By Dan Cassara and Phillip Morris
“The best way to predict the future is to build it.” – Peter Drucker
In an industry that prides itself on response time, the property restoration world has, ironically, lagged behind in evolving the systems and mindsets that shape our daily work. From clunky estimate approvals to siloed communication and opaque claims journeys, inefficiencies have become so ingrained they’re almost invisible—until they aren’t.
As we step into 2025, we must confront a hard truth: The future of restoration is not on the horizon.
It’s already here.
And it will not wait for us to catch up.
The State of Restoration: Why Reinvention Is Inevitable
In recent years, the restoration and insurance ecosystem has been tested on every front—climate instability, inflation, labor shortages, and rising policyholder expectations have all collided to expose systemic cracks.
- Loss costs are up 35% since 2020, driven by inflation, supply chain disruptions, and the rising frequency of CAT events.
- Skilled labor shortages continue to plague the trades: by 2028, the U.S. is expected to be short over 500,000 skilled construction workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Carriers face growing pressure from regulators and reinsurers to streamline the claims lifecycle, while balancing the demand for faster payouts and better customer service.
- Contractors, meanwhile, face squeezed margins, delayed payments, and a fractured vendor ecosystem that forces them to be IT managers, project coordinators, and negotiators—often all at once.
We’re at a crossroads—and clinging to legacy workflows isn’t just unsustainable, it’s irresponsible.
What’s Broken (and Why It Matters)
Let’s be honest: the traditional claims process was never designed for speed, transparency, or alignment.
It was built for control.
From first notice of loss to final settlement, the journey is often a patchwork of disconnected tools, inconsistent documentation, subjective scopes, and unclear communication channels. The result? A slow, friction-heavy process that erodes trust between carriers and contractors—and most critically, fails the policyholder when they’re at their most vulnerable.
We’ve heard it all before:
“We didn’t know where the file was.”
“We didn’t get the update.”
“We’re waiting on approval.”
“The system didn’t talk to our system.”
At CORE, we’re not just hearing these problems—we’re solving them.
Reinvention from the Inside Out
Our keynote at the Collective 2025 Experience is not a product demo or a puff piece. It’s a call to reimagine what’s possible.
CORE’s OnCORE TPA platform has been recognized as the #1-ranked Third Party Administrator by the RIA’s TPC Scorecard for three consecutive years, a reflection of the performance, alignment, and transparency we’ve engineered into every touchpoint.
What if the claims lifecycle wasn’t a relay race where each player hands off risk—but a shared network of intelligence and accountability?
What if technology wasn’t something we bolt on after the fact—but the foundation for collaboration?
What if your field teams, your carrier reps, your third-party tech, and your customer were all operating on the same page?
We believe that future is already being built—and it starts by connecting three pillars:
- Technology That Works Together
We’re not talking about buzzword tech—we mean tools with purpose. CORE is investing in platform interoperability, allowing data to move cleanly between estimators, mitigation crews, desk adjusters, and policyholders. Think real-time updates, shared dashboards, and integrated documentation across the lifecycle.
Example: A scope submitted in Xactimate is matched with moisture data from sensors in the field, instantly reviewed by AI, and flagged for anomalies—all in minutes, not days.
- Experience by Design
We’ve reengineered the service journey to reflect what humans actually need—clarity, communication, and confidence. That’s why CORE’s white-glove Member Experience and Project Management teams aren’t just support—they’re central to how we create predictability in a chaotic space.
- Alignment Over Ego
Too often, stakeholders act as if their goals are at odds. In reality, contractors want to close jobs, carriers want fair files, and policyholders want their lives back. The problem is misalignment, not malice. CORE’s network design and communication protocols aim to realign incentives, not just workflows.
What You’ll Learn in This Keynote
We won’t sugarcoat it. Reinvention is hard.
But it’s also inevitable—and it’s already happening in the CORE ecosystem. At Collective 2025, we’ll show how:
- The future of claims isn’t faster for one party, it’s better for all.
- Real-time decisioning, not backlog-based approvals, will dominate the next five years.
- Contractors are not just labor providers, they are experience shapers—and we must treat them as such.
- Carriers who embrace digital alignment will win on both cost control and customer satisfaction.
This isn’t about replacing humans. It’s about freeing them to focus on what actually matters.
Resources & Signals from the Industry
Our thinking is informed by broader industry trends. If you’re curious, explore:
- McKinsey: Claims 2030—A Future with Zero Touch
- Verisk: 2024 Property Report – Increasing Catastrophe Losses
- IBHS: The Cost of Delayed Mitigation in Disaster Recovery
These sources all point to one thing: The systems of yesterday are crumbling under the pressure of today’s expectations.
Why You Can’t Miss This
This keynote is for the disruptors, the builders, the forward-thinkers. Whether you’re a carrier exec, contractor, claims lead, or tech partner—you’ll leave with:
- A framework for evaluating friction in your current claims lifecycle
- Ideas to pilot in your organization immediately
- A glimpse into the tools CORE is deploying across its national network
- Confidence that you’re not alone in wanting better—and building it
The Future Is Built by Those Who Show Up
CORE’s theme this year is clear: You’re either building the future, or watching it happen.
Join us at Collective 2025 and be part of the conversation that’s shaping the next decade of restoration.
We’re not waiting on the future.
We’re building it—from the inside out.
JOIN US AT COLLECTIVE 2025
Reinventing Property Restoration: CORE Group’s Vision for the Future | Collective 2025 Conference
