Look at any large-scale construction project today and you’ll see that cloud technology is quickly becoming an essential part of the industry’s work.

It makes sense that an industry with multiple worksites would leap at the chance to digitize its paper-based workflows. However, some of the ways builders are using the cloud may surprise you.

The rise of cloud technology in construction

The Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles and always-on mobile internet connections are rapidly growing in popularity. Consequently, on-premise solutions for storing and deploying data and applications are no longer practical options for construction companies.

From invoicing software to mobile CRM software for managing jobs and clients, cloud-based solutions can streamline and simplify countless daily tasks. For instance, cloud software can help construction firms by:

• Monitoring and automating maintenance and work schedules
• Tracking equipment and resources to optimize logistics and prevent losses
• Monitoring and assessing individual projects through Building Information Modelling
• Tracking and optimizing work on-site using sensors that monitor downtime
• Using predictive analytics to optimize workflows and predict problems before they arise
• Monitoring staff performance and detecting health and safety issues early on

There’s no doubt that new technology solutions will continue to emerge in the coming years.

Key benefits of cloud technology

Cloud technology has the potential to impact every part of a construction company’s work. Here are some of the key benefits that it offers.

Enjoy greater mobility

Reliable, grounded internet has not yet reached every place in which construction occurs. Just consider the large infrastructure projects in resource sectors like mining or forestry, or large transportation projects like highways or ports. The locations of these projects are often highly remote. Yet when you combine with the arrival of 5G mobile connectivity with the move towards blockchain-based cloud solutions, teams can use data and resource-heavy applications and services virtually anywhere.

Digitize your workflow

For many years, construction companies relied on traditional paper-based workflows for their inherent quality assurance, security, and reliable record keeping. However, the cloud is now more than capable of meeting and surpassing these expectations. This creates opportunities for workflows to be partially or completely digitized, thus eliminating the need to haul files and documents from site to site.

Instantaneous, paper-free communication between the head office, site offices, managers, individual contractors, and partner companies now enables instant updates for all parties involved. For example:

• Individual contractors can track their work by location, hour and day
• Shipments of materials can be located at a moment’s notice and sent to where they’re needed
• Billing can be near-instantaneous through the use of invoicing software that syncs with your accounting software
• Important customer and project data can be made available to all team members immediately, no matter where in the world the build site or head office is located

Overall, the connectivity offered by cloud technology creates a thorough and highly accessible digital “paper trail.”

Drive automation and big data

Automation is a huge part of the digital transformation landscape, with machine learning playing an enormous role in optimizing workflows and predicting problems before they occur. Once they’re based in the cloud, many construction workflows can be automated or at least semi-automated. Tasks like ordering equipment, fuel and other materials to a worksite can be handled digitally, which reduces downtime caused by inefficient logistics planning.

At the same time, big data is becoming more important in every industry. The cloud provides the scalable and flexible storage and networking infrastructure needed for the effective use of big data.

Exceed client expectations

Without the cloud, coordinated account and client management become nearly impossible for an industry with multiple worksites. By making the most of cloud apps and their ability to host services and data online, construction firms can make sure they’re always prepared to meet their clients’ expectations.

Cloud CRM software: an essential tool for modern construction companies

Construction projects are often lengthy endeavors. As such, firms must carefully manage their relationships with prospects and clients over long periods of time. It’s essential that they have a reliable system to keep track of contact information, communication history, and special requests.

Many companies are becoming more digitally sophisticated by adopting client relationship management (CRM) software. These cloud-based systems give managers, sales reps, and marketers quick access to essential client data whenever they need it. In general, a construction company can use their CRM to:

• Track the various contacts associated with each prospect and client
• Maintain detailed records of interactions
• Provide useful insights into the success of their sales and marketing strategies
• Enable team collaboration across multiple worksites — and much more.

Furthermore, an effective CRM for construction will go beyond relationship management by offering some of the benefits described above, like workflow management and task automation.

The benefits of cloud technology in the construction industry are clear. For companies that are looking for a competitive edge, now is the time to invest in solutions that can enhance your current processes and adapt to your future needs.

