“In the past, our dealers all had a different way of collecting data from a disaster site. With GoFormz, we’ve standardized the process so dealers are getting inspections done faster, and they’re able to book more business.”
GOFORMZ CASE STUDY
AT-A-GLANCE
THE FULL STORY
Founded in 1992, Furniture Medic is the world's largest and most respected furniture repair and wood restoration company. With customers raving about “high quality work, professionalism, and fast response,” it’s no surprise that Entrepreneur magazine has recognized Furniture Medic as the No. 1 furniture repair and restoration home-based franchise business in the United States for 10 years running. Securing that reputation year after year requires Furniture Medic to constantly improve e ciency and embrace technology, which is why the company turned to GoFormz to better manage its furniture repair and wood restoration franchises.
Whether the damage is from water, fire, smoke or vandalism, Furniture Medic Disaster Restoration helps deliver peace of mind to customers by restoring damaged furniture, cabinets, millwork, heirlooms and other items to their pre-loss condition. Thanks to a network of over 80 franchised repair shops, or dealers, across the country, Furniture Medic can quickly dispatch local repairmen to investigate claims.
Furniture Medic dealers provide claim validation services, or inspections, for insurance adjusters to approve a claim. Although insurance companies require specific information and photos, each dealer had a different way of capturing and submitting that data. From handwritten memos to Excel spreadsheets, inspections from each dealer were inconsistent and often incomplete. In addition, dealers spent precious time transferring photos from cameras to computers to email—compromising their ability to meet a 72-hour deadline to submit an inspection.
Furniture Medic now recommends owners use an iPad, where they can complete a standard inspection form from GoFormz in real-time at each disaster site. Photos are embedded directly in the form, so dealers no longer have to transfer them from cameras to computers. GoFormz automatically generates a PDF that dealers can send to the insurance adjuster, from the field or back at the office, if necessary. Since each dealer uses the same form, insurance adjusters always get the information they need to approve a claim.
“GoFormz made it easy for me to create a standard inspection form for all dealers to collect data at disaster sites, including information like the problem description, solution, repair costs, and estimated replacement costs, “ comments Tisha Henley, Manager of Development for Disaster Restoration at Furniture Medic. “As a result, insurance adjusters are getting the data they need, faster."
Using a standardized, GoFormz inspection form from a mobile device allows dealers to complete inspections faster, and if the claim is approved, they can often schedule repairs on the spot.
Furniture Medic is extending the use of GoFormz to eliminate even more paper-based processes for dealers. Having succeeded with inspections, Furniture Medic has mobilized customer authorization forms, allowing dealers to obtain all the required signatures for payment, right from their mobile device. Invoices are also included, so dealers can close the loop on service requests without any paperwork. As a result, GoFormz has modernized the end-to-end business process for the Furniture Medic franchise.
GoFormz is so instrumental in the entire dealer business process that it is now a standard part of all new franchise training at the Furniture Medic Academy. With GoFormz, Furniture Medic has streamlined and modernized the entire process of responding to customer claims. This allows dealers to wrap up claims faster, and focus on the expertise and craftsmanship that is the hallmark of the Furniture Medic brand.