Storm restoration is a 72-hour business. The contractors who dominate a hail-hit ZIP aren't the best installers — they're the fastest at turning canvass into signed contract. This playbook walks through the exact 24-hour workflow top storm crews run from the moment NOAA confirms a hail event to the moment the homeowner signs.
- →Hour 0–4: Map the swath. Pull NOAA storm reports + HailTrace.
- →Hour 4–12: Door-knock the impact zone with measurement reports in hand.
- →Hour 12–18: On-site inspection + photo documentation.
- →Hour 18–24: Send retail proposal + insurance scope. Capture signed contract.
- →Speed is the competitive moat — 80% of contracts are signed before insurance even adjusts.
Hour 0–4: Map the swath
Within four hours of a confirmed event, you should know exactly which streets to canvass. Use NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports for hail size and path, HailTrace or Interactive Hail Maps for the swath polygon, and county property records for owner-occupied vs. rental ratios.
- NOAA SPC: spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports — confirms hail size and time
- HailTrace: hail polygon overlay on a map — paid but worth it for production crews
- County GIS: free property data for outreach prioritization
- Skip-trace tool to convert addresses → owner names + phones (DataTree, BatchSkipTracing)
Hour 4–12: Canvass with measurement reports in hand
The single biggest storm-canvass upgrade in the last five years: showing up with the property's roof measurement report already pulled. Instead of 'I'd like to inspect your roof,' you say 'I measured your roof — 32 squares, 6/12 pitch — and the storm hit your block at 3:14 PM with 1.75-inch hail.' Conversion to inspection appointment doubles.
Pull RoofGenius measurements in batch by uploading the swath address list. Reports return in minutes; canvas reps print or pull on tablet at the door.
Door script that books inspections
"Hi, I'm Sam with [Company]. NOAA confirmed 1.75-inch hail hit your block at 3:14 PM Tuesday. I already measured your roof — it's 32 squares, 6/12 pitch — and based on the storm path you almost certainly have impact damage. Insurance covers it. Can I take 15 minutes to inspect and document it for your claim?"— Production canvass script — averages a 38% inspection-book rate
Hour 12–18: On-site inspection + documentation
On-site time is for damage documentation, not measurement (you already have that). Photograph every test square, every soft metal, every elevation. A complete inspection package is 40–60 photos minimum, organized by elevation and damage type.
Inspection checklist
- Test squares (10x10) on each slope — minimum 8 hits per square = full replacement
- Soft metals (gutters, downspouts, A/C fins, vents) — corroborates hail
- Window screens, deck stain, paint — collateral damage strengthens claim
- Photo of weather report for date + time of event
- GPS-tagged photos (auto on most phones — verify settings)
Hour 18–24: Send proposal + capture signed contract
Send the retail proposal (Good / Better / Best) and the insurance scope draft within 4 hours of the inspection. Two documents, both branded:
- Retail tier proposal — what the homeowner sees if they go cash (anchors value)
- Insurance scope letter — what you'll submit to the carrier on their behalf
Include a digital signature link on both. Top storm crews capture 60%+ of contracts within 24 hours of inspection because they remove every excuse for the homeowner to 'shop around' — the proposal is in their inbox before competitors even knock.
What changes in supplement season
Once contracts are signed, supplements drive 35–60% of total job revenue. The contractors who pre-build the supplement list during the inspection (drip edge, ice & water, decking, code upgrades) submit faster and recover more. See our 17 line items carriers leave off for the full supplement playbook.
The math: why 24-hour wins
| Response speed | Close rate | Avg per door knocked |
|---|---|---|
| Same-day proposal | 62% | $1,580 |
| 24-hour proposal | 51% | $1,300 |
| 48-hour proposal | 31% | $790 |
| 72-hour or later | 14% | $355 |
Across a 200-door canvass, the gap between same-day and 72-hour is roughly $245,000 in signed contracts. Speed isn't a nice-to-have — it's the entire business model.
Tools that compress the 24 hours
- RoofGenius batch measurements — 200 properties in under 30 minutes
- RoofGenius Estimator — Good / Better / Best in 90 seconds
- RoofGenius Supplements — full supplement list auto-built from scope
- DocuSign / built-in e-sign — same-day signature capture
- CompanyCam — photo organization by job
Putting it together
RoofGenius is the only platform that runs the entire 24-hour workflow — measurements, retail estimating, and supplements — in a single subscription. Storm crews using all three modules report 2.4× contract velocity vs. fragmented tool stacks. Start a free trial before the next storm.