The post Leveraging Cloud Technology in the Construction Industry appeared first on Method.

Today, construction projects use technology from initial planning to final completion. For every construction project, there are:  

• Planners in the engineering office using Building Info Modelling (BIM) software to create digital models of their projects.
• Sales Reps using online portals to bid on tenders or submit proposals.
• Project Managers using drones to survey a construction site’s footprint.

With the demand for every type of construction project expected to increase significantly over the next few years, it may seem like a lucrative time to be in construction.

The road ahead, however, isn’t easy when you consider the hyper-competitive nature of construction projects.

In fact, the margins of many winning proposals are often so tight that even a small error or unexpected surprise can cause a project to lose money.

“The margins of many winning construction proposals are so tight that even one small error can mean that the project loses money.”

Construction project case study: Hospital revitalization

With many communities across North America renovating local hospitals to include new technology and infrastructure, we’ll use this context for our case study.

Before we dive into things, let’s consider a few things:

1. Hospital revitalizations are large construction projects with many stakeholders.
2. These projects are often publicly funded, which means they must follow transparent processes for bids, contracts, approvals, and delivery.
3. Hospital revitalization projects have multiple phases and take years to complete.

With so many moving parts integral to a hospital revitalization construction project, it’s clear that there are many opportunities for a customer relationship management (CRM) solution to drive greater efficiency.

Let’s take a closer look at how a CRM solution can improve construction project success!

Phase 1: Bidding and proposal

At this phase of a construction project, an Estimator draws on the company’s financial records to review past projects and estimate costs so that they can put their most competitive bid forward and secure work.

At this stage, there are no shovels in the ground but construction companies are already in need of an accurate, real-time source of data to inform their bidding strategy.

The problem here is that the information Estimators need to competitively bid is all over the place. Whether it’s hidden in a stack of papers on someone’s desk or spread across Excel files, Estimators rarely have access to a data set that’s comprehensive enough to apply to the bidding process.

Enter CRM

Incorporating a CRM system that connects seamlessly with QuickBooks accounting software will alleviate this problem, as Estimators now have immediate access to information such as past invoices and customer records. Which of course, makes formulating competitive, data-driven bids a faster, more effective process for them.

Phase 2: Pre-construction

Now that we’ve been awarded the contract for the hospital revitalization project, it’s time to meet with key stakeholders.

Working in collaboration with the hospital’s construction project committee, it’s time to develop a comprehensive revitalization building plan. Which is when the big questions about cost start to hit the fan:

• What are we paying for trades and sub-contractors?
• How frequently are the payments coming in?
• Which construction projects are profitable?
• Which construction projects were above budget?

And with this many questions, comes many point people.

This means we’ll have to ensure communication runs smoothly between everyone from design contractors to permit and license contacts.

AKA a logistical nightmare.

Enter CRM

This is another area where construction CRM software is beneficial.

As you start coordinating with hospital staff, as well as managing subcontractors and partners, you need a reliable solution to keep your head on straight.

A CRM solution makes it easy to track all these relationships as well as share them with others are your organization.

Phase 3: Construction

Now it’s finally time to break ground, put up walls, and build something great for the community.

To get started, you need to hire subcontractors. Which might have you thinking:

• Are subcontractors part of your project team? Yes, absolutely.
• Are they independent entities? Yes, absolutely (again).
• Is each subcontractor relationship actually a discreet client-service provider relationship inside a much larger process? Yes, absolutely (for a third time!).

Sounds complex…

Enter CRM

An effective CRM platform simplifies your sub-contractor management. And it’s even better if your CRM integrates with QuickBooks, as then you can process transactions and manage construction project progress in one place.

CRM benefits for a complex construction project

Successful construction companies need a comprehensive solution to manage countless data points.

In fact, it’s critical that every person from the estimator to the project manager be able to access data on contracts, customer relationships, costs, and transactions.

This is exactly where a CRM comes in. CRM solutions streamline construction projects of any scale as they make information:

• Easily accessible. With a CRM solution, employees of all levels can access the data they need to do their job.
• Consistent. CRM solutions offer contact details and customer histories that are accurate and up to date to the stakeholders who need it.

