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iCat Contents Process

Step by Step Onboarding For New Users Beginning the iCat Contents Process

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Written by Support MD
Updated today

This guide walks you through a complete hands-on Test Job so you can experience how iCat operates in the field, warehouse, and admin workflow. You’ll practice inventorying all five types of contents, moving items using the Production View, updating statuses, staging for delivery, and reviewing your packout.

Once your Test Job is complete, book your onboarding webinar so we can recap your workflow and answer any final questions.

SECTION 0 — Prepare Your Environment (Before Starting)

1. Pack-Out Label Printer

2. Pack-Back Printer (Brother QL Wi-Fi)

  • Setup using computer to local Wi-Fi

  • Install DK-2205 label rolls

  • Disconnect from the computer and plug it into a wall outlet located near your restoration and packaging area.

3. Create Basic Warehouse and Storage Locations

  • Create some Vault(s) / Pallet(s)

  • Add 3 Virtual Warehouse Locations:

    • Warehouse Receiving (used to temporarily hold contents coming off the truck during busy periods when vaults cannot be loaded immediately)

    • Delivery Staging (a temporary virtual location used after contents are picked and removed from their storage location, but before they are loaded onto a truck—making it easy for the manager to search by Job + Location and quickly mark items as Delivered)

    • Production (used to indicate that contents placed here are actively in the restoration process)

4. Optional: Warehouse AirPrint Printer

Used to print vault location reports that recap exactly which contents were placed into the vault or pallet, their current statuses, and a clear summary of what was stored at that location.

SECTION 1 — Create Your Test Job (Admin Setup)

  1. Create the Job in the Cloud/Web (not the mobile device), and use your own email address as the insured’s contact. There is no need to add an adjuster or insurance company at this stage.

  2. Send yourself the homeowner login portal email - optional - you can see what the insured can see.

  3. Generate Barcodes for the Pack-out

  4. Log into the iCat App using an internet connection and confirm the test job appears in the job list.

SECTION 2A — Create Rooms and Take Room Photos (Master Device Workflow)

Only one device creates the rooms for the job. This prevents duplicates or conflicting room lists.

Steps:

  1. The Master Device creates the room list by adding room and taking walk-in photos.

  2. If multiple inventory techs will be working, use an internet connection to upload the Master Device’s room list to the cloud.

  3. Other devices can then refresh and receive the shared room list.

  4. Take walk-in photos before beginning inventory, and optional walk-out photos when leaving the job site.

Ask our team how to use multiple devices when no internet connection is available.

SECTION 3 — Inventory Your Test Job (Photo Inventory)

BEGIN GUIDED INVENTORY TRAINING

If descriptions are left blank, and categories untouched, AI will complete the description and choose the right category post upload.

When to Type Descriptions Manually

Large non‑boxed single items for restoration, and Non‑Salvage Inventory all require clear, single‑item descriptions so they can be individually billed or valued. If the primary item is visually unclear due to clutter—for example, a desk surrounded by a monitor, keyboard, and picture frames—you will need to manually enter the description instead of relying on Photo Inventory, as the AI may pick up surrounding objects and generate an unusable multi‑item description.

Inventory all 5 types of contents encountered at a pack-out:

  1. A few large non‑boxed items for cleaning, each labeled with an individual barcode.

  2. A few individually billable items placed into a bill-by-item box (e.g., laptop, DSLR camera, dry-clean garments), using a barcode.

  3. A few flat‑fee‑billing boxes (e.g., dishes, toys, bric‑a‑brac), using barcodes.

  4. One return‑as‑is (storage) box and one return-as-is (storage) single item with barcodes.

  5. Several non‑salvage items.

Learn about additional features to enhance inventory documentation and workflow.

SECTION 4 — Move Contents (Warehouse Receiving)

Upload the inventory if not automatically uploaded from the prior section

  1. Open Mobile Production View

  2. Scan all boxes and single items off the truck (perform in batches if dealing with many contents)

  3. Transfer everything into Warehouse Receiving (or a physical Vault/Pallet)

  4. Generate a Location Report for the Vault/Pallet(s) - optional. Put this in the plastic sleeve of your vault location.

(Non-salvage is typically left/disposed onsite.)

