MENLO PARK, Calif. – A new countrywide program based on using the latest drone technology is promising roofing contractors inspections that are not only quicker, but more accurate.

Drone-based solutions company Kespry announced it has partnered with the XAP 360 network of certified roofing contractors to offer an autonomous drone platform that will reduce the time and costs of residential roof inspections by 50 to 75 percent.

George Mathew, CEO of Kespry, said homeowners expect the inspection process to be speedy, comprehensive, verifiable and detail-driven. Not only that, they expect inspections to be backed by technology that is trusted by major insurance carriers across the country.

“Together, Kespry and XAP 360 are making residential roofing inspections as accurate and painless as possible,” said Mathew. “We’re proud to help homeowners rapidly identify and address their roofing repair issues so they can get on with their lives as quickly as possible.”

Typically, manual inspections can take up to 90 minutes to perform. By using the autonomous drone-based program, Kespry and XAP 360 expect these same inspections will take a little as 10 minutes to complete the same work.

Kespry said in addition to increasing efficiency, the new program helps address a long-standing issue roofing contractors face when conducting inspections: establishing transparency and trust with customers. Historically, many homeowners have been burned by unethical or unlicensed roofers that provide unsubstantiated damage claims. These roofers have also frustrated insurers that have to conduct their own inspection to verify these questionable assessments.

XAP 360 and Kespry have joined forces to regain the trust of residential property owners by establishing verifiable and credible standards for residential roofing inspections. To do this, they turned to machine learning-based analytics and artificial intelligence so that roofing contractors can conduct inspections with granular accuracy and efficiency.

Both companies are engaged with top insurers who have come to value the transparency and accuracy the drone platform can deliver. XAP 360 and Kespry anticipate that their platform not only saves time for roofing contractors, but also helps ensure claim payouts occur quickly.

“With XAP 360 and Kespry, roofing professionals and property owners can finally sit at the same table and communicate honestly and openly,” said Phil Pratt, partner, XAP 360. “Together, Kespry and XAP 360 bridge the existing uncertainty gap with transparency. Guided by the most sound technological innovations in aerial intelligence from Kespry, all parties move forward together while avoiding classic pitfalls.”

As reported by Roofing Contractor, companies that embrace technology are already experiencing the benefits. Whether it is drones or integrating VR technology into their training programs, many top roofing contractors understand the value of entering the digital age.

“We've pushed the roofing industry out of the shadows and into the information age,” Pratt said. “Roofers can say goodbye to gimmicks and hello to an easily-adopted platform in which everyone wins.”

Paul Reed, general manager of North-West Roofing in Denver, is among the top roofing contractors who can attest to embracing technology like drone programs.

“Up until five years ago, I was unwilling to look outside our own company for new ideas. Once I did we have literally tripled our business,” Reed told Roofing Contractor. “Drones have been a game changer for multi-family and HOA inspections, and VR has simplified our sales training process.”