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Last Post 10/29/2015 9:18 AM by  SteveZ
Xact vs Integra
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SteveZ
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08/21/2007 5:59 PM

    I know this topic has probably come up before, but...  

    1.    Which system is easier to MASTER???

    2.    Is it worth it to have BOTH on your laptop?

    3.   What is the cost of Integra?   I already have Xact on a yearly subscription.

    Thanks,

    Z

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    Tom Toll
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    08/22/2007 12:04 PM

    Integra is easier to master. I downloaded the X-act 25 program and am trying to learn it. It has a steep learning curve, to me anyway. It does look like a fair program though, once mastered.

    Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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    JimGary
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    08/22/2007 6:52 PM
    I have used Integra, and have attended 3 Xm8 classes and used it a few times. I actually like Xm8 better, but as Tom said the learning curve is steep. The last class I attended was an impromptus class by a Renfro instructor. His class brought everything into the light. I don't know if it was his " this is what you need to know" approach or that I just finally "got it". But in the end, I like Xm8 better. The codes are a little tough to learn but that just comes with use. Unless you are currently using both programs or know for certain you will be using them, I don't know why you would want the expense but thats an individual call. Cost is about the same for each. Integra cost me $450 a quarter last time, I just called Xm8 and they quoted me $115 mo with a 12 mo subscription.

    Just know both have limitations,

    JWG
    I know the voices aren't real, but sometimes they're right!
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    swink_d
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    08/22/2007 8:12 PM
    Posted By Steve Zibilich on 08/21/2007 5:59 PM

    I know this topic has probably come up before, but...  

    1.    Which system is easier to MASTER???

    Both have plus and minus. I personally think its easier to complete an estimate in Xactimate , but easier completeing all the forms in Integri. Given a choice I would choose Integri right now, but unfortunately we very rarely get to choose. I also do not limit myself to the carriers or IA's I work with because I failed to get proficeint at both.

    2.    Is it worth it to have BOTH on your laptop?

     I keep both because different carriers or IA company's require different software

    3.   What is the cost of Integra?   I already have Xact on a yearly subscription.

    Either one yearly is less than cost of a cpl of decent sized claims

    Thanks,

    Z

    I did not address Powerclaim or Simsol as it was not part of the question

     

    DS

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    Ray Hall
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    08/22/2007 8:53 PM

    I will chirp up for Simsol & PowerClaim. Both are can be mastered before the aforementioned two. I know a few vendors/carriers that will accept any software program. Most of these folks want heavy experienced adjusters for commercial losses only, Many of these vendors also do a lot or residentual flood/wind coverage.

    I know for a fact you can send your notes to India and get an estimate back in xmate within 36 hours. All the software is a "tool" and one brand is not "better-more accurate-more accepted by the public, then another.

    My choice is Power Claim and I have never lost a job, because I would not use one of the other three.

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    Medulus
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    08/23/2007 9:45 AM

    I'm with Ray in that Simsol beats Integra or Xactimate hands down.  Power Claim may, as well.  I know for a fact that both Simsol and Power Claim try much harder to fit adjuster needs.

    But, since that is not what you asked, I can give you my perspective on Integra and Xactimate.  I have just completed an assignment where, for seven months, I was required to use Xactimate for some claims and Integra for others.  Integra takes longer to set up the claim and requires more information to create a claim file.  However, once you have entered the data, you will be able to create a more complete claim file within the Integra program.  Xactimate takes a very short time to set up the file, but you will need to use outside programs such as Word and Excel in order to complete the file and report.  Sketch is a little persnickety as well.  Where Simsol's CAD will allow you to make almost any type of diagram you wish, Xactimate will not let you input rooms in the order you wish or put walls wherever you need.  If all you need to do is an estimate for coverage A, then Xactimate is faster.  If the file requirement is more than that, Integra is more user friendly. 

    Remember that Xactimate, though required by several major carriers, is at heart a contractor program adapted for use by adjusters.  IntegraClaim is an adjuster program based on the former Boeckhs and DDS platforms, both of which were also adjuster programs.  That may very well explain the ways in which they vary.

    Now if someone could explain to me why any claim executive would choose to require Xactimate over Simsol, I might understand one of the great mysteries of corporate thinking.

    Steve Ebner CPCU AIC AMIM

    "With great power comes great responsibility." (Stanley Martin Lieber, Amazing Fantasy # 15 August 1962)
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    okclarryd
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    08/26/2007 8:26 PM
    I've been using both for years and have come to like Xact better just because the pricing seems to be more accurate.

    An accurate scope and estimate will have enough money in the estimate to repair the damages. Integra pricing seems to be consistently low and "fillers" or "fluff" needs to be added to get the money right.

    I haven't used Sim or Power enough to have an opinion.

