Documentation, then teardown planning. Before anything is disassembled the vehicle is photographed from every angle, including the undamaged side, because a carrier reviewing a supplement three weeks later needs to see what the vehicle looked like on arrival.
Then the estimator walks the impact path. Impact energy does not stop where the paint is broken. On a body-on-frame coach, force applied to a front cap travels through the cap mounting flange into the sidewall band, into the roof edge trim, and often into the entry door opening on the same side. The visible damage might be a cracked cap. The related damage might be a door that no longer latches without lifting.
Panel gaps get measured. Slide rooms get cycled. Compartment doors get opened and closed. Anything that does not sit square goes on the sheet. On chassis damage, control point measurements are taken against manufacturer specification before any decision about pulling is made.
That initial estimate carries no charge and is written in the format adjusters read: labor operations separated into body, paint, mechanical and frame, parts listed with part numbers and prices, paint hours calculated with materials at $55 per paint hour. It is deliberately conservative, because the supplement after teardown is where the real number lands. Rates are posted on the price sheet.