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» VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM 55 inspectors basically had to confirm that the property was vacant. Now, they need to complete an extensive 38-point checklist and questionnaire on each inspection, as well as take photos to prove the length of the grass and condition of the entire property. If they miss any of those steps, their client's investor claim to the property can become compromised. Additionally, clients back in the day might swing by occasionally for "a quick hello and a Danish," Robinson recalls. Today, they are more likely to send a team to set up shop at Safeguard's headquarters for several days to audit its systems and controls. Of course, Safeguard does the same thing with its vendors to accommodate the highly scrutinized controls mortgage field service operations must have in place to meet their clients' needs and resolve their problems. According to Robinson, Safeguard has approximately 85 people in internal auditing and compliance that didn't exist five years ago. "We've invested in the control frameworks around how we do our job on a daily basis, procedures, quality control, compliance and so forth," Robinson says. "It's also an investment in the whole relationship that we've built in partnership with communities as opposed to just being the guy who cuts the grass." VENDOR PARTNERSHIPS Safeguard's vendor base of approximately 7,000 contractors is an essential component of the company, according to Mike Greenbaum, chief operating officer. "ey're the ones who drive the main value within the value chain back to our clients," he says. "So, we spend a lot of time and resources to ensure that we have the right vendors, and that the vendors are fully trained on client investor requirements so they can execute our work orders." As part of Safeguard's formal credentialing process, new contractors must pass an extensive application and background check. At that point, they are directly aligned with a person at Safeguard's home office who will take them through the detailed steps necessary for them to be successful with the company, establishing a one-on-one relationship. roughout the year, Safeguard's field quality control representatives observe, audit and check their work, so that they have real- time feedback. Once a year, Safeguard holds a vendor conference in Cleveland and one in Las Vegas for the West Coast vendors. "at's where we implement any new policies and give our vendors a forum to let us know what we can do to support them," Greenbaum explains. GOING MOBILE Safeguard's preference for leveraging technology for their next leap forward is evident in their commitment to creating a mobile device network for their vendors. Just a few years ago, contractors would record a property's condition with their legal pad and camera, and then head back to their office at night and transfer all of their notes and pictures to their computer to send to Safeguard. Now, with Safeguard's proprietary mobile app, they can use their smart phones or other mobile devices to report in real time. Currently, nearly 100 percent of their contractors and inspectors execute their property preservation orders on a mobile device. "We have a much faster turnaround, so our clients are receiving the results of their work order requests in hours versus days," says Safeguard CIO George Mehok. "It also allows our inspectors and contractors to be more productive so they are running a more efficient business." Safeguard is pushing the mobile device network even further, Mehok conveys. When he put a proposal in front of Jaffa to improve the company's data center and IT infrastructure, the CEO fairly quickly approved the multi-million dollar project. e return will be twofold: First, the two new, state-of-the-industry data centers that recently opened in Columbus and Dallas will enhance the security and compliance requirements for data. Second, they will provide Safeguard's inspectors with the ability to shoot and stream video of property inspections so that contractors can view and ask questions in real time, eliminating the need for Safeguard's internal Customer Service or Quality Control staff to have to sort through a couple of hundred photographs. "Everyone in our IT department knows that the work we're doing keeps us in front of the industry," Mehok concludes. "at's where Robert and Alan have always invested." SLEEPING SOUNDLY AT NIGHT Continuing to pursue growth from various angles, Safeguard recently announced the formation of SCG Partners, which will allow the family to invest in buying other companies to grow into diverse areas where they can make a difference. In separate conversations, both the founder/ chairman and the CEO profess to have no insomnia, due to their high comfort level with how Safeguard is poised to take on the next quarter century. For his part, Klein says: "Alan was the right person, the right choice. So, I sleep well at night, knowing Safeguard is in good hands." After confirming his enjoyment of being in the distinct niche space Safeguard occupies and his motivation to continue improving and growing the industry as its leader, Jaffa says: "When I put my head down on the pillow, I know that we have tremendous talent in our office and a great network out in the field, and that what we're going to do tomorrow is better a property, make neighbors happier, improve a community, and ultimately have a positive impact." 2013 » 19,195,400 inspections » Second Brooklyn Heights office opens » Richardson, Texas office opens 2014 » Vendor Web Mobile launches » 500+ million photos 2015 » Video piloting begins for use in the field as the company takes GIS technology to the next level » 25th anniversary » More than 1,700 employees » Next Generation Data Center (DC 2.0) COVER STORY INDUSTRY INSIGHT INDUSTRY INSIGHT

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