Traditionally additional expenses required for a job would be the responsibility of the estimator, and would typically be written in as a line item on the end of whatever estimating software was used for the rest of the estimate. This poses two main problems. First off this is labor intensive on the part of the appraiser, and is generally subject to scrutiny by the insurance company as it is a relatively arbitrary cost given by the shop. Secondly it is an inaccurate way to try and recoup costs. In Connecticut for example, the typical line item charge for seam sealer is about 20 dollars. In recent days the cost of a tube depending on brand and type can be anywhere from 30 to 50 dollars, hence if a technician uses an entire tube to seam a floor on a vehicle with a thick bead line, a 20 dollar charge is an inadequate attempt to recoup costs, and unless the estimator of the shop asks the repairing technician they would otherwise have no way of knowing how much was used other than knowing some must be used for general structural repair.

By having the technicians scan and report directly with EagleMMS, you know exactly how much is used, save the estimator time to work on other portions of the estimate, and are able to convey this info in an itemized exact fashion that an insurance appraiser can and will honor when it comes time to reimburse. Whether it is recoup based on the need for line items, or charging based off of hourly rates, EagleMMS provides a much more accurate alternative to material invoicing by allowing the technician to directly report their usages during the repair.