Your clients entrust their visions of completed projects to you in the hopes that you can manage the many moving parts involved in making them a reality. There are boundless tips and tricks available to help you take greater control over your business’s chief concerns.
With 11.2 million recorded construction workers across the US in 2018 trickling down to a mere 7 million in 2020, it is clear the industry has suffered some serious changes in a short period of time. COVID-19 added to the problem, with the construction industry having record low growth rates year over year.
Staying organized is an absolute necessity for contractors looking to stay in business and applying the tips below will help you stay afloat financially and ahead of the curve.
Manual processes produce bottlenecks for your business
Any part of your regular workflow that is currently handled manually can make things take longer than they should. Naturally, not all things can be automated, but ignoring the things that could benefit from some form of automation will lead you to miss out on some major improvements to your business and profit margin.
Data entry, for instance, is a common cause for complaints. Processes that fall into this area are error-prone when handled by a human being. Automating such tasks will not only cost you less, but improve the accuracy of the data itself. However, purpose-built software has the power to improve many things within your construction company beyond data entry.
Get organized with the right software
Data plays a key role in just about every major industry in this day and age – construction is no different. However, there are certain problems that hinder the effective use of data, such as:
- Timeliness: Collecting data points in a timely manner/in real-time
- Manual Processes: Data is collected via paper or manual-based processes that lead to data discrepancies, misinformed decision making, and delayed submissions
- Quality: Poor data quality can prevent real insights from being achieved
All kinds of construction management software suites are available to you and your team to help shore up your organizational efforts. You can turn to these platforms for building estimates, scheduling, fleet management, and more to make your work easier.
What does data have to do with all of this? It plays a vital role in helping you distribute and receive real-time updates on all facets of your open and eligible projects. When data gets pushed to your system, it can be viewed across your organization in real-time. This makes sharing project information easier to access with far less correspondence.
Centralize communication with a timely resource-scheduling solution
On average, construction project managers spend about three full hours each day creating or perusing project-related emails. The advantages mentioned above make optimizing your communication practices much easier.
Instead of reading and writing redundant emails, or waiting weeks to get your jobsite paperwork from the field back into the office, you can communicate with your team from a central space. A resource scheduling solution can help by keeping all of your project details contained within a single platform. Communicate with your team members and remove the back and forth between your allocator and field staff. Scheduling software drives real improvement in your company’s performance by closing the gap between the office and the field.
Try a cloud-based platform
Cloud-based applications are becoming more commonplace in many industries, including construction. 10% of contractors have reported in a survey that they are using cloud-based apps of some sort. Cloud technology makes it easier for construction firms to work flexibly, leveraging always-on and accessible infrastructure to store and manage data on a massive scale. This translates to cohesive communication regardless of location and jobsite details available wherever you are from the moment they are recorded.
Look into automated estimation tools
Cost estimating software is practically a must for construction companies looking to convey professionalism their customers can count on. Adopting this type of technology puts you firmly in a favorable position as you can quickly keep budget and schedule overruns at bay on a regular basis.
How to start improving your business’s organization
Time tracking software can help your team tackle objectives more efficiently. You can also use what you discover while tracking time to inform later decisions on similar projects.
The recommendations above all involve the use of specialized software to empower existing business processes. By adopting any of these, you can begin to take control of your business with dramatically better organization.
Ready to get started? Give Assignar’s resource scheduling solution a try today.
With Assignar, your team can get connected and stay connected. Leverage simplified field communication tooling, built-in compliance management modules, timecard and ticket functionality, as well as full scheduling and equipment management utilities from one place.
Assignar is made with the real-world needs of construction contractors in mind. Schedule a demo today to learn how Assignar can help you get more done.