SECTION 5 — Cleaning Workflow

  1. Manager determines which contents require cleaning and generates a PDF or digital pick‑list.

  2. Warehouse staff locate the selected contents and transfer them to "Production" using the mobile app production view.

  3. The restoration technician cleans and repackages the contents by scanning the original item or box barcode in the mobile Production View, updating the status to Restored, and then printing the appropriate pack‑back label for the new box (or reprinting the barcode label for a single non‑boxed item). The reprinted label is generated using the Brother Wi‑Fi Label Printer. The mobile device and Brother printer must be connected to the same Wi‑Fi network.

  4. Move cleaned items into a vault or pallet and generate a Location Report (optional).

SECTION 6 — Restoration Non-Salvage

During the cleaning process, some items may not clean successfully. Mark these items as non-salvage using the mobile app’s Production View.

  1. If a large non‑boxed item with a barcode cannot be cleaned, scan the barcode and change its status to Replacement.

  2. If items from flat‑fee billing boxes cannot be cleaned, set them aside. At the end of the shift (or the cleaning session for that job), complete a quick non‑salvage inventory on those items: create or use the Restoration Non‑Salvageroom, set the default status to Replacement, and enable Quickshot Inventory so each photo saves as its own line item. After saving, these items will automatically appear in the non‑salvage list fully described. There is no need to remove the original images from the initial inventory.

Linked articles cover full cleaning room best practices.

SECTION 7 — Delivery Workflow

1. Admin identifies which contents are ready for delivery and creates a PDF or digital pick‑list.

2. Warehouse staff locate the selected contents and transfer them to a Delivery Staging location or directly to a Truck location.

3. Admin marks the contents as Delivered either before or after the physical delivery is completed. In both cases, the items must be marked Delivered so the production status updates correctly. Updating items to Delivered ensures company statistics accurately reflect which jobs remain in progress and which are nearing completion.

  • Marking as Delivered before delivery: This allows the team to generate a packing slip in advance for signatures at the job site. At the site, use Production View to look up contents and perform actions.

  • Marking as "Delivered" after delivery: This is helpful if any issues or changes occur during delivery, making it easy to adjust which items were delivered or returned. At the job site, use Production View’s Smart Search filter to filter by Job and look up contents as needed.

At the job site, take walk-in / walk-out room pictures to document pre-delivery state and post delivery state.

SECTION 8 — Admin Review Track (Runs Parallel)

  1. Review Packout & Non-Salvage Inventory

    • Very Important step to scope for human error and ensure billing teams have accurate data. This step is a must.

  2. Send the homeowner the Non-Salvage Review Link.

    • This allows you to collect original purchase details for non-salvage items, providing the adjuster with more complete information for the Schedule of Loss and supporting more accurate LKQ valuations if you offer this service. It’s an efficient way to supply valuable data to the adjuster and reduce their workload.

  3. Send the adjuster the Non-Salvage Inventory List.

    • If you sent the homeowner the Non-Salvage Review Link in the prior step, wait until the insured has completed it before sending the Schedule of Loss to the adjuster.

  4. If Homeowner or Insurance company requests LKQ Valuations (replacement cost):

    1. After homeowner participation completed, send non-salvage to iCat's AI LKQ Valuation - its free.

    2. Review results and edit data to ensure it's PERFECT.

    3. Send adjuster completed Schedule of Loss with LKQ Valuations.

  5. Check Manager Statistics to see state of Job(s)

  6. Arrange for contents to be cleaned, including rush contents.

    • Create a digital pick-list and communicate the request with your warehouse team.

  7. Generate the Estimate Report to obtain the required data to create an estimate in your third party solution.

    Note: Watch for iCat's newest Estimating Platform releasing + Xactware & Symbility Integration releasing soon.

  8. Close the Job

SECTION 9 — Test Job Complete → Book Your Onboarding Webinar

You have now practiced:

  • Device prep

  • Room creation

  • Jobsite Documentation

  • Photo Inventory

  • All 5 inventory types

  • Warehouse receiving

  • Cleaning workflow

  • Delivery workflow

  • Admin parallel review & estimating

Now book your onboarding webinar so we can review your Test Job and ensure your team is ready for live work.

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