How OCS Interacts With Our Restoration Contractor’s Customers

Team member calling customer about restoration invoice questions For most restoration contractors, the most important part of their business is building and maintaining strong relationships with their homeowners. Some contractors can be understandably wary of allowing a third party like One Claim Solution to communicate with their customers. At OCS, we often get questions from contractors considering working with us about how OCS will interact with their customers. Today, we’re here to explain how OCS communicates with homeowners and how working with OCS can improve your customer relationships.

OCS Only Contacts Homeowners When Necessary, With Permission

Some contractors worry that bringing in a third-party claims management team like OCS might interfere with their customer relationships. In reality, for most restoration jobs, One Claim will never interact with your homeowners. OCS only contacts homeowners when absolutely necessary and only with the contractor’s permission.

Situations When OCS May Contact Homeowners

According to Jeremy Traasdale and Josh Ehmke, OCS Co-founders, here are a few examples of situations where OCS may reach out to a homeowner:

The Carrier Sent a Check Directly to the Homeowner

OCS has restoration contractors who work with them use assignments of benefits agreements whenever possible. These agreements give permission to providers to send payments directly to the contractor instead of the homeowner. But when a provider mistakenly sends payment to the homeowner or a claims payment is issued in states where assignments of benefits are not allowed, that payment may still end up in the hands of homeowners.

When this happens, one common issue restoration contractors face is homeowners not realizing or forgetting that the money is meant for the contractor, not for personal use. When insurance checks are sent to the homeowner, OCS will reach out. “We let the homeowner know a check is coming to them, that it’s not theirs. They don’t get to go to Disneyland with that check. This is actually for the contractor,” Josh explains. This communication can help reduce issues securing the funds from the homeowner.

Information From the Homeowner Is Needed by the Insurance Carrier

Sometimes, there are hang-ups in the claims process that hinge on the homeowner. For example, the provider may be missing information from the homeowner that they need before they will process the claim. When situations like this arise, One Claim Solution will contact the homeowner to resolve the issue so that the claim can be processed by their provider.

Explaining Restoration Invoices to Homeowners

Sometimes, homeowners question line items on an invoice simply because they don’t understand how restoration billing works. For example, a customer might see “21 air movers” listed on a bill and assume it’s a mistake or a charge added in bad faith since they never saw 21 fans in their home. In reality, that number represented seven air movers used over three days.

“These water losses are so rare that you can’t even fault homeowners for not understanding how to read an invoice,” Jeremy said. When there is confusion over charges, OCS can help answer homeowner questions and explain the invoice to them in a way that homeowners can understand. By clearing up invoice confusion, OCS can help build customer confidence in your restoration company and reduce unnecessary pushback.

Telling Homeowners About OCS

For most homeowners, a restoration claim is a new and overwhelming experience. “For almost every single homeowner that has a water loss, it’s their first time having a water loss. They don’t know what to expect,” Josh says. One of the important thing you can do as a restoration contractor is set expectations for the insurance process with homeowners early on. As a part of this, OCS recommends contractors let their customers know that OCS is a third-party company they work with to make the claims process easier for everyone. This early introduction helps ward off confusion or suspicion on the off chance that One Claim does need to reach out to the homeowner.

OCS Will Always Be On Your Side During Customer Interactions

We understand how much restoration contractors value their reputation. In all situations where OCS needs to contact a homeowner, we will go out of our way to be professional and helpful. As an extension of your restoration business, our goal is to be a positive part of your customer relationships, not a hindrance. Contractors who work with us find that they can trust us to protect their customer relationships.

Partnering with OCS

Handling insurance claims is stressful for both contractors and homeowners. When you enlist the help of OCS to manage claims negotiation, documentation, and accounts receivable, you can focus on the core of your business: restoring properties and serving customers. Taking the stress of claims management off your plate will help give you more time and bandwidth to grow and provide a higher level of customer service. If you’re ready to simplify your claims process, contact OCS today.