(digested from iCat Modern Contents Training course syllabus)
iCat’s “Modern Contents” approach advocates the use of moving companies in contents operations. Why? It allows our contractors to handle larger volumes of work by having you and your company available to support the physical labour-related portions of the packout. This training guide/course will help your moving company deliver tailored services to all restoration contractors.
The Pack-out: Help the contractor, be respectful, and follow directions.
The contractor has hired you to help with the inventory and packing of a home or business affected by water, fire, or other peril. The property’s contents must be documented and removed for storage or future cleaning. The job is simple:
It’s not a typical “pack up a house and move it” job. There is a lot more going on, and it’s best that you understand what the Contractor is doing so that you can better assist.
The Contractor needs to inventory every item so they know its condition before touching it, log what room it came from, and what box number they put in. After removal, contents are cleaned/restored by the contractor, stored, and returned to the insured/customer. The contractor often inventories and pack-outs contents based on how they will clean them. When helping a contractor pack contents into boxes, please make sure you know what they want and follow their direction and lead.
Most importantly, the contractor’s task is not just removing, cleaning, and returning the contents. It is 100% about the clients’ experience during this task. The client will be able to see everything that was inventoried and packaged, its condition, the room it came from, and its current cleaning status - everything they own will be one click away from them.
You are delivering a Customer Experience. You are helping the contractor provide a remarkable customer experience. Think Starbucks. Think McDonald’s. Think 5-Star Hotel. Think Perfection.
The Delivery, or Pack-Back
You are already familiar with what the contractor is here to do, much more so if you have helped in the packout portion of the claim. If you did not, here is a quick recap: The contractor, possibly with the help of movers, inventoried the contents of a property which was affected by water, fire, smoke, flood, or some similar damage. Then, they removed the contents to bring to their restoration facility for cleaning and storage.
Now, the Contractor’s Customer is ready to receive all their goods.
Remember, as always, you are delivering Customer Experience. The delivery is the last piece of the service offering: getting everything delivered and put back into place with zero stress or issues for the contractor or their customer.
You will likely meet the Contractor at their location to load the truck and deliver it back to the original customer’s property. Again, it’s not a typical move. There are many things the contractor must do at their facility and the job site for which you must be aware. For example, all items must be picked and scanned before leaving the facility, and you may need to assist with this. This course will teach you how.
At the job site, the contractor must re-pack the room exactly how it was before they removed it. Additionally, they will need to work constantly with the customer to ensure they accept the condition of the contents while staying calm. This experience needs to be flawless. Not only for the customer but for the Restoration Contractor - their business depends on it. Them calling you on the next move back also depends on it. Deliver a perfect customer experience. This course will teach you how.
Guidelines: Simple Rules
You are here to help deliver a perfect customer experience.
Transparency is at work. If you find yourself in the background of an inventory or room photo, please ensure you have the right shoes, shoe coverings, and uniforms and that your tools are not damaging the property. Not only is everything photographed, but everyone involved in this job can see it online. Do not do anything that will discredit you or the contractor.
NEVER speak directly to the Contractor’s customer. Always talk with the Contractor’s Job Site Lead.
If the Customer talks to you, politely introduce them to the contractor’s job Site Lead.
You can only use the washroom by asking the Job Site Lead, who will ask the customer for permission.
Never leave your garbage out in the open.
Never Smoke at any job site.
To help the customer feel safe, we want to minimize the number of people roaming within their residence. If you know you are to be alone, make sure the Job Site Leader is aware of this. Otherwise, the Road Lead may remove your team from the job.
Theft - of any kind - will involve the authorities. Expect that the contractor will search your vehicle cabin without warning. If you don't comply with a search, it will end your services midstream.
Move. Do not stand still. If you ever find yourself standing still, please see the Road Lead and ask them how you can help. If the site lead continuously finds you without work and tells you what to do, you will lower your chance of being hired again. Chase the site lead - don’t let them chase you.
Before moving something, always check if it has a barcode. All items not fitting into a box must have a barcode or identifier. Additionally, all packaged boxes must have a barcode or identifier. The contractor will inventory every piece before you can move it into the truck. Refrain from contributing to errors by only moving inventoried contents into your vehicle. A simple way is to first look for a barcode tag or identifier.
The contractor will take pictures of your moving truck during loading and before closing the door. Please don't feel offended. This business is transparent. These images are to document the job and log the state of how you packed the truck. Should damage be found later, the contractor will have the photos to see how you filled the truck. Do not take shortcuts. Pack and load the vehicle well.
A member of the contractor team will take pictures of your moving truck before offloading contents to capture movement during transportation. Secure the contents well to reduce damage during transportation.
After loading your vehicle, the contractor may affix a temporary lock.
Avoid being blamed for issues or damages by advising the Road Lead so that they can document it. The most stressful part of the pack out or delivery is dealing with customer accusations of damage caused by the contractor (which includes you, the mover). Delivering a perfect customer experience depends highly on the level of documentation to “protect” all parties involved.
Sometimes, you must wait for the contractor to complete their duties. During this time, do more than stand around. Show everyone your work ethic by keeping busy. Wow the contractor, by sweeping out their loading dock - do something. Let everyone see that you're not just standing around. Offer to help empty their garbage or anything else. Keeping busy and offering to help builds confidence and respect, and the Road Lead will covet your services because of this work ethic. NEVER stand doing nothing. Ever.
The contractor may need more help even if you feel the move-out or move-back is complete. Unless you have established firm hours beforehand, know that you are considered “on the clock” until the Lead or Supervisor says so. They may need you to help organize or help offload another mover truck. They may require you to move things within their facility to the respective holding stations. They may need you to help clean and sweep the property before leaving. Keep expecting more work until the Road Lead tells you otherwise.
