ARTICLES & PRESS RELEASE

Instappraise case study with David Scott Fine Jewelry

The following interview was conducted as part of the Instappraise Case Studies Series featuring jewelers and appraisers across the world, sharing their experience with the Instappraise platform.

This interview with Keith Courtney, AJP, GD (GIA), Manager at David Scott Fine Jewelry has been conducted by Laryssa Wirstiuk of Joy Joya - Jewelry Marketing on behalf of Instappraise.com.

The General Manager of David Scott Fine Jewelry, Keith Courtney is a satisfied user of the Instappraise.com platform. With two brick-and-mortar locations in Florida, David Scott Fine Jewelry was seeking an appraisal creation and management platform that was cloud-based, so employees from both stores could access the same information seamlessly.

Keith and his team decided to try the Instappraise platform in 2019 and soon after transitioned completely to Instappraise from their old appraisal platform. To read what Keith has to say about his experience with Instappraise, continue reading the interview below.

Laryssa W.

Please describe your overall experience with Instappraise

Keith Courtney

We started with Instappraise in the mid part of 2019. We were looking for a solution. We were using another software vendor before, and it also did a good job, but it was not web-based. It wasn't nearly as advanced.

When we joined Instappraise, or at least did the test drive, it checked all the boxes for everything that we were looking for. We went from a single-store operation to a two-store operation, which made it nice to be web-based. Both stores could see that information.

One of the things I love about it is that the Instappaise team is so open to ideas, so anytime I have a suggestion or something that I think can be fixed or improved, they are always very responsive about taking that into consideration and trying to make it better as a whole for all the users.

Laryssa W.

Can you describe your overall impressions about the onboarding experience for Instappraise?

Keith Courtney

Well, to be honest, the system - at least for me - seems so intuitive that even before we had our chance to do the onboarding, we were able to bring ourselves up to speed really quickly. It was very easy when we did the onboarding.

Laryssa W.

How would you describe the learning curve and the ease of use?

Keith Courtney

In anybody that has a basic knowledge of the industry that we're in, they really can jump headfirst into it and get up to speed very, very quickly.

Laryssa W.

How would you say Instappraise has changed the way you create, manage, and think about appraisals?

Keith Courtney

Well, I'll tell you one thing, right off the bat, we used to do appraisals the hard way, you know, literally a Word document and print it out. So I'm much more apt to offer appraisals to everybody now, which obviously increases revenue. It makes it so easy, not only for us, but for the customers too because they have an online portal where they can manage all of their appraisals and send them to their insurance carriers.

I'm much more apt to offer appraisals to everybody now, which obviously increases revenue. It makes it so easy, not only for us, but for the customers too.

- Keith Courtney, General Manager
David Scott Fine Jewelry, FL

We have two stores now, and if they do an appraisal that needs attention on our side, easy, it's done. Or if a customer comes in and has questions, it's so easy just to look at their account, manage their account, see all the appraisals that they have in their account. It's just all right there.

Laryssa W.

What types of feedback have you received from customers regarding their appraisals since you started adopting this new process?

Keith Courtney

The first thing is the professional look and feel of it all. Everything is laid out concisely. It has a very modern, yet clean aesthetic to it. The customers can see all the information spelled out right there in front of them.

I think the thing that they're most impressed with is the ease of being able to handle their appraisals digitally because all the insurance carriers now don't want paper copies. They want digital copies. So honestly, we don't really print a lot of appraisals anymore. They're in your inbox, and that makes it really easy.

Customer Portal

Laryssa W.

How do you think it's impacted the customer experience overall?

Keith Courtney

We kind of do two services of appraisals. Anytime anybody buys something in the store, I try to do an appraisal form on it, so there's an added value there for the customers. "We appreciate your business, here's a way to get it insured." But then with customers who are bringing in things, I think they appreciate it and can tell the amount of work that goes into it, because of the way the appraisals are laid out, and the overall quality of it all.

Laryssa W.

What are your favorite or most frequently used features of the Instappraise platform?

Keith Courtney

Well, when Instappraise added the importing of the GIA and AGS laboratories, that was eye-opening because before we would open the appraisal report digitally and have to go through and do all that. That saves so much time.

The description builder's great. It really helps you to quickly build a description for that piece of item. The new 360-degree videos, if you can take advantage of them, are great. Another thing, when the customer logs in digitally, it really looks like a million bucks.

Laryssa W.

What would you like others to know about Instappraise?

Keith Courtney

One thing that I've been most impressed with is probably the people. I think it's a breath of fresh air when you are able to talk to the person who has such a hand in the product. At the end of the day, their founder is more of a technology guy, and he's not sitting here in a retail jewelry store. But he's taking the time to understand exactly what our needs are and how to best meet those needs. So it's very nice and a breath of fresh air honestly to have someone that's receptive to the things that we're dealing with.

Laryssa W.

Would you feel comfortable recommending Instappraise to colleagues and industry partners?

Keith Courtney

Oh, yeah, without a doubt! I mean, it's so easy because with the free trial you can just jump right in and make sure it's right for your business. There are other solutions out there, but I don't think any have the jeweler's interest in mind quite like Instappraise. It's not only accurate gemologically but easy and time saving. That investment for the small amount of money per month pays off immensely.

Want to start saving time while creating better appraisals? Try Instappraise for free!

TRY INSTAPPRAISE FOR FREE

Instappraise Newsletter

Stay informed on all the latest innovations, partnerships, software updates and all other Instappraise announcements!