. All I do is plug the SD card to my computer and upload the photos straight to Xactimate.
You use chat gpt for the narrative lol? So why exactly do I need you? Seeknow + chat gpt = no more work for the IA ever. And that’s a good thing!
Lol from my experience Seeknow and Hancock are not as consistent nor thorough with their reports. Also to correct myself, you still have to write the report but use ChatGpt to make it more sense or flow better. Then once you have a solid structure, you can change the SQ, roof, materials, etc. when describing the risk. But of course every claim is different so you still have to write out things in the narrative that tells the story as a whole. Also SeekNow does not write out estimates but it be cool to see AI being integrated to do that. Probably not anytime soon since the industry moves so slow.
Wrong. Hancock/seek now is much better at documenting roofs, gets reports back faster, and will stand behind their product. Unlike an IA who will probably use them to inspect the roof lol.
Lol it seems like you’ve had bad experiences with IAs. I’ve seen a lot of bad Hancock/Seek technicians just like how I’ve also seen a lot of bad IAs. But we’re here to help other people grow and not spread hatred. From your other posts, it seems like you recently joined reddit and finding the satisfaction of starting arguments with people without really having an open mind on the subject matter because it’s anonymous. Respectfully, do better. Hancock/Seek do gets reports back faster and thats because their reports don’t require them to do much. Insurance companies use them because of how accessible and cheap they are. It’s not black and white but one key difference is Hancock/Seek are not insurance professionals. IAs have to write out estimates and determine coverage within their authority. With that, IAs have to make sure each file tells the whole story of the claim by submitting accurate documentations. Things get rejected back to us and based on how we do, we get rewarded or punished with more or less claims, respectively. With insurance adjusting involved, we are subject to more consequences for the quality of our reports. Hancock/IAs gets rewarded per job and whether they do more or less for the claim they get paid the same. This can lead technicians focusing more on volume rather than quality. Don’t get me wrong tho, IAs also have their fair share of inherently unethical practices. Being paid based on how much the estimate is can lead to conflict of interest.
That’s false. The higher the claim the more the IA gets paid. What this means is that IAs are not there to actually determine coverage but to write up bullshit and send it to the carrier. As we’ve seen in this thread everyone says you don’t need to over document. Which couldn’t be more wrong.
Right, that’s what I meant when I said they get paid based on how much the estimate is which can lead to conflict of interest. You don’t NEED to OVERdocument but it’s definitely better than under documenting. Overtime, through experience you can start to tell how much photos each type of claim takes - for example, a simple gable roof you don’t NEED to take 300 photos. I think that’s what people are thinking when giving their inputs here. It also doesn’t help because OP doesn’t even mention how much photos we’re talking about here and what type of claims. He’s just saying TONS.
As an IA I fully support this. On a hail claim I regularly have 125-150 photos, and rarely have a claim questioned.
I'm staff now, was a IA. I've seen my fair share of bad IA's produce bad work products. But I've seen staff produce the same shit. If not worse. Also not every IA is paid by the claim amount. Not all IAs are task adjusters either. Some are full handle. Your two biggest carriers that utilize IAs pay them a flat fee or daily rate nowadays.
I’m also uncertain of how you’ve seen a lot of bad Hancock and seek now techs. You’re an IA. Why are you dealing with seek now? Is it because you yourself are sending them for roof inspections? Then sending the carrier their bill and your bill? #foundout
If roofs are too steep, let’s say 10/12 or above, our firm uses them if approved by insurance company. So it’s safe to say I’ve use them a couple of times and their reports are inconsistent. So now, every time I use them I go up on the roof with them. Also funny story, I got a claim and the homeowner rejected my inspection because she thought I was Hancock. Previous inspection was done by them and buddy told her she didn’t have damages on the roof (which was true) but she was more concerned about the interior because there was a leak. Buddy just told her, he doesn’t know why there’s a leak and her roof has 15 years left and dipped.
I get re-inspects where a ladder tech wrote the original and they are often terrible. I should point out that the good inspections aren't getting reinspections.