Start using a construction CRM with your free trial of Method CRM!

The post Why CRM solutions increase construction project success appeared first on Method.

Without a good construction accounting software, businesses will likely collapse. For those that do have one, there may come a time when they must start looking for a new software package to meet new demands. However, it is worth exploring ways to extend the life of the software instead of replacing it.

Important considerations for your accounting software

The team at Smith Schafer has provided some good insight and outlined two important considerations before committing to a new software package.

1. Determine what your construction company needs in its accounting software.
2. Determine if your current accounting software meets those needs.

In the Smith Schafer article, it goes on to offer four additional, but specific, items to consider if a new accounting software is a final recommendation from the company assessment they suggested. But as mentioned earlier, there is an entire area that is often overlooked which should never be ignored in this day and age that may ultimately lead to a decision to keep the existing solution.

The accounting ecosystem you can’t ignore

Any good accounting software has an important but also limited value to a business when used alone. But, when it becomes part of an integrated technology ecosystem, it sees both its value and longevity substantially increase.

The majority of today’s accounting solutions are backed by entire ecosystems of 3rd party applications, integrations, and other connections. So any construction business looking to remain standing should always consider this ecosystem as part of their accounting assessment.

Take for instance an example with Intuit’s QuickBooks Enterprise Contractor Edition, a powerful accounting desktop solution that helps businesses in the construction industry manage their bids, estimates, change orders, vendors, subs, employees, reporting and a whole lot more.

QuickBooks, a heavyweight in the accounting space, started off on a now-famous kitchen table, trying to solve one specific problem: “how do we balance this checkbook?” It has since evolved into a best-in-class cloud accounting platform with an app marketplace that boasts hundreds of other applications built by third-party developers each solving their own set of unique problems.

Adding value by adding integrations

It’s really within these software ecosystems that you find solutions that not only integrate with your construction accounting but also specialize to solve problems that you may not even be aware of. In most cases, these additional connections turn out to either solve the problems better than the original software could do on its own or solve a problem that it was never designed to solve.

With industry-leading applications like Knowify, TSheets and Method CRM just to name a few, they each add value by solving unique problems while integrating with QuickBooks construction accounting.

Knowify is best known for their powerful job costing tools and offers solutions to help plan jobs and itemize labor and material budgets for creating estimates.

TSheets for QuickBooks offers an easy, cost-effective alternative to traditional punch time clocks on the job site. Employees simply clock in to track time against jobs, equipment, departments, and more. Since TSheets is already a member of the QuickBooks family, it’s no doubt this is an easy addition to your existing accounting software.

In the case of Method CRM, it adds value to any construction company by looking at the entire workflow. Whether it be gaining new customers or finding repeat business, Method CRM helps turn more bids into projects via the shared pipeline for your entire crew to see.  It specializes in eliminating redundancy in your workflow using its bi-direction, real-time sync with QuickBooks sending all your important transactions to accounting. These are just some example of the endless problems that are solved with a Construction CRM as part of the accounting ecosystem tailored just for your business.

How to start adding integrations

It’s important not to be intimidated by the accounting technology landscape. As it turns out, most of us already have some experience with apps and various connections by just tailoring the use of our smart-phones. Yes, it’s remarkably similar to what we already do from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

By simply embracing various apps and add-ons for your mobile devices, you have created your very own tailored experience. Whether it be as a business or an individual smartphone user, you have quite literally built an environment to meet your unique needs and preferences.

So, the next time you’re assessing your construction accounting, include some extra research as part of the plan. Check the software vendor’s website and do some simple Google searches for potential app stores, marketplaces or other integrations. You’ll be surprised at the possibilities to help extend your existing software’s lifespan.

The post Extending The Life of Your Construction Accounting Software appeared first on Method.

A construction CRM should keep all the information you need about prospective customers at your fingertips. In addition, the software should integrate fully with your existing business processes, allowing you to track customers throughout their lifecycle. To help you select the perfect software for your business, this article will look at five key features that any construction CRM should have.

