Does your construction company still use spreadsheets, texts, and emails to communicate and manage your projects? Are messages getting lost? Is your team spending hours looking for documents? Can’t find change order requests from your clients? These are all the results of managing projects with tools that aren’t integrated and don’t communicate with each other.
Don't worry if you nod to anything above; you're not alone.
According to the 2020 Construction Technology Report by JBKnowledge, 45% of contractors still use spreadsheets for project management, and 27% still use them for scheduling. That’s right, many residential contractors are stuck using 1980s technology for projects in the 21st century.
Not long ago, we were one of those contractors. But after a $7,000 mistake, we knew we needed to find a better way to run projects.
The newest construction management software is easy to use, runs in the cloud, and saves contractors time and money. Switching to all-in-one construction software isn’t a lot of work, and it will quickly become your favorite tool.
We’ll look at the top ten reasons why you need construction management software for your residential construction business and how to find, evaluate, and choose the best construction software for you.
Already convinced you need software? Great! You can skip ahead and check out our Construction Management Software Buyers Guide.
It’s no surprise that construction is one of the riskiest industries out there. Contractors must manage many moving parts, including subcontractors, product approvals, material deliveries, low budgets, and tight schedules. Because these risks can lead to higher costs and schedule delays, it’s important that contractors document everything that occurs on-site—every day. And they can’t waste time doing it, so efficiency is crucial.
Daily logs allow contractors to document occurrences like inspections, delays, and added work. Keeping these logs updated is important to show clients why there were added costs and project delays.
It’s also important to document product choices made by the client for finishes and equipment. These choices significantly affect the budget and can prolong the original timeline if materials have an extended lead time.
Changes to the scope of work are also pretty common when it comes to construction projects. Documenting client requests and existing conditions helps show why additional costs happened.
Construction software makes documenting these risks easier and faster, saving you time and making it simple for you to recoup additional costs.
Using construction management software that runs in the cloud means you no longer need to sift through endless papers and folders related to each job. By switching to a paper-free system, contractors can save money on printing costs and time searching for documents. Having an organized folder system stored digitally allows contractors to find exactly what they’re looking for when they need it, no matter where they are. This service alone can be invaluable when it comes to managing risk on projects. Contractors need to have documents available at the touch of a button to keep up with the pace of the work.
Keeping documents secure is also important. Permissions and other security features keep your documents safe in the cloud, so you can access them anywhere with an internet connection and control who sees what. And you don’t have to invest in specialized hardware since your smartphone or tablet can access the information.
When conflict arises on a project, having the documents you need at your fingertips is invaluable. Disagreements can quickly be settled by reviewing communications, images, and files without leaving the job site. This helps avoid schedule adjustments and keeps conflict from stalling the progress of the work.
Keeping projects on budget is also critical, and construction project management software can help contractors control spending and track their budgets in real-time. Instead of waiting for reports from the office or spending hours gathering data, project managers know exactly where they are at the touch of a button.
The time spent retrieving documents, videos, and discussions is time your construction business could be spent making money. Construction software allows everything to be easily accessed anywhere with an internet connection. All contractors need is a computer, tablet, or phone and a connection or signal. Prior communications and files are available for immediate access 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Communication between the office and field, along with clients, is crucial to project completion and staying on budget and schedule. Construction management software allows team leaders to seamlessly communicate work schedules to the field and keep everyone in sync throughout a project. Field teams know exactly what tasks they need to work on each day to keep the project schedule on track.
When problems occur, field teams can use built-in chat to quickly communicate about the situation and receive guidance from project managers or the design team. Using chat in software keeps the project moving and avoids delays waiting for responses.
Contractors can also chat with clients, share daily reports, and create a customized dashboard for each client. Dashboards give customers access to the information they need to know, like whether there are outstanding issues they are responsible for, selections that need to be made, or approvals they need to complete. This transparency helps mitigate delays, avoids miscommunication, and ensures everyone knows the crucial tasks that must be done to make sure the project meets its deadline.
All of the benefits above help improve efficiency for project teams. They spend less time searching through emails and texts or looking for paperwork when everything is available in the construction management software. This saves time and money and directly increases profits.
Construction management software can also be used to close out projects. When it comes to the end of the project and a punch list has been created, contractors can create task lists with due dates to ensure that every item is taken care of. Items can be assigned to the person responsible so everyone knows what they should do to keep the project rolling. There’s no guessing or trips to the job site to see if items have been completed or not. This keeps everything running smoothly and efficiently.
Sometimes new opportunities can slip through the cracks. Having a sales pipeline that follows your leads through each stage of your sales funnel can help you stay on top of every potential project and win more jobs. Potential clients shouldn’t have to chase you down during the sales process. Instead, a sales CRM and pipeline keeps your potential clients top of mind and in the right stage of the funnel, so you never miss another opportunity for your next biggest client.
Keeping your team and subcontractors up to date and on the same page is never an issue with cloud-based construction management software—whether they are willing to use the app or not! With construction software like BuildBook, you can share important information with your team through public links or through the app. Give your team access to specific jobs and keep track of all projects on the job or on the go.
And when your team knows exactly what to do, it makes it easier to keep your projects on schedule and on budget. With team permissions, share the right info with clients and enjoy stress-free construction management projects.
Having software to run your construction business is a win for you and your clients. It makes you look more professional because everything is organized, accessible, and easy to understand. Clients are happier because they can access their own dashboards anytime to see the latest daily progress reports, project calendar, updated budget, and much more. Deliver a client experience that generates a five-star review online every time.
Sometimes looking at construction software can feel overwhelming. With so many features to choose from and a list of software providers a mile long, it’s easy to feel lost. Here are some steps you can take to find the best construction management software for you:
If you’re still managing your projects, schedules, and overall communication using spreadsheets and other legacy solutions like email or texting, it's time to move to construction management software. It will help your company manage risk, go paperless, save time and money, and improve accessibility, communication, and efficiency. All this leads to lower costs, higher profits, and less stress.
If you’re ready to simplify your projects and improve your business, make the jump to modern construction management software for custom home builders and remodelers. BuildBook helps residential construction companies run better projects, deliver an amazing client experience, and drive more profits with less stress. It’s 100% free to try without a credit card. Start your free trial today!
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