Whether it’s a seasonal storm, a wildfire or a significant flood, natural disasters can do untold damage to homes—including damage not only to the structure of the property but also to its contents.
The silver lining is that, as catastrophic weather events have grown more numerous, so have contents restoration companies. These experts arrive shortly after the insurance claims process begins, handling what’s left of a family’s physical assets. Through their technical prowess and advanced technology, contents restoration companies are often able to restore and rehabilitate damaged items, breathing new life into clothing, electronics and even cherished family heirlooms that may have initially seemed permanently ruined.
And yet, while contents restoration is a field that requires technical skill, it also has a softer side. Contents restoration professionals enter private homes and handle precious items, many of which have deep sentimental memories attached to them—so naturally, they must earn the trust of their clients. They also interface with homeowners in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events, which requires them to demonstrate empathy and understanding.
Balancing Pragmatism and Compassion
Following a house fire or significant flooding, homeowners are bound to feel overwhelmed. In fact, as they try to take stock of their property losses, short-term logistical needs and regular communication with their insurance agent and adjuster, homeowners might understandably feel like they are in a daze.
This is where contents restoration providers can demonstrate real humanity, helping homeowners address both their practical concerns as well as emotional ones.
For example, while the contents restoration process is underway, homeowners will naturally need clothing and other supplies to ensure they can go about their day-to-day activities. Contents restoration experts can provide guidance here, working with homeowners to set aside items needed on an immediate basis.
At the same time, contents restoration professionals can’t focus solely on the pragmatic aspects of their work because much of what they do involves restoring items of less quantifiable value, such as family photo albums, prized heirlooms, and gifts given by kids or grandkids. Any damage to these items can prove especially distressing to homeowners, making it critical for contents restoration professionals to balance their technical acumen with real empathy.
The job of the contents restoration professional isn’t just to rehabilitate physical items—it’s to be a shoulder to cry on for homeowners weathering a traumatic time.
In fact, the contents restoration field sometimes attracts former counselors, who bring their therapeutic skills to help homeowners faced with extreme loss—including homeowners who struggle with hoarding, a mental health concern that requires sensitivity and understanding.
How Professionalism Provides Peace of Mind
Demonstrating patience and sympathy is an important role for any contents restoration team, but it’s not the only way to extend emotional support. Maintaining a high standard of professionalism and consistent communication can be just as valuable to homeowners enduring crises.
One example of this is the use of advanced technology to carefully inventory the items being packed up, transported, and restored. Taking videos/photographs and keeping well-organized records allows contents restoration teams to offer every reassurance to their clients, making it clear that their beloved items are being well-cared for—and that the whereabouts of each item are known at all times.
Allowing homeowners to tag items that require special handling or care can provide them with a greater sense of involvement in the contents restoration process. It also provides contents restoration professionals with an opportunity to ask homeowners about cherished items, establishing rapport and facilitating connection.
Inventory technology can also be an important way for contents restoration teams to coordinate with the insurance adjuster, ensuring clarity about the scope and cost of the restoration project and keeping the claims process friction-free for the homeowner.
That’s another important way in which contents restoration professionals can convey compassion in a season where it is desperately needed. As homeowners recover from a disastrous event—and have lingering questions about the future of their property—the last thing they need is to be saddled with back-and-forth communications about the insurance process or the cost of property restoration. Contents restoration teams can shoulder this burden—or at least shield homeowners from the worst of it—simply by working in close harmony with the insurance adjuster.
Living through a fire or major storm can be disorienting for any homeowner; working with vendors who demonstrate real professionalism can be stabilizing and reassuring. And for many homeowners, it will feel like a real kindness.
Providing Help During an Hour of Need
Contents restoration professionals need subject-matter expertise in order to do their jobs effectively—and yet, it’s crucial to remember that the job isn’t only about physical rehabilitation. It’s about promoting emotional well-being, too, conveying deep compassion to homeowners whose lives have been turned upside down.
The human side of contents restoration matters deeply, and it’s something that contents restoration professionals can uphold in their empathic demeanor, their professional excellence, and more.
Tim Fagan
Tim Fagan is the president of 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, a property restoration company, Blue Kangaroo Packoutz, a contents restoration company and 1-800-BOARDUP. All are part of the BELFOR Franchise Group family of brands. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Fagan got his start working part-time at his father’s carpet cleaning business. He has managed emergency losses in residential, hospital, university, business, manufacturing, multi-family and K-12 school facilities. Fagan is a licensed builder and a Restoration Industry Association Certified Restorer (CR) and Water Loss Specialist (WLS).
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