FRANCHISEE SPOTLIGHT: CHRIS AND MARIA SLAY
By Jose Bridges
I n my role as Claim Surge Coordinator, I try to connect franchisees that need assistance with other franchisees who are willing to travel into an area to assist. Most franchisees in our network have never experienced a claim surge deployment, so they are understandably nervous about taking the risk of leaving their home territory to work in another area. I recently spoke with franchisees Chris and Maria Slay , owners of Rainbow International® of Sugarland/Katy, Texas, who have experienced claim surge events in their home areas as well as having deployed to assist in a claim surge event. Chris and Maria discussed their deployment experience, including their biggest challenges and what they learned for any potential future deployments. When and where did you deploy to assist another franchise? In April 2016, we travelled with a team to Wylie, Texas, to assist franchisee Brad Massoletti after a hail storm. The storm was so bad and the hail so large that the hail stones punched through the roofs of homes allowing rainwater to enter. The situation was made doubly challenging on the third day by a second round of storms coming through the area before everyone had their roofs repaired. This caused a second round of water damage just as jobs were being dried out from the first storm. What were the biggest challenges you encountered during your deployment and how did you overcome them? There are numerous challenges when working outside of your normal area and comfort zone. You do not have access to items that are normally at your fingertips. You have to either bring it with you or find it locally when you arrive. Some of the most challenging: 1. Labor. We took a team of five people with us, but could not afford to take and house labor. We had to find labor locally. There were two hurdles associated with this. First, everyone needed labor. All the restoration companies that had come into the area were also looking for labor. Second, being out of our area, we didn’t have relationships with agencies that supply temporary labor. Finding labor became a struggle. We began striking up conversations with anyone we met: at the gas station, McDonald’s, etc. Anywhere we saw someone that we thought might be interested in working. When we found an interested person, we expanded the search by asking if they had friends or relatives that could help. They always did. We also went to Indeed.com to find people in the area that had posted resumes. We would contact them and ask if they would come work with us. We found some very good workers this way. 2. Equipment. We carried as much equipment as we could but it was not nearly enough to cover all the damaged homes in the area. Sunbelt and other rental companies were delayed in arriving to Wylie simply because they had to transport in from other cities and states. For the first day or two, we had to survive on the few pieces we had with us. We took advantage of this by conducting initial inspections with the promise to start the job the following day. This worked well for us. We could reap more claims by not starting them right away. This
gave us the chance to visit and inspect more homes. Once inspected, we would leave one or two pieces of equipment to ensure the homeowner knew we would be back so they wouldn’t hire a different company. It was two days before we could rent equipment. The rental vendor could not distribute the equipment to the various homes so we had to have it delivered to one home then disburse it from there. 3. Room and Board. Because of the catastrophe, everyone from various companies and trades needed rooms. Rooms were very hard to find. We ended up finding rooms that were about 30 minute from the actual storm site. 4. Dumpsters. This is something that you may not even think about until you have a load to dump. This needs to be considered up front. All dumpster suppliers had their inventory out. Even if you can find a dumpster, you must have a place to put it. You cannot place it at a customer’s house nor at the hotel. You should locate the local landfill and know their rules and rates before travelling. These were the biggest challenges, but there are others as well that you may not consider when you leave your local office to assist others. Not having your office nearby limits you with office supplies, forms, more equipment, etc. These everyday needs are nowhere within reach. Your truck becomes your office and the people at FedEx Office will get to know you very well after a few days. What did you learn from this experience that will help prepare you for a future deployment? 1. Have a plan. Before you leave, know where you will stay, where you will be able to find labor, dumpsters, etc. and know the cost of each in the area. 2. Know that Home Depot and Lowe’s will run out of essentials such as contractor bags, tools, etc. Be sure you bring as much as you can with you. 3. Contact several equipment rental companies to find out when they expect to arrive and go ahead and put in an order for an estimated need before they run out. What advice do you have for a franchise that is interested in future claim surge deployments? 1. Know your limitations. Do not overcommit. Do not take on more work than you can handle with the amount of equipment and labor you have on hand. 2. Contact and stay in touch with the local Rainbow International franchisee. 3. Be sure to have your home base covered while you are on the road. These are the people that will always be your customers. Do not send your entire staff to a deployment.
24 STORMSURGE TM | E1:2017
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