People are the core of any business, and that remains true when it comes to the restoration industry. Recruiting and retaining the right people can be a big hurdle for many restoration businesses. At OCS, we work with restoration contractors all over the country facing this challenge. If your restoration business is struggling with this, here are some recruiting and retention best practices recommended by industry human resource experts at OCS, Nicole Liesenfelt and Elisabeth Steigena.
Over a third of restoration contractors say that hiring is their biggest challenge according to the 2023 State of the Industry study conducted by C&R Magazine. But the recruiting and hiring process is unavoidable, especially for the 77% of restorers that anticipate scaling up their company’s workforce this year.
When it comes to hiring candidates for the restoration industry, certain skills and traits can make applicants stand out. Naturally, technical restoration skills are a must-have for job candidates. But finding candidates with the right soft skills is just as important.
“Having good interpersonal skills is always something that sets you apart from others,” Elisabeth says. “If you’re good on the phone speaking with employers [for the interview], it’s a good sign that you’ll be a good team member.” These skills set restoration workers up for success all the way from coworker relationships to customer service to conflict resolution.
Nicole emphasizes the importance of hiring candidates who can sympathize with customers. “Sometimes homeowners are going through a large loss, and being able to adjust and make it more personal–that’s helpful.”
Knowing the traits and skills you value in restoration workers is one thing. Figuring out if a job candidate has those traits and skills is another. That’s where competency-based interview questions come in. Competency-based interview questions are questions designed to evaluate a candidate’s past experiences to determine how they might perform in the role. They include questions like, “How have you resolved a conflict with a coworker?” and “Tell me about a time your communication skills improved a relationship with a customer?” These types of questions can be used to determine competency both in technical and interpersonal skills.
Nicole encourages restoration businesses to create a list of competency-based screening questions that they like to reference each time they hire for a role.
Retention is a big concern for many business owners in the restoration industry. Turnover interrupts your team’s workflow and can get expensive quickly. Offering work-life balance options such as hybrid work arrangements, flexible schedules, and PTO is important to employees, especially those with families.
Elisabeth highlights the importance of employee recognition programs. “They don’t even necessarily need to be bonuses,” she says. She mentions The Dundies from the TV show The Office. In the show, the boss gives out awards to employees recognizing them for their strengths. While the show takes a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the award categories, a more sincere version of the awards could go a long way toward helping restoration employees feel seen and valued.
Findings from the 2023 State of the Industry Report suggest there is a link between restoration companies’ average starting pay and average employee tenure. If your business struggles to retain quality employees, evaluate your wage practices to determine if they may contribute to low retention.
Mastering recruitment and retention is an investment in the long-term success and sustainability of the business. When it comes to recruiting and retaining employees to manage the insurance claims process, you don’t have to handle it internally. When you partner with OCS, you can offload the recruiting and retention hassle for your claims workforce. Instead, you can take advantage of the dedicated claims advocate team at OCS and avoid dealing with turnover for claims workers altogether. If you’re interested in seeing what a partnership with One Claim would look like, reach out to our sales team.
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Hi there! I’m Connor, the Account Executive for One Claim. My goal is to guide our contractors through the sales process, ensuring you’re equipped with all the information you need to make your decision and hit the ground running once aboard. We view ourselves as an extension of your business and I strive to make the process an enlightening and consultative one.
My career has primarily been focused in software sales over a few different industries but the last few years were spent helping general contractors solve similar problems to what we’re doing here at OCS! Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, cooking and boating during the summer months.
Hello! I’m Nicole, and I’m here to champion for our employees, recruit for new talent, and impact culture at One Claim Solution. I find satisfaction in supporting a memorable employee experience and bring innovation, problem solving, and strategic view to the process. Nothing is more important than our people, and a healthy culture is my top priority! I have had the pleasure of building my career in various sectors, specializing in small to medium size firms focused on high-growth. My experience is centered around driving and implementing change, leading high-performing teams, and driving process improvements. I am excited to make an impact at One Claim. Outside of work, my family and I enjoy getting outdoors as much as possible to explore beautiful Colorado!