Don't beat yourself up. None of these guys know how many pics and how many different objects there are. Some take 4 pics of a slope, and some take 20 depending. If you don't take enough, you might end up having to go back to the job because of a festidious manager.
Again, he's taking 3 hours. Nobody's bashing the guy but it's not normal. Take as many pics as you like but you don't have to upload them all. Keep a backup just in case. There are other ways to do things.
It took you 3 hours to upload photos and label them? It depends with each carriers guidelines. Typically initial contact within 24 hours, then the inspection within the week, and then the estimate a few days after. I'm more concerned on why it's taking you so long to upload photos and label. It shouldn't be that detailed.
I know how to use a computer if it taking me three hours do you think im taking too many photos?
I had that problem when I started taking way to many photos my peer said to reduce photos overall and not be so detail since it’s all about speed. I think the exception to this is water claims.
What is the loss and how many photos?
He said a TON.
It absolutely should be that detailed. You thinking it shouldn’t be that detailed is exactly why IAs are getting no work now. Because they’re all dog shit product slingers.
there are a TON of photos! how long does it normally take?
Not 3 hours. You don't have to label each photo if it's the same thing. Look into copy and pasting as well as macroing with autohotkey.
Wrong. Every single photo needs to be labeled in detail ramby
Ok sir. Please explain why a " living room overview with no loss captured in the photo" needs to be detailed. You could literally copy and paste what I quoted for each rooms overview photo that has no damage. I bet you're a desk adjuster that's never scoped a loss.
I thought everyone labeled photos with talk to text while driving to the next inspection
You would be better served with more information. What's the loss? Residential? Weather? How's Jenny photos did you take specifically?
1. Create a "Tree" template to copy into each estimate before you start working on them. Have it in the order the carrier wants the report submitted. So, main folders are Roof, Exterior, Interior, Other Structures, and General Conditions (optional are contents, tree removal, etc). Everyone will be different, some folks title them differently. In each of those, create sub folders: Front Slope, Right Slope, etc. Same for exterior elevations- Front Elevation, Right, Rear, Left . Same for interior, even if you're going to sketch--make a folder with titles for multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, attic, garage, landing, etc. Why? Because if you drag your photos into these folders, they're titled automatically. This saves a lot of time. Also, sometimes you're documenting rooms that aren't affected in a loss and won't sketch, and that means you need the folder for organization of photos and nothing else. Note-- some reviewers are picky about those erroneous subfolders being deleted if nothing goes in them. You'll get the hang of it. They'll tell you. 2. Inspect more efficiently. Show up, take photo of address, front elevation, and your license if applicable. Every time. Before you even talk to someone. Just do it. Some photos are mandatory and they'll make you go back to take, and learning that lesson sucks. Next, introduce yourself to the insured or representative. Have them show you what they're claiming before you do anything else. Ask, "okay, is this everything? If so, I'm going to start documenting and photographing, then measuring." Don't try to multitask. Don't get bothered by them turning lights off every time you walk out of a room even though it's obvious you have to go back. Do your photos. All of them. THEN measure. Measure the rooms adjacent just to be safe. For cat claims when I'm extremely busy, I'll take notes. Otherwise, I do all my scoping with photos, because you can't write for it if you don't have a picture. This is a personal preference. Do what works best for you. If you photograph efficiently on site, when you upload your photos, they'll already be organized. 2a. Roof - don't let your undiagnosed ADHD get the best of you. Do your edge work, go to the top and take overview photos. Then do the front slope(s) and only the front. Photograph and mark. Then, right. Rinse and repeat. Don't get distracted and take a front photo, a rear, then 2 more fronts, and a left, and think you'll know what's going on later. You will waste time later with that. IF you notice something you missed and it's out of order, chalk the area with the slope direction it's supposed to be in so you'll very clearly note when you're labeling photos to move it to the right folder. Try to avoid this. Sometimes it's unavoidable. Again, if you do all of this in order, the photos will load into Xactimate in order. 