May 1, 2026
What does an office manager do in a restoration company? A restoration company office manager typically handles customer intake and communication, job file management, invoicing and accounts receivable, vendor payment coordination, insurance carrier communication, and administrative support for field operations. The role is an operational hub that touches every function in the business.
The office manager is the most undervalued hire in a restoration company. A capable, reliable office manager is the operational backbone. Every incomplete job file, every late invoice, every missed callback, every incorrectly submitted TPA document — these are office management failures that cost real money. A $55,000 office manager who eliminates $150,000 in avoidable AR delays, supplement rejections, and customer attrition produces 2.7x return on their salary.
Job intake and initial customer communication: First contact with emergency callers — capturing contact information, qualifying the loss, communicating response commitment, entering the job into the management system. Requires calm under pressure and the ability to reassure a stressed homeowner while simultaneously dispatching a crew.
Job file management: Maintaining complete, current files for every active job — ensuring documentation, photos, moisture logs, and equipment records are received from the field and properly organized. Flagging incomplete files before invoicing.
Invoicing and accounts receivable: Preparing and submitting invoices promptly after job completion. Tracking invoice status in TPA portals. Following up on outstanding invoices per the AR protocol. Managing the AR aging report and escalating past-due accounts.
Insurance and TPA communication: Submitting required documentation to TPA portals. Following up on supplement submissions. Communicating with adjusters on documentation requirements. Requires familiarity with Alacrity, Contractor Connection, PSA, OAK, and similar platforms.
Organizational precision, communication quality, AR discipline (comfortable initiating follow-up without being prompted), technology proficiency with job management platforms and TPA portals, and calm under pressure. Test communication in the interview: have them draft a sample customer update email.
Office managers in restoration typically earn $42,000–$65,000 depending on market, company size, and depth of responsibility. The office manager effectively managing $2M+ in annual receivables should be compensated at the upper end — the cost of having the wrong person in this role far exceeds the salary premium.
Typically at $1.2M–$1.8M in revenue when the volume of job files, invoices, and customer communications exceeds what can be handled part-time or by the owner. The hiring should happen before the system breaks, not after.
Core needs: the company’s job management platform (Encircle, JobNimbus, etc.), Xactimate or the estimating platform, TPA portal platforms (Alacrity, Contractor Connection, PSA, OAK), and QuickBooks or the accounting platform.
The online platform through which restoration contractors submit invoices, documentation, and supplements for TPA-managed insurance claims. Major TPA portals include Alacrity, Contractor Connection, PSA, and OAK. Navigating these platforms is a core office manager function.
Mike McCabe is The Profit Detective — a 36-year restoration industry veteran and Fractional Operations Manager at Floodlight Consulting Group.
Most engagements pay for themselves within the first week.