A roofer can update homeowners at each stage of a hail claim by giving each stage a place in a GoHighLevel pipeline and sending a short message when the card moves. The messages must inform, not advocate: in some states, including Texas, a roofer may not act as a public adjuster or advertise claim handling. The bottom line: tell the homeowner where things stand and what happens next, and leave the claim itself to the homeowner and the insurer.
The stages and the clock
The Texas Department of Insurance lists five steps for getting a claim paid, starting with making the claim and answering the insurer's questions. It says the company has 15 business days to say it received the claim and start its review, then 15 business days after getting what it needs to say whether it will pay, and must explain any rejection in writing. The Insurance Institute of Texas adds that an accepted claim must be paid within 5 business days and that a weather catastrophe designated by the state extends the deadlines by 15 days. Other states have their own deadlines.
| Pipeline stage | Message to the homeowner |
|---|---|
| Inspection done | Here are the photos of the damage we found. The next step is your claim with your insurer |
| Claim filed by homeowner | Your insurer should acknowledge the claim within its deadline. Send us the adjuster's name when you have it |
| Adjuster visit scheduled | Reminder of the date and time. We can attend to discuss the roof's condition if you want |
| Estimate received | Send us the estimate and we will give you our repair scope and price |
| Approved | The insurer's decision and what we need to schedule your install |
| Materials ordered | Delivery date |
| Install scheduled and complete | Install date, then completion photos and final paperwork |
What a roofer may and may not say
The Texas Department of Insurance says Texas does not allow a roofer or contractor to act as a public insurance adjuster on claims where they are doing the work, and cannot advertise that they would. Its examples of improper language include offering to negotiate claim settlements or file a claim for the policyholder, promising to recover every dime owed, and telling insurers that the contractor represents the policyholder on coverage. It also says it is illegal for a contractor to offer to waive, rebate, or absorb a deductible, and that contracts of $1,000 or more involving an insurance settlement must include a notice that the policyholder must pay the deductible. A TDI bulletin adds that contractors may provide estimates and discuss them and technical information with an insurer or its adjuster. In 2024 the Texas Supreme Court upheld the state's position in a case brought by a roofer. Colorado has a similar rule. Check your state's rules and your contract language.
Build it in GoHighLevel
Opportunity fields: Claim number, Adjuster name and phone, Claim filed date, Adjuster visit date, and Estimate received date. Stages: the ones in the table.
- Go to Settings, then Custom Fields, and create the opportunity fields listed above before you build the pipeline.
- Go to Opportunities, then Pipelines, and create the pipeline with the stages listed above.
- Build a workflow with the Pipeline Stage Changed trigger. Add an If/Else branch for each stage, or one workflow per stage.
- Put the message from the table in each branch, sent by Send SMS and Send Email.
- Build a workflow with the Custom Date Reminder trigger on the Adjuster visit date, 1 day before, that sends the reminder.
- Add a task action for the sales rep at Estimate received to prepare the repair scope.
- Add a workflow at Claim filed date plus 10 business days that asks the homeowner whether they have heard from the insurer. Keep the wording neutral.
- Review every message with your attorney for language that could read as acting on the claim.
- In the workflow's Settings tab, turn on Stop on Response, choose the Timezone, and set a Time Window for weekday business hours.
GoHighLevel's Workflow Settings page says Stop on Response removes a contact from the workflow when they respond to a message sent from that workflow, and only for that contact. It says Allow Reentry controls whether a contact can enter again, that Allow multiple Opportunities lets each of a contact's opportunities start its own run (on by default in new workflows), that the Timezone can follow the account or the contact, and that the Time Window restricts when communications go out, uses one window for every day, and does not affect internal actions such as tags, fields, or opportunities. Its Automating Opportunities page lists the Pipeline Stage Changed and Opportunity Status Changed triggers, both filterable by standard and custom opportunity fields, and its Opportunity Changed trigger page adds that this trigger also detects changes to lead value, assignment, and custom fields, with date field filters. A HighLevel agency help center article says opportunity custom fields are created under Settings, then Custom Fields.
GoHighLevel's Custom Date Reminder page says the trigger fires before, on, or after a date, that in contact based workflows you can choose supported contact date fields and supported opportunity date fields, that it does not fire for a contact whose date field is empty, and that a workflow can hold two triggers, one before and one after the date. It also describes a Match on the year option for reminders that repeat every year, so read that setting's description in your account and test it with a real date field.
What the workload looks like
For example, a roofer with 60 open hail claims and an average of 7 stage changes each sends about 420 updates over the life of those claims (60 times 7). By hand, many of those never get sent, and homeowners call to ask where things stand.
Mistakes to avoid
- Saying you will handle the claim. That is adjuster language.
- Offering to cover the deductible. It is illegal in Texas.
- Silence between stages. Homeowners call when they hear nothing.
- Applying Texas rules everywhere. Check your state.
How this was handled before
Roofers answered claim questions by phone whenever homeowners called, and the calls came most when nothing was happening. A message at each stage answers the question before it is asked, and keeps the contractor on the safe side of the line between describing a process and running a claim.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Homeowners often use a spouse's phone for claim calls, so record both numbers if they agree. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Can a roofer file the claim for the homeowner?
In Texas, no. The Department of Insurance lists offering to file a claim or negotiate a settlement as improper for a contractor.
Can a roofer talk to the adjuster?
The Texas Department of Insurance says contractors may provide estimates and discuss them and technical information with the insurer or its adjuster.
How long does an insurer have to decide?
Texas gives 15 business days after it has what it needs, and 5 business days to pay after agreeing. Other states differ.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.