Tom TollModerator & Life Member  Senior Member Posts:1865  
| 01/03/2009 3:51 PM |
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I had been told many months ago by an MS/B employee that they had a completely new program coming out that would have a robust database. It was supposed to have been offered by now, but I don't see it. I wish they would get their stuff together and get that new program out before I change to something else. Doing every day daily claims would allow me to use anything, with exception on one company who insists on Integraclaim. The Integraclaims, as stated before, sucks.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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| 01/04/2009 12:27 AM |
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Posted By Chuck Deaton on 01 Jan 2009 07:43 PM
.... Surely Xactimate contractor allows the contractor to install specialty items and prices and to retain them.
Yes it does.
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ChuckDeatonLife Member Senior Member Posts:1110 
| 01/09/2009 11:54 PM |
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"I cannot afford to have multiple estimating programs in hopes that the independent adjusting firm or carrier will need my services." If you aren't willing to purchase the tools needed to do a job, my advise would be to stay on the porch.
"should always check the local market place and get a read on what contractors are charging in a particular area." My experience is that the vast majority of catastrophe adjusters never check any prices. In fact,checking and changing prices form the unit pricing in Xactimate, MSB, Simsol, etc. is frowned up on, noted in the estimating program, reported and in some cases will end up in termination. Not to mention being constantly questioned by supervisors.
I have been in depositions where adjusters who changed prices were being questioned by plaintiff's attorneys and it wasn't pleasant.
"Xactimate estimates generates phone calls to the inside and outside adjusters, who then have to take the time to explain to the homeowners what the estimate has addressed." In any instance a copy of the adjusters estimate is to be provided to the insured and it is only common courtesy to call the insured and explain any facet of the adjusting process and that includes going over the estimate. Most states have Fair Claims Practices Act that not only requires the adjuster to explain the estimate but the policy as well.
As I use Xactimate and Simsol on a daily basis I am extremely interested in how you know that Xactimate "unit price adjustments are not valid."
"Prattling on and on about being an ass with experience doesn't make someone experienced. It just makes you an ass." Rod Buvens, Pilot grunt
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| 01/10/2009 12:30 AM |
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Agree... a positive approach to possible solutions facing our industry, would be the best path to follow.
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BobH Veteran Member Posts:759 
| 01/10/2009 12:21 PM |
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Gary, your posturing is not adding a hell of a lot to this conversation.
(edit of 1-11-09: thank you for revising your post Gary)
Bob H
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okclarrydVeteran Member Posts:954 
| 01/11/2009 4:45 PM |
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I've worked both sides of this fence as an adjuster and as an estimator for a contractor. I have come to the opinion that the grass is equally green and has been nourished by a liberal application of fertilizer on both pastures.
If the Xactimate estimate is accurate and factual, there's plenty of money to address the repairs. The 10/10 for a general contractor makes sure that everyone makes enough to be in business next week.
There always has been and always will be those instances where a specific entry is made to address something that is not seen everyday. I don't think it can be added to the database in Xactimate and remembered. A drop-down box explaining the entry has always worked for me both as an aduster and as an estimator.
Once again, I think the estimate is a result of the preparer.
As the saying goes, .............. garbage in, garbage out.
Larry D Hardin
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| 08/09/2009 9:06 PM |
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Better late than never, I guess . . .
I've been dragged, kicking & screaming, into the XM8 fold & have done one storm and several dozen daily claims in the past six months with XM8 as the mandatory database. When I can find my line items, the XM8 database seems to be a bit higher than SiMSOL (my program-of-choice), however, I do NOT find it an adjuster-friendly program. I've worked with MSB/IntegriClaim, even back when it was DDS(!) as well as PowerClaim, & STILL think XM8 has a way to go (though I admit it's much better than it was a few years ago. Just, ppi, Sketch is a phenomenal program, but an adjuster does NOT need to be a draftsman, and I tend to take waaay to much time trying to make my footprints/floorplans perfect. They don't NEED to be! I still prefer the simplicity of SiMSOL!
My two cents has become a nickle, I guess, but what the . . . |
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| 08/09/2009 9:51 PM |
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Good heavens, gentlemen . . . How is it that NONE of you has commented that XM8, being the CONTRACTOR's program that it is (and always has been) is TOTALLY manipulable. ANYONE (i.e., any contractor OR adjuster) can change ANY price & make it part of their database. NONE of the prices is sacrosanct. The naïveté of carriers in thinking that their forcing adjusters to use the same program as contractors will result in identical, or even close, estimates is beyond absurd. Convincing them of this would prove impossible. But, keep trying, guys. KEEP TRYING. |
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johnpostavaSIMSOL.com  Member Posts:141 
| 08/17/2009 10:25 AM |
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X may be the largest estimating vendor but IMHO they are far from the best. Big companies like to work with big companies and that fact will never change. Middle managers won't lose their jobs if they pick the largest vendor because if they don't deliver, the manager can blame the vendor but if they select a smaller vendor and they fall on their face, heads at the carrier will roll! MSB is not going away, sometime ago we inquired about purchasing the estimating division of MDA and we were told they have no interest to sell off that part of the business. The "three year" development cycle of their new generation of estimating software is now approaching five years. As a competing adjusting software provider, we fully understand the complexities of developing such a system that, in addition to estimating, must handle photos, diagrams, forms, reports, etc. and must also run on all of the ridiculous operating systems put out by Microsoft. Just like any remodeling job, developing good software typically takes twice as long as first thought and usually costs twice as much money in programming fees! I, myself, look forward to seeing it upon release.
