Capture the claim so the report writes itself.

• Exact property address. Not approximate — the address drives the automatic weather lookup. A correct address pulls storm reports and wind data for the date of loss into your report, with sources cited.
• Exact date of loss. Same reason. If the reported DOL doesn't match any storm activity near the property, you want to know that before you write the cause-of-loss section, not when the desk reviewer does.
• Claim number, policyholder, carrier. Pick the carrier template that matches the file — it changes report structure and language (e.g., "the insured," "subject property," coverage-analysis subsections).

Every photo gets an automatic caption that feeds the narrative, so shoot deliberately — each photo should show one thing clearly. Work this order and you'll have 20–40 photos, which is what desk reviews expect on a roof claim:

1. Risk photo — front of the property with the house number visible. Establishes you were at the right address.
2. All four elevations — north, east, south, west, even the undamaged ones. Undamaged elevations are evidence too.
3. Per-slope test squares— chalk a 10'×10' square on every slope, mark each impact, photograph the whole square, then close-ups of representative hits. A test square on the damaged slope only is the single most common kickback trigger — document the clean slopes with a chalked, empty square.
4. Overview → close-up pairs — for every damage item: one wide shot locating it, one close-up showing it. A close-up nobody can place on the building proves nothing.
5. Scale reference in close-ups— tape measure, gauge card, or chalk circle with a coin. "Bruised mat" with nothing for scale is an argument; with a tape measure it's a fact.
6. Pitch and layers — pitch-gauge photo, and an eave/rake edge shot showing the number of shingle layers.
7. Accessories and collateral — vents, flashing, gutters, downspouts, window screens, A/C fins, fencing, soft metals. Collateral damage corroborates the storm.
8. Interior, per room — wide shot of the room, then close-up of each stain or damage item, with a measurement in frame where possible. If the interior is clean, one wide shot per inspected room documents that too.

On a phone, use the in-app camera button — photos compress and upload from the driveway; captions are usually done before you leave.

The transcript is the backbone of the narrative. Talk for 60–120 seconds like you're briefing another adjuster. The discipline that matters most: numbers must be spoken to end up in the report."A bunch of hits" becomes [ADJUSTER TO CONFIRM]; "eleven hits per square on the north slope" becomes a finding. Follow this structure:

• Name the slope or room before each finding — "on the east slope…" — so nothing gets attributed to the wrong location.
• Say ages, sizes, and counts as numbers: "eight years," "twenty-eight squares," "six lifted shingles."
• State what you did not find: "no interior leaks," "south slope clean." Negative findings prevent supplement disputes.
• You can review and correct the transcript before generating — do it; a mis-heard number propagates into the report.

The claim page has a Field data card for the values that have to be exactly right: per-slope test-square counts, roof age, size in squares, pitch, stories, interior status. Anything you type there is treated as authoritative — it overrides the voice transcript if they disagree, and it drives the pre-generation completeness check. Enter 0 for a slope you inspected and found clean; leave it blank only if you genuinely didn't inspect it. A zero is evidence. A blank is a re-inspection trip.

The app runs these checks before you generate and flags gaps on the claim page. The recurring desk-review kickbacks, in rough order of frequency:

• Test square missing on one or more slopes — including the undamaged ones
• No photos of undamaged elevations (reviewer can’t verify the directional pattern)
• Close-ups with no overview shot or scale reference
• Roof age, size, or pitch absent — stalls depreciation and pricing
• Interior not addressed at all (even "inspected, no damage" needs documenting)
• Cause-of-loss reasoning missing: findings listed but never tied to the reported event
• Date of loss that doesn’t match any storm activity near the property

Carrier-specific checks in the app reflect common desk-review expectations — always verify against your own panel guidelines, which control.