HOMER GLEN – November 13, 2026 -- Richards Building Supply has opened a free pilot program for roofing, siding, window and door contractors who want a say in the insurance tools planned for its RBS CRM platform. The company plans to release the features between Q1 and Q3 2027. The distributor set no cap on participants and no enrollment deadline. According to the company, it operates more than 60 branches across 16 U.S. states.
RBS CRM has no insurance-specific tool among its eight listed functions
The release names eight current RBS CRM functions: proposals, material estimating, lead management, financing, project management, scheduling, invoicing and homeowner communication. None of them is built for insurance claims. The 2027 roadmap also contains eight items, and the company says all are planned, not guaranteed:
- AI-assisted import of Xactimate files, with EagleView-driven quantity updates
- Scope and supplement updates as a claim changes
- Automated price books that populate estimates with current Richards pricing
- An AI estimate builder, including Xactimate line items, plus an AI assistant in the CRM
- Weather and hail maps and canvassing tools
- Instant bulk estimates for many properties after a storm
- Instant siding estimates and window and door counts
- Integrated email and calendars
Availability, scope and timing depend on development and testing, the company says. It did not say which feature arrives in which quarter.
Pilot participants trade workflow feedback for priority onboarding and early access
Contractors register through a form and receive priority onboarding from the Richards team. They then show where their insurance workflow breaks down, from first inspection through final supplement. As features release, they test them and give feedback through a few calls and on-site visits.
The target group is contractors who handle storm-damage restoration and insurance-related repairs. Richards describes their tasks as entering adjuster scopes, revising estimates, tracking supplements and coordinating material orders as projects change. Ronald M. Guzior, CEO and President, says the pilot lets contractors "show us where the process gets difficult."
Participation costs nothing. Eligibility, onboarding arrangements and access to individual features will be confirmed before a contractor joins. Any applicable third-party service costs will be identified separately, the company says.