Why I Built AppraixOS: The Phone Call That Changed How I Run My Business

A good client called me, one who sends me plenty of work. He just wanted an update on one of his appraisals.

The second he asked, I remembered: I'd totally forgotten to take care of that one. My stomach dropped. I went so quiet he thought the call had dropped.

It was a gut punch. I don't drop the ball. I take care of my people. But I had too much going on, and I dropped the ball on that appraisal.

How I got there

When I first started doing appraisals, I set them up the way I always had as an independent adjuster. I had folders in my Documents, one for each adjusting firm, with the insured's files inside.

That works until you build a real book of business. Once you're past 25 or 30 open appraisals, you have no real way to know where each one stands. You're chasing your tail, forgetting things, and missing timely updates to contractors, clients, and insureds. The way you're operating is the Stone Age.

Waiting, then building

Another appraiser told me he was building a system. "Give it a couple of months." I waited, and waited, and waited. Then I decided to build my own.

I started with Trello, then Airtable, and got to a decent system. It made me more efficient, but I couldn't scale it or tailor it to how appraisal and umpire work actually flows. So I took it to the next level, and that became AppraixOS.

Peace of mind in a few seconds

That phone call is why AppraixOS is built around a dashboard and a unique phase workflow. In a few seconds of looking at your dashboard, you know exactly what's going on across your whole appraisal business. Click into any phase and you see right where each file stands. Open the Inspection phase and, within seconds, you know which inspections are scheduled and which aren't.

No more stomach-drop phone calls. Just peace of mind.

Get your time back

For me, AppraixOS does the job of three to five employees. It keeps the business moving, keeps me organized, and makes me look as professional as the work I do. Most of all, it got me out from behind a computer 14 to 18 hours a day and back with my family, where I'd rather be.

If you're running your appraisal business out of folders, spreadsheets, or a patched-together tool, I've been there. Get your time back.

Marshall Smith, appraiser, umpire, and founder of AppraixOS