What Is Xactimate?

It doesn’t take long hanging out around insurance adjusters to hear about something called Xactimate.  If you are a new adjuster, you’ll hear many adjusters tell you it’s essential to get trained and become proficient in Xactimate before you will find work.

So that leads to the question:  “What IS Xactimate?”

It’s a subscription based software program created by the company Xactware It estimates insurance claims and documents the cost of replacement or repair of items related to construction. Currently, it only runs on a Windows platform. You can use it on an Apple Mac computer if you use a product such as Parallels to run Windows applications. You have to download it onto your computer.

So if you have a tree fall on a house, it would assist you in pricing out the cost of repair when settling an insurance claim.  The software has built in price lists that it updates on a monthly basis which is where the real value of the software is. When you enter information to replace a wall of a given dimension, it will help you price all the pieces involved in that replacement.  A full 30 day demo version is available from the company website.

You get price breaks on your subscription if you go with longer term payments such as a year versus a month.  Once you have your subscription set up, you’re assigned an adjuster ID for your account. This allows insurance companies to send you claims digitally.  There are several training options for learning how to use it.

Xactimate Online Training

If you want to be a CAT adjuster to work storms of any size, then I’d recommend a training course with that in mind.  2021Training has a great online class that gives a lot of helpful information pertinent to an independent adjuster who works storms. The company Xactware also provides some training, but many adjusters have found it less “user friendly” as compared to other courses such as 2021 Training.

Xactimate is an incredible tool and a MUST if you want to be a part of the insurance adjuster community.  There are a couple of other estimating software programs, but the vast majority of insurance companies use Xactimate, and they’re the ones who dictate what software you use to adjust the claim.  It is not the choice of the adjuster.

Each profession has their own set of tools. They use these tools so they can perform their jobs – and perform them well. Insurance claim adjusters are no different. They work with a software called Xactimate to make the adjusting process easier. That is why anyone who wants to work as an insurance claim adjuster, or join the insurance industry, should take the time to master this powerful piece of software.

Consider this your first step. Here’s everything you need to know about Xactimate.

What is Xactimate?

Xactimate was developed by Xactware to handle all tasks related to claims adjusting. Tasks like writing claims, referencing pricing books, and the actual calculation of complete estimates no longer have to be done by hand. Instead, all of these tasks are handled by Xactimate automatically. This allows the adjuster to complete his/her duties in half the time it originally took.

Product Features

Xactware provides a list of Xactimate’s key features. These include:

• Visual tools that allow better view of the entire structure with 3D.
• Create detailed reports of claims with various attachments.
• Access to round-the-clock support for the software.
• Cloud syncing for greater access to claims data.
• Find the location easier with GPS and location data.
• Inspection feature helps identify potential problems in an estimate.
• Multi-language support.
• Tracking of payment and documents inside the system.
• Easy creation of price list components.

Benefits of Working with Xactimate

With Xactimate, insurance claim adjusters can enjoy numerous benefits, including:

• Saving resources in creating estimates.
• Availability of a wide array of tools that enable the adjuster to create more accurate, detailed, and professional-looking estimates.
• Gaining access to up-to-date pricing information.
• Create beautiful, more detailed sketches of structures.
• Automation of estimation processes.
• Better project management through project optimization.

Xactimate Best Practices

Our forerunners may have learned through trial-and-error. But remember, mistakes are inevitable but learning is optional. The best way to improve in using this tool of the trade is to learn from those that came before us. Here are some lessons they’ve shared to master the tool.

1. For accurate estimates, sketches should be as accurate as possible. The sketch feature on Xactimate is one of its most redeeming features. You can instantly generate estimates from the sketch alone. To get the most accurate estimate, make sure all your dimensions are correction and that it captures all your line items.
2. Add as many photos as you can (and label them correctly). In fact, the more photos you take, the better. Make sure you capture everything from damaged properties to affected rooms, capturing from all angles and corners. Label them accordingly. Many prefer descriptions to include the room and type of damage like “dining room ceiling water damage”.
3. Learn from rejections. It helps to take note of frequently rejected line items. Learn what should be a line item and what isn’t. Make sure that labor line items you request don’t already correspond to a specific line item.
4. Easy ways to find an item. Sorting through thousands and thousands of items to find that exact one? There are five ways to do it: use item search, look up the category, search by division, find a similar item, or do a reference search using pictures.

Xactimate offers all the tools you need to make it as an adjuster in the industry. To learn more about the software, subscribe to 2021Training’s Xactimate class. Different classes are also available on how to use Xactimate for various disciplines. Sign up for our Xactimate course here.