As for our shop, in the upcoming months we will be announcing some cool integrations with other third party vendors servicing the property claims industry as well as a couple of new applications that we hope will be widely accepted by the adjusting and contracting communities. SIMSOL has been "hanging around" for over 20 years and we currently have thousands of satisfied users. My brother, Frank, and I still own the company and we enjoy, everyday, the services we provide our users. When adjusters have a choice they (usually) choose SIMSOL. X definitely has the overwhelming market share and is the "800 pound" gorilla in our marketplace but there are plenty of bananas out there for the other vendors. Tiger Woods lost this weekend to the 117th ranked player in the world, J.E. Yang from Korea. Sometimes even a little guy can come out a winner!
The tropics are heating up and we at SIMSOL hope you all get a ton of work this year - no matter what software you use to do your claims.
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Gale HawkinsPowerClaim.com Member Posts:386
| 08/17/2009 11:22 PM |
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We at HRI have decided the best software out there is the one that enables you to feed your family the best. In fact that is often determined by the "other" golden rule.
He who has the gold makes the rules. :)
Technically that may not be be the best software but the best of anything can be very subjective. Like John we wish everyone a great season.
Most adjusters are not CAT adjusters and may have more choice in the brand of estimating software. Again grab the one that best enables you to feed your family and everyone will come out OK in the end. |
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johnpostavaSIMSOL.com Member Posts:141
| 08/18/2009 10:57 AM |
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Well said, Gale.
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| 08/19/2009 6:22 PM |
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Xact is the best out there. I worked Simsol, MSB, Powerclaim. They all are obsolete programs with no sketch capabilities. I can draw a VERY complicated roof in sketch and apply shingles in one click. And it takes me about 10 minutes to do that. Try doing it in Simsol. To be honest, Xact is so ahead of the game that it's not even comparable to the obsolete and awkward, designed 20 years ago things that you call estimating software by mistake. All of you get real, learn how to PROPERLY use Xactimate and be happy.
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| 08/20/2009 1:43 AM |
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John, I have used and loved your product since 1994 You are correct not every Carrier requires Xactimate but those numbers are dwindling. Simsol approached business by satisfying the field adjuster with a user friendly product. Xactimate outwitted you. They could care less about the adjuster. Xactimate was originally intended just for Contractors but once State Farm saw its benfits in Andrew they moved to adjusters. They marketed their system to management of the Carrier via Xactanalysis. Their system allows the Carrier to follow their claim from day one to completion and track every move that adjuster makes each time they log in to input data. With that data they can determine which adjuster works their files more timely and reaches that glorious pinnacle The Closed File the quickest. And based on that historical they can decide who to hire first on the next claim. Trust me, the prime directive is close it fast.OK, no one wants a poor file, but the drive is closures. For those that think Xactimate is the most advanced only thing out their program just remember who is telling you that and drilling you Xactimate is the only way. With Xactimate you will be prone to mutliple errors. You will still need scratch paper and a calculator and still be doing reports in Word outside the program and that will just spell errors. With Simsol and Integriclaim I can do everything inside the program that will draw estimate amounts from Dwelling, APS, Contents estimates or ALE to make sure I do not make a 2AM error I can do an entire caption report in less than 5 minutes that is absolutely correct with each part of my estimate. If you can figure out how to make Simsol track files like Xactimate then sell that to Carriers you will get back alot of carriers that really do not like Xactimate but it just offers so many file tracking benefits and no one else has that.
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| 08/20/2009 1:49 AM |
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For those who do not know
in xactimate
spellcheck avilable? yes
Custom captioned reports available? yes
Like I said just learn xactimate and give up on old crap, Xact is the future. |
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okclarrydVeteran Member Posts:954
| 08/20/2009 7:44 AM |
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give up on old crap, Xact is the future
Seems like I heard the same BS about Mobama.
