A powerful tablet is an essential tool for adjusters. With nearly all the capability of a laptop, and the ease of sketching claims, we believe it’s an obvious choice. A tablet helps you close claims faster with the tools that you have. It also helps you eliminate some of those tools. Here are 8 of our favorite apps for deployment.
Pitch Gauge
The pitch gauge app is just that, a pitch gauge. Load it before you get to the top of your ladder, selecting the camera option within the app. Rest it on the roof until the pitch shows on the screen, and hit the “snap” button. The app will snap a pic of the roof with the pitch superimposed on the image. Because of the length of an iPad, you don’t need to rest a clipboard underneath it for an accurate measurement. You also don’t need to carry a pitch gauge in your bully bag. As a bonus, the app features a handy calculator for calculating roof areas and dimensions.
Duet
Duet is our favorite dual monitor app. The app allows you to use your iPad as a dual monitor to your laptop. Having a second monitor for use on your admin days is an asset, and will help you boost productivity.
Scheduleit
Scheduleit is the nerve center for your routing, scheduling and client contact. For a small fee, Scheduleit will contact and schedule all of your inspections for you, while updating the log in your claim file. This service will save you days scheduling all of your claims. Your contact notes will be constantly up to date, and you be able to focus on closing claims and not playing phone tag. [UPDATE] Scheduleit has shuttered since this article was published.
Windy
Everyone has a weather app, and Windy is our favorite. Tons of info with the most beautiful UI we’ve seen on any weather app.
Amazon
Amigos, things break. Pants get ruined. Tools get lost. Amazon can replace most of the things in your gear bag in 2 days or less. Don’t waste time looking around for that obscure ink for your wireless printer. Many hotels allow guests to receive packages, Extended Stay America being one of them. Some, do not, so check with front desk first. Aside from being able to order basically anything under the sun, Amazon Prime has lot of other cool benefits too. Prime Pantry and Amazon Fresh can keep your fridge stocked, so you’re not wasting time in line at Safeway after a sweltering day of scoping and writing.
Everlance / Mileage IQ
This is a personal preference choice, but the point here is that you need a reliable mileage app. If you’re not tracking your miles, you’re throwing money in a burning trash can. If you’re tracking miles on a clipboard, well that’s just another task you shouldn’t have to allot time for. Both Everlance and Mileage IQ will automatically track your mileage and segments. It just takes a simple swipe to indicate wether the segment was business or personal, and reports are easily generated for your convenience.
ITEL Now
There are going to be circumstances where you need to send a sample of carpet or material to ITEL for analysis and matching. The ITEL Now app allows you to send photos from the loss instead of sending a physical sample. Reports are generally returned within 30 minutes, still allowing you to settle on site. Some materials will require a mobile toolkit from ITEL to properly take the photos for the lab.
Google Maps / Waze
We grouped these two together, because they’re similar. Waze is more proactive about on the fly routing, and Google Maps is better at directions from beginning to end. One of the best features of Google Maps is your ability to send directions from your laptop to your iPad. Your iPad can download the route while you’re at your hotel doing claim recon the night before. That way, fi there are any connectivity issues while you’re on the road, you’ve still got directions
Bonus: Notes
It’s already on your iPad, but we wanted to mention it anyway. Notes is a great app, and an easy way to sketch by hand outside of Xactimate. In the app, there’s the option to add gridlines to your note, making it easier to draw. This is preferable to sketching on paper that can get crumpled, wet, etc. Plus, you’re already carrying around your iPad, if you’ve got your paperwork in there in PDF, then you can ditch that clipboard. One less thing to carry around while scoping.
Honorable Mention
Audible, from Amazon. Rockin out when your driving from deployment to deployment is great, but sometimes you want something a little deeper, or maybe a podcast? The Economist? You can listen to all of it on Audible.
