You can make a significant difference when dealing with adjusters if you use Evaporation Potential (EP). Preparing properly or a job may save you from losing hundreds of dollars or even save a relationship with a referral source from deteriorating. Take a moment to think outside of the box when dealing with adjusters.
Look for the opportunity to explain a job that isn’t going to go as expected. When you are prepared, you have the right documentation, and you know how to explain drying you will build relationships as opposed to damaging them.
Excuses NEVER beats an explanation!
Don’t wait till the end of a job to address an unexpected turn. Address the situation immediately. When you tell someone something before it happens, you are a well educated resource! If you wait until the job it as its end before explaining an unexpected turn, the perception of the other party is that you are an inept contractor trying to make excuses for poor quality work or over billing. If you are experiencing difficulty regularly in collecting on your water restoration work likely you don’t explain well upfront.
At times it may be difficult to speak to an adjuster before the job is complete, but you can communicate with one of the decision makers. Also, you can usually send an email or send a message to the adjuster. Either way explaining what will happen on a job as early as possible will increase your value.
So how do you predict potential issues that arise early in the job?
How does Evaporation Potential help?
Water is removed in three processes: Extraction, Dehumidification and Evaporation. Evaporation takes the longest of the three. If there will be an issue on a job that causes it to take longer it is usually caused by evaporation. Evaporation Potential is a formula that was developed in 2004. EP helps restorers evaluate the effectiveness of the drying environment they have created. EP is an effective fool that has proven to help thousands of restorers.
Let’s say you have started a job and you get the best conditions available for drying water damage in the home! The thermostat is set at 85 degrees and everything is ready to go. The following day you go to check on your readings and you notice the homeowner has lowered the thermostat to 72 degrees! The change in temperature will drastically change the drying environment. Unfortunately the drying time will now take longer.
The cost of the job will go up dramatically and then you are going to have to fight to explain why you should be paid for additional drying time.
We know you are not responsible for this change in drying time but unless you explain why early on you could be held responsible. If you just send a bill and try to excuse it later, it’ll be your fault. The problem is that GPP would not identify that this change in temperature is a problem. In fact, the GPP will likely improve and it would appear, incorrectly, that better drying conditions exist in the cooler environment.
When restorers explain the change using Evaporation Potential they have dramatically greater success in not only getting fully paid, but they earn respect as a trusted adviser.
Evaporation Potential helps you make your explanation by determining the rate of evaporation using the Surface Temperature, Air Temp and Relative Humidity. By decreasing or increasing those factors, you will either slow down or speed up the drying process. An EP goal of 1.5 or greater will give you the best results when using conventional drying methods. Directed heat drying is best done with an EP goal of 7 or greater.
Did you know that you can go to the Apple App store and download a FREE Evaporation Potential App from Reets Drying Academy? Mobile users who use other devices can go to Usetes.mobi in your internet browser and bookmark the Evaporation Potential calculator.
