Average Onboarding Timelines for Critical Restoration Roles

When it comes to hiring and onboarding staff in a restoration company, the speed in which a new team member goes from Day 1 to Productive can have huge consequences. The length of time it takes to bring new hires up to speed has a big impact on the overall success of the company and its projects. In a world where worker tenure is short and roles are complicated, restoration businesses can’t afford to waste time. In the 2022 State of the Restoration Industry Survey, we discovered the average new hire onboarding timelines for technicians, estimators, and project managers. Here’s what we learned, why these current timelines are way too long, and what you can do about it if you want to supercharge your onboarding process.

The Importance of Intentional Onboarding in Restoration

Onboarding new hires and getting them up to speed quickly yet thoroughly is essential for the success of any restoration company. The right training and onboarding process can help ensure that new hires are competent, confident, and able to deliver services in compliance with company standards. Onboarding is not only an investment in the new hire but also in the company as a whole, as it can create a competitive edge and make new hires productive members of the team faster.

Current Onboarding Timelines for Key Roles in Restoration

In the restoration industry, efficient onboarding is vital for all employees. However, for our State of the Industry Report, we specifically asked restoration leaders about three key roles: technicians, estimators, and project managers. These roles are common hires and play a critical part in the success of restoration projects. The smooth onboarding of these three roles is crucial for the overall success of a restoration project.

Technicians

For Technicians, the current industry average is 4 to 8 weeks of training to achieve full competency in job functions, according to their leaders. While this is the shortest onboarding timeline of the 3 critical roles we've examined, it's also the role with the highest turnover. This means that getting technicians to optimum productivity fast is critically important. Considering this role has the most face-time with customers too, the stakes are too high for these workers to be poorly trained.

Source: State of the Industry Report

Estimators

Estimators play a critical role in the restoration industry, with the responsibility of pricing each project accurately. On average, it takes just under 8 weeks for them to become fully competent in their role. During this time, they gain the necessary knowledge and become proficient in using complex software to make accurate estimates for materials and labor. Poor training in this area can result in significant margin errors, making proper onboarding of estimators crucial for the success of restoration projects.

Source: State of the Industry Report

Project Managers

For Project Managers, it typically takes around 8 weeks to become fully acclimated to their role. However, disaster management protocols may require them to be ready sooner, making efficient onboarding even more critical. Poor training in this role can result in miscommunication, delayed project completion, and decreased customer satisfaction. A project manager's proficiency in their role is essential for the success of restoration projects, as they play a key role in overseeing and coordinating all aspects of a project.

Source: State of the Industry Report

How to Supercharge Your Restoration Company's Onboarding

KnowHow is the leading solution used by restoration firms to accelerate equipping and training their new hires. Today’s most innovative restoration companies are using KnowHow to cut their onboarding timelines in half, getting new hires up to speed faster and making them productive members of the team sooner. Through over 600 new hire onboarding templates, templated onboarding workflows and so many other resources on training new staff, KnowHow  provides new hires with a crystal clear roadmap on what they need to learn to get up to speed and excel in their new role.

Conclusion

Restoration companies must prioritize efficient onboarding to ensure new hires are competent, confident, and able to deliver services in compliance with company standards, or risk falling behind in the industry. However, the current industry averages for technicians, estimators, and project managers is way too long.

By using KnowHow, restoration companies are cutting their onboarding timelines in half and get new hires up to speed faster, avoiding the risk of poorly defined or facilitated onboarding and training that could lead to high turnover rates.

Interested in how you can speed up your new hire onboarding process and improve employee satisfaction and retention? Get a Demo to get started on your KnowHow journey!