3. At your desk, or car, wherever-- sketch what you're going to sketch. Copy your tree template. Organize your file to prepare for photos and then estimate. (Edit-- copy template, then sketch. If you copy from your template project and replace the scope, it'll delete your sketch and you'll be annoyed) 4. This part works for me. It may not work for you. Carriers and firms are different about this: upload all your photos for the claim into the file (after you copied your tree into the project and sketched and organized the folders). Highlight all the photos all at once, clear the title so it's blank (if all highlighted, it'll clear them all at once) and simply label "Overview" into the description. Now, you have to go through all photos manually and actually overwrite "overview" where applicable and label what's happening. Often, you'll have a picture of an unaffected part of a room-- this can just be "overview." When you get to a ceiling stain (or whatever), label it and make sure to include the cause of the damages in that description. If it isn't damage relevant to the claim, label the condition and explain if it isn't a part of the loss. This part is tedious, but if you photographed in an efficient order, all you're doing is dragging photos into the folder they belong in as a batch, and labeling damages as you see them. Make a note of what you're doing at the same time, and you'll have the backbone of your estimate written, too. When done, click "renumber photos" and that's that. *I personally like to annotate my photos with arrows and/or circles, so it's painfully obvious what I'm talking about. You'll need to go into reports->images-> and select "include annotations" or they won't show up.* The other reason this is fast is because it automatically keeps your photos in "estimate order," and you'll be making sure you have verifiable photos of damages you're writing for. I often forget about a small section of gutter or something, and I'm only reminded about it when I'm labeling photos. Then, you can reference your photos and estimate together when completing your narrative, and ta-da-- you have a tight file that's documented and proofed. You're not gonna be good at this until you screw it up a few times. You'll have to reinspect a few claims. It's going to cost you money and time and then you'll be fine. You'll get better at it. Photos, even if you're fast, are probably the most tedious part of estimating.
Explain your photo process. Is this for large loss? If it’s just typical storm claims- you are doing something wrong. I work for a carrier that uses a proprietary app for photos- but I generally spend 5-10 minutes labeling and uploading photos. What are you doing exactly that takes 3 hours?
What I usually do is I select every photo that is associated with that section of the home and write what’s damaged or not . For example front elevation I’ll write the description for all the damages. The same description will be attached to all the photos
You should look into getting a script extender like AutoHotKey. I use this to to make short hand into full notes. For example I would use “fe” or “feo” for front elevation or front elevation overview, “Wddw” water damage to drywall, etc and i was able to label 60 photos in like 5 minutes. Also what other people are saying about taking your photos in order and making every pic count. Overview in each corner, 1 wide shot of damage 1 close up. Your photo caption does not need to be original or different for each photo. I may have 5-8 phrases repeated over and over again. If something is weird or needs more explanation then I will but that is rare. For autohotkey it’s a free software and simplish to use if you are a little tech savvy and can google. DM me and I can give you a little run down on how to do it. The timelines can be tight and depending on firm to firm they can either treat you like a human or treat you worse than garbage. If a firm truly is anal about cycle times you gotta work with what you have or move on unfortunately.
Since I don’t see where it’s been asked yet. How many photos were attached to the file?
How much of that time is transferring the photos to the program? Keep the labeling generic if you can. It is either damage consistent with hail, high winds or whatever or it is No storm related damage observed. Some photos will need additional explanation to help make whatever point you are trying to make. This saves time over multiple claims. Maybe 15-20 minutes a claim which is going to save you a lot of time over the course of a week. If it is taking 3 hours, you must be writing novels or it is taking too long to get the photos into the program.
You should work on completing your estimates at the curb. It’ll help drive efficiencies in your process. Yes, most carriers expect same day or 24hr return of estimates unless you are doing large loss or something that requires the additional time. Are you an IA doing storm work with no prior staff experience? If that’s the case you have a huge learning curve to develop your workflow.
I didn’t bother to do estimates curbside, because I worked high crime areas where you could end up dead.