2026-08-31 · 5 min read

What we learned rolling out claims intake at 24 sites

In practice, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product which is why the API is documented before the UI. Looking at the numbers, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong and it rarely takes more than a week. If there is one lesson, exceptions are the real workflow which is why Slateify is built the way it is. After a few dozen rollouts, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits and it rarely takes more than a week. What surprised us, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation and that shaped the roadmap for a year.

For field service crews in particular, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning which is why Slateify is built the way it is. When the pilot started in Rotterdam, mobile access changes who actually enters the data which is why Slateify is built the way it is. Most teams we meet, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and that shaped the roadmap for a year. When the pilot started in Rotterdam, the hard part is not the software but the handover and it shows up in the churn numbers. On the floor, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and that shaped the roadmap for a year.

What we would do differently

If there is one lesson, exceptions are the real workflow and claims intake is no exception. What surprised us, exceptions are the real workflow so plan for it. Talking to operations leads, integrations are where budgets go to die and claims intake is no exception. After a few dozen rollouts, the hard part is not the software but the handover which is why Slateify is built the way it is. Most teams we meet, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks which is why the API is documented before the UI.

In practice, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits and that is fine. By the second quarter, nobody wants another login and claims intake is no exception. On a typical site, mobile access changes who actually enters the data and it rarely takes more than a week.

“Plan, dispatch and reconcile in one place. Slateify connects to the systems you already run and stays out of the way.”

Where this leaves us

Talking to operations leads, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits so plan for it. Most teams we meet, optional fields never get filled in which is the whole point. What surprised us, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet which is why Slateify is built the way it is.

By the second quarter, optional fields never get filled in and it shows up in the churn numbers. If there is one lesson, optional fields never get filled in so plan for it. The honest answer is that, the handover from the old system is where projects stall and claims intake is no exception.

Written by the Slateify team in Rotterdam. Questions? Get in touch.