Larry D Hardin
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johnpostavaSIMSOL.com Member Posts:141
| 08/20/2009 12:03 PM |
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Willis,
Ole really has a bone to pick about simsol (and all the other estimating systems enjoyed by so many adjusters)!. Don't know why but he seems angry! Simsol does have an electronic assignment and claims management system called ClaimsWire and we do have an estimate and claims analysis software product called Discovery. These products allow our insurance carriers to dig deep into estimates and monitor their adjusters for both quality in the adjustment process and how efficiently they use the estimating software. No adjuster that I know of has ever gotten fired by a carrier using our products – they are used to detect flaws that indicate the adjuster needs additional training in one or more areas. These products are being enjoyed by IA firms and about a dozen regional and state insurance carriers. Most of our carriers don't hire cat adjusters and use their staff for storms.
I have access to a copy of X and have tried on more than a few occasions to learnboth the estimating platform and the drawing package (FYI, X holds a patent on the drawing-to-estimate workflow and won't allow anyone to build their own - it bogus and we would win if we fought it but I'd rather keep 2 million in the bank!)). Now I know why there are so many "training" vendors for X - X needs them! Adjusters get up and running with simsol in less than a day and never look back.
Ole, I am glad to see you are passionate about your software of choice and probably one of the few adjusters that have taken the countless hours to master X. For me, this 50-year old dog would rather spend his time doing the estimate than drawing pictures - but that's me....
Thanks for listening... |
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| 08/20/2009 1:39 PM |
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John, Ole, must be a Snake Farm wannabe that is his choice
I am aware of Claimswire and Discovery both are better than X I have used the Xact from inside it is a tool for big brother People in management usually are not field trained and just expect immediate results I have seen adjusters lose all their files because they did not handle the 20 nightmares they just got in 2 days or less One would think Carriers could learn from lawsuits and PA's but if we have another Cat 4-5 through Miami out through Tampa these same carriers will want you on site the day after it hit if not before, ready to inspect and send all data on the internet forget there is no power, no water, no gas, no lodging all that is the field adjuster problems I guess we all need an RV with a tow behind car that gets 400 mpg + a portable tanker with 500 gals of gas + a satellite dish for internet + a soft smile, a kind word, and a thick skin because the Carrier will just want results I am 60 yrs old and been doing this for 37 yrs. I have made a career off re-working files carriers pushed their IA's to close in 2 days. Simsol eliminates most of the simple errors Xact creates You still have to know what you are doing, be willing to tell a carrier the truth and if they want it closed then close it but make it clear closed does not really mean closed. I have Xact and can use it effectively not much choice if you want to work but I import alot of Simsol into it
I would like to find a vendor that only uses Simsol so I do not have to pay rent of two estimate systems just to make a living. Have a great day.
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| 08/20/2009 2:16 PM |
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I am not angry guy, come on. I am just telling you that the future of the estimating software is integration of graphical estimating with estimating platform (sketch) and continuous feedback from the field adjuster via network (xactnet). In Simsol you awkwardly draw room by room in an old CAD version that makes you wanna cry. No 3d rendering at all. For example with super cutup roofs that I handle every day (mixed slope, pitch, bunch of dormers) it is IMPOSSIBLE to work those in Simsol. Yes, it's a good database with friendly interface but that's not enough nowadays. And the agrument "oh, gosh, I've been using it for 10 years and now I have to use another program" .. is ridiculours, get yourself into classroom and learn. Once you learn xact it is incredibly powerful program. Come on, carriers switch to xact not only due to their marketing but also when they realize how good this program is. |
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 08/20/2009 3:37 PM |
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This topic with about four or five posters has confirmed what I was predicting was the future of of storm claims back in 2003. Roof measurements by satellite. Estimating programs that can be ran by high school computer nerds from home. Macro,s, copy and paste etc etc. 20 eye balls in the experience room and 50 FICUS taking photos will close 1,000 storm losses per day, quicker, more accurate, more QC and less expense than 200 "one adjuster one house" system used today. Ten adjusters instead of 200. And it will work. The cost per file for estimatics will be a real factor, with simplicity/cost the main focus
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| 08/20/2009 4:51 PM |
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Posted By Ray Hall on 20 Aug 2009 03:37 PM
This topic with about four or five posters has confirmed what I was predicting was the future of of storm claims back in 2003. Roof measurements by satellite. Estimating programs that can be ran by high school computer nerds from home. Macro,s, copy and paste etc etc. 20 eye balls in the experience room and 50 FICUS taking photos will close 1,000 storm losses per day, quicker, more accurate, more QC and less expense than 200 "one adjuster one house" system used today. Ten adjusters instead of 200. And it will work. The cost per file for estimatics will be a real factor, with simplicity/cost the main focus
:) Will not happen. :) Hail damage can not be determined from satellite. In fact I would even PREFER to have drawing of the roof done by eagleview, so I could just do my test squares and get off the roof. Second. Number of layers to remove, dripedge, valley metal, kind of shingles still have to be determined by an adjuster. Third, interior damages are not adjustable from out of space. Fourth, who is going to negotiate with a contractor? :)
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