Matterport Disrupts Insurance Claims & Restoration with Artificial Intelligence Powered Reality Capture
In the property insurance world agreeing on what reality actually was at a certain point in time is mission critical for all sides involved in a claim.
Reality Capture allows us to agree on what is real and what isn’t
Reality Capture has been around, arguably since the first camera. Some might say since the invention of the papyrus in ancient Egypt. In more recent years, with every new sensor – be it thermal, hyperspectral, time of flight laser – new opportunities are presented for capturing our world in new ways. This could mean capturing data we never before had access to – like satellites showing us places we never knew existed. It could also mean capturing data at scale and efficiency where only manual methods previously existed – like drones using NDVI sensors to tell us within minutes the water levels of entire acres. Often, what new leaps in reality capture mean – going back to the first camera – is allowing us to agree with one another on what ‘reality’ actually was at certain point in time.
In the property insurance world agreeing on what reality actually was at a certain point in time is mission critical for all sides involved in a claim. If a policy holder and carrier can’t agree on the value of the contents – we have a problem. If a contractor and an adjuster can’t agree on the extent of damage to a roof justifying a replacement – we have a problem. And problems in the claims world, an already contentious and tension filled environment, mean heartache, frustration and often lawsuits. Luckily, tools and best practices like cameras, agreed upon pricing for work and materials captured in Xactimate, thermal imagers and more give the different stakeholders operating in this space a snapshot of reality everyone can agree upon. These tools reduce disputes and improve efficiency for each player individually and the system as a whole.
Matterport has the ability to completely transform the interior claims space in the same way that thermal scanners, drones and light winged aircrafts have done in the past decade.”
Agreement on reality means less disputes - a win-win
But problems still exist. The fear adjusters have of contractor fraud - replacing instead of repairing, using more dehumidifiers than was necessary for the extent of damage, inflating the size of rooms in their sketches – is founded in unfortunate experiences. Similarly contractors fearing they’ll do the work needed at a high level of craftsmanship only to be low-balled in the payout when the adjuster claims there were not enough pictures showing the loss or that they believe the sketch is too large is also not just paranoia. Restoration contractors often have a similar fear of policy holders claiming they are responsible for damage to contents during pack-out when they did no such thing.
Matterport has the ability to completely transform the interior claims space in the same way that thermal scanners (like FLIR), drones and light winged aircrafts (like the ones operated by EagleView) have done in the past decade. True3D™ Reality Capture offers comprehensive, exhaustive and detailed loss documentation – both visual and dimensional. If a picture is worth a thousand words then a Matterport 3D scan is worth a thousand pictures.
In Matterport, every scan point is time-stamped, there is no ability to alter photos, and dimensions are accurate within 1%.
Similarly to moisture readings and a roof report created by EagleView– it is an unbiased source of truth to reality at a certain point in time. Everyone – policyholder, adjuster and contractor – can all agree that the HDR photography, interactive 3D walkthroughs, and digital measurements displayed in a Matterport 3D scan are indisputable. In Matterport, every scan point is time-stamped, there is no ability to alter photos, and dimensions are accurate within 1%. Accidental omissions are rare and obvious when they exist based on a patented capture application that self registers as it progresses.
Matterport can produce these floor plans within hours of the scan being completed and for only $14.99.
Less time driving, photographing & measuring = efficient adjusters & estimators
Matterport also presents great efficiency gains for the industry. Mitigation contractors can forgo the hundreds and sometimes thousands of photos they were taking of a loss (while still angry with field personnel for “not enough pictures!”). Estimators can forgo the tedious efforts of tape measuring and paper sketching as Matterport can automatically create assets that that can be imported into Xactimate. Many times – estimators can avoid a drive to the site altogether as the damage can be assessed remotely using the Matterport 3D scan.
Estimators can forgo the tedious efforts of tape measuring and paper sketching as Matterport can automatically create assets that that can be imported into Xactimate.
Insurance adjusters have a lot to gain as well, as a scan taken in the field at first notice of loss can allow them to release the claim for mitigation work to begin faster and they know which type of adjuster needs to go out to the field depending on the type and extent of damage. In more and more cases, based on the fact that Matterport represents an unbiased source of truth, they can save the trip to the field altogether and desk adjust the claim, knowing that the details from the 3D scan delivered are accurate and that every line item can be justified with the Matterport visuals.
Finally, policyholders are great benefactors of the efficiency gains as well, as the expedited work ultimately means getting their lives back in order faster and with less heartache.
A proven solution that is fast, easy to use and affordable
In the past 6 months, Matterport has seen hundreds of contractors arm their field operators with Matterport cameras (no training needed), improve their workflows, decrease their disputes with adjusters and policyholders, and increase their usage from large loss claims to practically every claim they handle. We’ve seen adjusters embrace the medium – many times opting to work with restoration contractors when they utilized the system. Packout companies, contents restoration firms, estimators, consultants, forensic engineers – everyone with their hand in the claim has found the Matterport system to be a powerful and cost-efficient form of data collection, communication and trust-building.
3D scanning has existed for over 30 years, but never has it been this affordable or accessible. Matterport has already surpassed one million captured spaces, with over 15,000 cameras deployed worldwide and deployment in every US city and over 90 countries.
Matterport has the potential to completely transform the insurance claims/restoration space – not only because its sensors collect new type of data, but also and perhaps more importantly because the price point, ease of use, and speed has made it possible to deliver reality capture at extremely high volume (and high return). 3D scanning has existed for over 30 years, but never has it been this affordable or accessible. Matterport has already surpassed one million captured spaces, with over 15,000 cameras deployed worldwide and deployment in every US city and over 90 countries. Just as it is revolutionizing the way homebuyers search for homes, vacationers search for hotels or short term rentals, architects renovate and contractors track progress – it will revolutionize the way claims are managed.