1. Project management

Project management in construction means tracking each bid as it moves through the pipeline. Any CRM you choose should have features that complement your existing project management software. Ideally, CRM software should allow construction companies to create estimates on the fly and send them to prospective clients. In addition, it should allow your team members to schedule follow-up tasks for each project.

The primary benefit of project management in construction is to avoid missing opportunities to secure new projects. Consequently, your CRM should send automatic e-mail reminders to ensure that tasks don’t fall through the cracks. It should also allow you to log customer interactions directly from your inbox, allowing bid information to be easily updated.

It’s important for construction businesses to focus on the hottest bids since they typically have many pending projects. A CRM’s project management features should help you prioritize bids throughout each stage of the pipeline, from prospecting to the proposal. A common approach is to allow users to assign a value to each bid, indicating its potential revenue.

2. Customer history

The ability to view a customer’s entire history in a single location is an essential requirement for a construction CRM. This typically involves maintaining a shared list of bids, allowing you to deliver world-class service to each customer. A shared list helps you maintain strong relationships with your contacts, regardless of who answers your phone.

Having all of your contacts in a single location is important in construction because of the amount of collaboration required. For example, contractors must deal with contacts such as architects, inspectors, and subcontractors while working on a single project. A CRM containing everyone’s contact information makes it easier to identify the person needed for a particular task.

A complete view of customer history also allows you to manage relationships proactively. Your CRM should allow you to schedule tasks reminding you when it’s time to touch base with a customer. This practice helps to ensure that you can identify and correct potential problems before customers become dissatisfied with your service.

3. Complete workflows

A CRM that offers end-to-end workflows allows you to automate many of the steps involved in managing a construction business. In particular, manually entering the same data more than once becomes tedious when it has to be done for every project. Automated workflows allow you to send invoices and receive payments in less time, with fewer people involved.

Another desirable feature in a CRM is the ability to customize these workflows to meet changes in requirements, which is a common occurrence in construction. Customization allows a single system to perform various distinct functions, which eliminates the need to implement multiple software systems.

Construction CRM software should also reduce redundancy by synchronizing with your existing software programs, such as QuickBooks. This allows you to easily create an estimate, convert it to a sales order and issue an invoice in either program without needing to re-enter data. Syncing with QuickBooks also allows your customers to pay invoices online without your team needing access to QuickBooks.

4. Payment services

The ability to accept credit card payments is an essential feature for a construction CRM platform. This feature should also support ACH payments made in the United States. Convenient payment options in your CRM help you simplify the payment process and get paid faster. Some CRMs enable users to send invoices with a link to an online portal, which lets their customers view and pay balances online.

The main advantage of a CRM that offers payment services is that it greatly reduces the risk of error during the payment process. Sales team members will no longer need to process payments manually, which requires multiple steps. This feature also eliminates the need for employees to have access to QuickBooks when processing payments. This is particularly beneficial to construction businesses whose team members are often in the field.

5. Email integration

The integration of a CRM with existing email services is becoming an increasingly important feature in construction. These integrations allow you to view a customer’s personal data from your inbox, including their name, address, and phone number. They also allow you to see account data such as balance, past transactions, and other activities. Additional capabilities of CRM email integrations should include the ability to add new contacts and save new information without leaving your inbox. A construction CRM should also offer email integrations with a high degree of customization, allowing them to meet the distinct needs of construction businesses.

The greatest benefit of email integrations is that they streamline your workflow by eliminating the need to switch between tabs. Instead of pasting emails into your CRM, you can easily log interactions with customers right from your email program. The ability to work within your inbox can significantly increase your operational efficiency.

Summary

CRM software is an essential tool for streamlining operations in a modern business. It’s particularly useful for construction businesses, where team members are often spread across multiple locations. Construction businesses also rely on CRM software to track interactions with their many contacts. By eliminating the need for double data entry and consolidating many business functions into a single platform, construction CRM software can dramatically reduce a company’s workload and improve efficiency.

The post Key features of a construction CRM appeared first on Method.