Smile, be considerate, and be compassionate. Some of these jobs involve someone who has died due to the fire. No doubt the customers’ lives have been turned upside down. You are the bringer of order to their chaos. Deliver them a perfect customer experience - treat them like royalty.
SOP for Movers
Be Prepared
Before arriving at a job site or the Contractor's Warehouse, ensure you are prepared to assist, represent, and not impede the Contractor’s operations. At the very least:
Please conduct vehicle safety checks and documentation as required by local regulations.
Please make sure each of your movers is wearing approved footwear.
Please ensure each mover wears a clean Company or Contractor-issued shirt/jacket/hat.
Ensure the driver has received the correct address of all destinations (if more than one stop).
Arriving with an Empty Vehicle at the Job Site or Contractor Warehouse
Follow The Leader. Find the individual in charge who may have the title of RoadLead, Warehouse Manager, or something similar. Have them confirm and sign to confirm your arrival time. This person will be considered your Lead.
[Multiple Leads] If you arrived at the company’s warehouse, the lead here may be different from the lead at the job site and possibly different from the lead who will receive your truck upon your return to the facility (if applicable)
In the future, ensure that you are only communicating with the Lead unless the leader has put you or a portion of your team to work with an alternate representative from the same company.
[Leads Sign Your Documents] Only Leads can sign off on your documentation.
Confirm with the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager where the correct spot is to park your vehicle for loading.
Understand Content Volume. Follow the Road Lead/Warehouse Manager to visually check and become aware of what items/skids/vaults are to be moved. Keep a mental count of items and skids to ensure nothing is left behind.
How Many Trips? Assess the quantity and type/shape of all items, then estimate if the truck can haul all items as specified by the Lead or advise if you feel multiple trips will be required to handle the volume observed.
Assess the moving path to ensure it is free of obstacles and debris and that moving large items would not damage the floor, wall, ceiling, and stair railings. Discuss with the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager if any action is required to clear the path, such as laying the additional floor covering or removing a door.
For delivery, if dealing with pallets/vaults/containers, consider unpacking and loading the items/boxes individually.
Wear shoe covers at job sites inside the property and remove them when going out.
Stay on runners when moving items.
Please make sure large/single items have proper protection before moving them.
Follow the Road Lead’s instructions for high-value large items. Consider protecting these items with poly or paper before wrapping them with blankets that may be dirty or potentially harm the content item in any way.
Alert the camera operator during inventory if you notice any pre-existing damages.
Move all boxes with care as if the contents in each box are fragile.
Double-check and make sure each non-boxed item and each box has a barcode tag before moving into the truck.
Ensure that all items/boxes are secured after being loaded into the cargo area.
Please help camera operators when asked, especially when the camera operator needs help to tip large items to take photos of the bottom.
Inform the camera operator or Road Lead immediately if you need to disassemble an item—for example, shelves inside a buffet. The camera operator or Road Lead may need to take additional photos to document the dismantled pieces.
Please report to the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager if you or your team damaged any items, dropped a box, or caused any damage to the property.
If you have to move something to provide a clear path for content manipulation, return those items to their original location/condition when possible.
If there is a need to use the washroom:
At the job site: ask the Road Lead. They will, in turn, ask the insured for permission.
At the warehouse, inform the Warehouse Manager first.
If there is a need for clarifications or arrangements at the job site, discuss it with the Road Lead. Do not approach the insured or other contractors on site. Do not move unaffected or any contents/contractor’s equipment before discussing with the Road Lead. The Road Lead will discuss all the movers’ issues with the insured and other contractors and then relay the conclusion or decision to the movers.
At the job site, if any movers want to smoke cigarettes, inform the Road Lead first and do so sparingly. Smoke at the edge of the sidewalk and far from the property. Be sure to extinguish the cigarette. Dispose of the extinguished cigarette butt, coffee cups, and all personal garbage in the trash can placed at the entrance of the job site by the contractor and not anywhere else.
Other than items/boxes specified by the Road Lead or the Warehouse Manager, movers are NOT permitted to take any other items.
Once the truck is loaded and ready to leave the job site or the warehouse, check with the Road Lead if you can depart. The Road Lead will take photos of the cargo area and lock the truck/door with a contractor-provided lock/zip tie.
Have the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager sign the Invoice and document the departure time if applicable.
When leaving a job site, movers must call the office (moving company) to receive the latest instructions on where to unload the cargo and follow those instructions.
At the Job Site or Contractor Warehouse with a Loaded Vehicle
Check with the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager to register the arrival time.
Check with the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager to confirm where to park.
Ask the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager to photograph the lock on the tailgate/door before the tailgate is unlocked.
Wait for the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager to inspect the cargo area to ensure items have stayed the same during transportation. Expect the contractor to photograph your vehicle cargo area to document how the contents have settled during transport.
Work with the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager if any action is needed to provide a clear moving path.
As you unload the vehicle, look to the Road Lead’s team to tell you where to put the item/box within the property. When unloading at the warehouse, follow the Warehouse Manager’s instructions on where to place the contents.
Unwrap and remove all blankets from items after such items have been placed in the assigned location - unless - different instructions from the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager have been communicated.
Assist with furniture assembly when the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager asks.
Ask the Road Lead or Warehouse Manager to visually inspect the emptied vehicle and sign off on your paperwork/Invoice. The Road Lead or Warehouse Manager will take photos of the emptied cargo area and documentation.