    Can you imagine?? Me without an opinion??
    Larry D Hardin
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    Ray Hall
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    11/10/2007 5:46 PM

    Who was it that said if you are going to stay in the claims adjusting business for over 50  years, you must change with the times and be flexable ? Well it may have been me as I leased Xactimate 25 this past week. I am learing from scratch and would like to find someone in Houston who could let me come to them in the AM and assist me on my First and Final Reports from the day before. This will be a pure barter program on any type of Insurance Claim , including ride alongs on Commercial  property & liability claims as well as Homeowner Losses in the metro area.

     rayhall@kingwoodcable.net

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    Spudder
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    12/26/2007 4:38 PM

    I like Xactimate only for the reason about 5 years ago I purchased the product, what helped me was the knowledge of construction both new and remodeling, I have been a certified contractor in Florida for years, I am trying out  Sim & Power and what I have found is that the price lists are not current as they are in Xact which changes each quarter, If your familiar with construction and the local building codes of the area that you work in you'll be able to come up with a good deal for the insured, when I started I was working on supplements and redoing estimates for a public adjuster. It was not hard to redo a estimate, not blaming any one, but when you can do your estimate precisely per building code , up to date prices and methods of construction you seldom have a problem, My son who has a construction company usually gives me the copies of the insurance estimates, I review them and point out the problems that are there both in Xact , Interga and Simsol, in fact I trying out Simsol and Power claim on a trial basis. Xactimate runs me $ 115 plus tax per month and now they have a option where you can have Xact 24 & 25 on the same machine for an extra $ 50 per month, it seem if you upgrade to Xact 25 you can not use your Xact 24 records, does anyone know this to be a fact ?

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    buraley
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    01/27/2008 11:39 PM
    I've used them all except SIMSOL .. Xm8 24 is the best by far. If you're not too afraid of computers save $ and buy Xactware training DVD .. $50 will teach you everything you need to know. Olny Xm8 has Matrix feature. Take your 2-3days, follow the DVD, put together a total loss claim - rebuild a house then learn how to edit it with Matrix and you'll be ahead of most guys out there.
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    Bobabooey
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    02/03/2008 9:54 PM
    Integra is way easier to learn, plus their technical help is great. If you can't figure something out they will remote access your computer and help you figure it out. Xact customer service is the worst customer service I have ever been a part of in anything. It is horrible. If you are working a storm and in a hurry, it is a nightmare.
    BUT
    Xactimate's pricing is tons better meaning less headaches dealing with contractors and insurance companies. I had a claim the other day dealing with flooring in which a contractor complained about the price on the Integra estiamte. I rewrote it in Xact and it was double the Integra price.
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    BobH
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    02/04/2008 12:10 AM

    I have had good and bad with Integra tech support. I had to learn MSB for a new account, and had grief finding how to add labor for odd tasks like temp brace framing during major repairs - so I called them and talked with 2 people, they said it couldn't be done. After I got off the phone I found where the pure labor was hidden in another category with the minimum charges.

    I had been using Xactimate since 1993 so the different program has things where you aren't used to looking, and I understand that. But their tech support people should know where to find labor items.

    With Xactimate you can insert a line item anywhere you want by clicking on the item below it, then press "insert" key. I did that out of habit on MSB and got a "divide by zero" message and the program froze. I lost my entire estimate. So I called tech support, they just said "don't do that" but had never heard of the problem. I asked how to save an estimate as you work, and they said the only way was to basically quit that claim and then re-open it. There should be a File -> Save. If there is one, their Tech Support couldn't say where it was.

    When I started working with the dimensioning window on MSB, I felt like I was in a time warp, like the old DOS days of Xactimate ver 5.8 or the Bluebook "best" software.

    I asked Tech Support about this new version of MSB that Tom was talking about that was supposed to be a huge advancement - and the tech support guy I was on the phone with hadn't heard about it. But I assume they will make improvements, I'm sure it will get better.

    I admit that Xactimate has a steep learning curve, and is not like anything anyone has worked with if they are just starting out. Figuring how to do stairways with sketch, creating separate rooms for landing then taking out the missing wall for the run of stairs etc. is a time suck at the help screen. But once you are airborne with Xactimate, it is my tool of choice.
    Posted By Bobabooey Adjuster on 02/03/2008 9:54 PM
    Xact customer service is the worst customer service I have ever been a part of in anything. It is horrible. If you are working a storm and in a hurry, it is a nightmare.

    Yeah - I have seen people at storms that look like they are living that nightmare. Not a good time to learn software. Send off for the $30 training disk and go through all the tutorials. Then you have a fighting chance of keeping up with the overload of storm claims. Especially if you can do daily claims between catastrophes, cuz you gotta use it or you will forget.

    Bob H
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    keithb1222
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    02/17/2008 8:53 PM
    I was a die hard Integra user, but was forced to use xactimate on a few storms. Xactimate does have a huge learning curve, but now I can write an estimate whole lot faster in xactimate than I ever could in Integra.
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    SteveZ
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    10/29/2015 9:18 AM

    Since my original post on this topic so many years ago, I have worked with multiple incarnations of Xactimate. I have also learned and used Integriclaim, PowerClaim, SimSol, and Symbility.   After working over 800 hail claims in Symbility, I find that Symbility is very easy to learn and use.  I haven't abandoned Xactimate (yet), because so many carriers require it.  BUT, I like the ease of use in Symbility, the photo-labeling is easier, sketching is easier once you figure it out, and they use the MS/B pricing and selection system, so it's like having a beefed up version of old Integriclaim with some Xact-ish features.

     

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    SteveZ
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    10/29/2015 9:18 AM

    Since my original post on this topic so many years ago, I have worked with multiple incarnations of Xactimate. I have also learned and used Integriclaim, PowerClaim, SimSol, and Symbility.   After working over 800 hail claims in Symbility, I find that Symbility is very easy to learn and use.  I haven't abandoned Xactimate (yet), because so many carriers require it.  BUT, I like the ease of use in Symbility, the photo-labeling is easier, sketching is easier once you figure it out, and they use the MS/B pricing and selection system, so it's like having a beefed up version of old Integriclaim with some Xact-ish features.

     

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