Great to meet you! I’m Elizabeth, and I’m the one behind all the emails and advertisements you’ve been seeing. As the Demand Generation Manager at One Claim Solution, my mission is to connect with contractors like you who need our services. I’m passionate about having an impact on others and I bring a wealth of experience in demand generation and marketing strategy to create moments of delight, curiosity, and education for you.
Prior to One Claim Solution, I had the privilege of building marketing departments from the ground up at companies in a variety of industries, including IT consulting, first protection, and healthcare. Personally, I love being outdoors, playing Dungeons and Dragons and board games, singing, and traveling.
Welcome! I’m Alisha, and I’m here to champion your success as the Director of Contractor Success at One Claim. With a passion for helping contractors thrive, I bring a wealth of experience in onboarding, customer service, and account management to ensure your journey with us is nothing short of exceptional.
Prior to joining One Claim, I had the privilege of scaling SMB and Enterprise Customer Success teams at fast-growing SaaS startups. With over six years of experience at companies like Mavenlink, Teamwork, and ServiceTitan, I honed my expertise in building high-performing teams and fostering proactive, consultative relationships. This background has equipped me with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by businesses like yours, and I’m dedicated to helping you overcome them.
Hi there, my name is Eric! I am the Chief Technology Officer here at OCS, spearheading our technical strategy. I have a background in computer science, graduating cum laude from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Technology.
Before coming to One Claim, I served as the Director of Engineering at Slingshot Technology, Inc., a company later acquired by WorkWave in 2021. My professional journey has spanned both emerging startups and established corporations, with a steadfast focus on cultivating high-trust, low bureaucracy teams and innovating technology using agile methodologies.
In my free time, you can find me flying drones, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with my family.
Hello, my name is Cam, I’m the COO of One Claim Solution! I come from a management consulting background (Bain & Company) and hold an MBA from the University of Michigan. I have worked at a wide variety of organizations, from Fortune 500 to small-cap, in an equally wide variety of industries. I have over 15 years of experience in operations and strategic growth, and I have spent much of my career focused on developing high-performing tech-enabled service organizations through early stage and high growth phases.
Outside of work, my wife Brittny and I have four kids, ages 13 to 6. As residents of Mesa, Arizona, we love to ski and explore the national parks of the southwest!
Hello, my name is Dan, and I am the CEO of One Claim Solution. I am super excited by everything we are doing at OCS to be the market leading insurance billing specialist that advocates on behalf of our restoration contractors.
My professional experiences are predominantly corporate in nature. My career started at General Electric in finance and accounting. Immediately prior to joining OCS, I spent time as an investor at Bondcliff Partners and management consultant with Bain & Company. I also hold an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and got my BS in finance and accounting from Northeastern University.
Outside of the office, I enjoy spending time with my wife, two young children, and our family dog, Whiskey. We live in Charleston, SC and take advantage of the beautiful weather by spending as much time as possible outside at the beach or adventuring around town
Hi, I’m Josh! In 2016, I co-founded One Claim Solution with my partner Jeremy Traasdahl, and I serve as General Counsel of One Claim Solution. Working in the restoration industry, Jeremy and I saw contractors struggling to get paid quickly and fairly and we knew there was a need for change. We founded One Claim Solution to be this change and it’s been my privilege to see our company grow and to advocate for our clients as general counsel.
Outside of my passion for helping the restoration industry, I enjoy spending time outdoors, fly-fishing, hunting, skiing, and coaching my kids’ baseball teams. I’ve been married to my amazing wife for 20 years and we have a beautiful family of 5 children.
Hey, I’m Jeremy! In 2016, I co-founded One Claim Solution with my partner Josh Ehmke. Working in the restoration industry, Josh and I saw contractors struggling to get paid quickly and fairly and we knew there was a need for change. We founded One Claim Solution to be this change and it’s been my privilege to lead our amazing team.
Prior to One Claim Solution, I started my career as an inside sales rep for Avnet, then moved to Pepsico as a district sales manager. Outside of work, I love spending time with my wife and four children, two boys and two girls!
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