I used to work at Pilot Flying J, the large North American travel center chain that you might’ve stopped at on your last family road trip. During my time there, one of the challenges my team faced was figuring out how to get just one more truck per hour through the filling lanes. It sounds small, but across hundreds of travel centers nationwide, this single improvement meant a significant increase in revenue. More importantly, it showed me how small operational changes applied at scale can transform a business.
The same mindset drives my work today as Chief Technology Officer at ATI. In restoration, just like at Pilot Flying J, small changes to operations can completely change how a business operates. The same is true for small businesses, especially those that are willing to utilize technology that’s already out there and readily available to use. When it comes to technology, my ultimate objective is never to eliminate the need for humans with AI. Instead, the goal is to integrate technology that helps make people’s jobs more fulfilling. Monotonous, repetitive tasks can drain motivation and attention, lowering performance and suppressing the critical thinking, problem-solving, and relational traits that make humans so valuable. Individuals thrive when they’re utilizing and growing these skills, making your team and customers happier and your bottom line bigger.
If I were stepping into any small to mid-sized restoration business today, these are five things simple things I’d implement immediately to make business operations more efficient and empower my team to get back to doing human tasks.
1. Block Deep Seek
This one isn’t directly related to automation, but it’s very important for the security of your business. If you haven’t heard of DeepSeek, it’s an AI platform developed in China that is very similar to ChatGPT but is more energy-efficient and less expensive to use. The concern with DeepSeek’s technology is its ties to the Chinese Communist Party, raising very important questions about security and data privacy. Any information entered into DeepSeek is stored on data servers in China, with no legal restrictions on how it can be used. The platform even tracks keystrokes, making it a very high-security risk for American businesses. Before you focus on implementing any AI tools, make sure your company blocks DeepSeek on all company devices and networks.
2. Turn on Paid Versions of AI
Now that we have DeepSeek out of the way, there are a couple of very accessible, easy-to-use AI tools that can immediately boost the efficiency of every person on your team. If your company uses Google Workspace, activate the paid version of Gemini. If you’re on Microsoft, turn on Copilot. These tools can:
- Draft and respond to emails
- Summarize documents
- Schedule meetings
- Take meeting notes & create action items
- Correct grammar and spelling
And the list goes on. Implementing the paid versions of these tools is important because not only does it provide the most advanced responses, but it also allows you to control where your data is stored and processed and offers end-to-end encryption. This is important for protecting your business’s sensitive information because data entered into the free versions of these AI tools are essentially out in the ether, with little control over how it is used or stored. Trust me, your employees are most likely using free tools but you don’t want them uploading estimates and company agreements to the Internet.
3. Recruit Smarter, Not Harder
Hiring is a big challenge in the construction sector right now, and there are so many ways to simplify the hiring process to make it more accessible for future talent with less demand on your internal resources. AI chatbots from companies like Paradox and their “Olivia” chatbot, allow candidates to apply to a job posting through text messages, Facebook Messenger, your website, or whatever platform makes sense for your business. They can also immediately schedule interviews with your project managers in the field, eliminating the need for all the back and forth on scheduling. I’ve implemented these systems in multiple companies and found that when the hiring process eliminates the need for a traditional resume, it significantly reduces hiring time and captures great talent.
4. Get Rid of Paper
If you’re still scanning paper, manually recording credit card transactions, or sorting through invoices, you should use AI to solve that problem. Robotic process automation (RPA) can handle these types of tasks much more efficiently and with fewer errors.
For example, tools like UI Path and Blue Prism can automate invoice processing. A bot can be built to monitor an email inbox, extract PDF invoices, and present them for approval, eliminating the need for manual sorting. AI can also improve customer service by routing phone calls based on voice recognition and ensuring callers are connected to the right department instantly. Chatbots like LivePerson take this a step further by pulling customer history from multiple platforms, such as social media, Facebook Messenger, website chats, and continuing conversations across channels. Even a simple chatbot can be programmed by your team with responses to common questions to provide immediate answers to potential customers.
5. Look Beyond Restoration
One thing I’ve noticed in restoration and insurance is there’s a tendency to rely on the same methods and approaches to address industry problems. Meanwhile, outside of restoration, there are many brilliant people who are already solving similar problems in the automotive, healthcare, and logistics industries. We just need to look outward and ask how these technologies can be integrated into restoration. An interesting example is seeing how large apparel brands are using tools like MidJourney to create AI generated “photos” to use across social media and advertising. Stock imagery costs a lot, and AI can help create really accurate photos for your business for free. You just need to learn how to write the necessary prompts to get the results you want from the AI engine. Need a pic of a family room flooded by water? No problem, AI can create that for you.
Final Thoughts
While these are the five technology-related considerations and integrations I suggest every restorer implements, you don’t need a chief of technology on staff to make these changes. Each of the tools I mentioned above has customer support teams or online resource hubs to guide you through their implementation. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to training your team either. There are many free videos from instructional experts on YouTube (Simpletivity is a great resource) that you can share with your employees to teach them how to use Gemini AI in Google Workspace.
So, the question I would ask is, how much of your team’s day is spent on repetitive tasks that could be automated? And more importantly, what could be accomplished individually and as a company, if these tasks were automated?
Tyler Tanaka
Tyler Tanaka, Chief Technology Officer at ATI Restoration, drives the company's technology strategy and digital transformation efforts. With over 20 years of experience across restoration, retail, and industrial sectors, Tyler leverages cutting-edge technology to optimize operational efficiency and elevate customer experiences. His expertise in implementing enterprise-wide solutions, data-driven strategies, and innovation-focused projects positions ATI as a leader in technology-driven restoration solutions. A seasoned speaker, Tyler has presented at major industry events, including Salesforce Dreamforce, sharing insights on technology's role in business transformation.
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