As a contractor who handles tons of projects and runs field teams, you agree that manual project management and field service is somehow inefficient. The time lost in allocating tickets, planning routes, maintenance schedules, and other construction activities can cost actual revenue. So, for people like you who are most likely running a big construction business, it is apparent that such burdensome workflows and manual processes will not survive much further in the decade.
Most construction companies these days have adopted construction techs, and around 25% have remained stuck with spreadsheets and rely on other manual methods. How about you? Are you adopting these latest trends? If not, read this blog to learn details about moving to a construction scheduling software, its benefits, and more.
Before the Switch, Assess First Your Current Status
The first step in making the big leap from manual to automated construction management begins with a hone appraisal of your present condition. Determine below if you can find the description that best suits your current status.
1. Traditional and Paper-Based
When your client calls in, the dispatcher has to write down some new request details. Next, they need to fill out a dispatch form, which will be submitted to you for approval and allocation. Routing, invoicing, order management, and maintenance schedules are all inputted with paper.
If it looks like something you do, then there can be issues. As of now, you are probably being familiar with the maddening bottlenecks and inefficiencies created by manual paperwork. Paper processes are synonymous with complete disorganization, human error, and wasted time. The cons of paper-based processes are authentic and prove only how unnecessary paper is becoming.
Paper is susceptible to damage – Any type of paper can be damaged. There are this huge risks in keeping paper files. It’s easy to catch fire and can turn brittle and yellow. Paper can also be destroyed by water. The physical risks being linked to paper do not exist with digital files, as they cannot be damaged physically. Do you see the difference?
- Increased supply costs – Using paper is a monthly expense, depending on the usage. Purchasing ream after ream of paper takes away from the bottom line per month. Going digital will remove that fixed cost and free you up some money for new equipment or an increase in your marketing budget. Digitizing your files is a one-time cost, but the savings will last forever.
- Storage space is necessary – Boxes of paper, filing cabinets, files, etc., all need space. For sure, you do not like to rent some rooms and floors dedicated to these paper files and their storage. If you deploy a cloud-based software tool, this information can be reduced to bits of data and stored via the cloud.
- Editing is not easy – Have you tried to make an edit to a hard copy of anything? It is not easy, right? Editing on paper means making photocopies of the original. But when you go to digital, highlight, copy, and paste and you are already done! No one can deny the convenience and speed of digital editing.
- Limited Collaboration – Collaborating between departments and people via paper forms. And when multiple teams are working on a similar project, editing and sharing information is crucial. Many hands will be involved in the final phase. So, digital documents make it easier for various people to make changes, sending them along to the next group.
Most construction companies are now exploring software options and continue doing so due to many losses caused by all types of inefficiencies mentioned above.
Manual Scheduling + Regular Processes
A lot of contractors today are still using manual scheduling processes. Things are not complicated; only we make them difficult. A calculator is the best example of understanding the main difference between automatic and manual working. The way it increases reliability and efficiency is apparent compared to humans.
You must know the importance of moving to construction techs. Otherwise, you’ll face many disadvantages in staying with traditional processes.
- Lack of security – The classified information of your company can be put at risk. If you lost any of your company details somewhere, there is no chance of retrieving them. The leak of confidential info can cost you a larger amount.
- Time-consuming – Manually managing everything is indeed a time-consuming process. Physically carrying the documents and handling them is such a huge task. However, if you use a project management tool, you can travel with years of data in one snap.
- System Vulnerability – Using the manual way of data entry can significantly compromise the process where security is an issue. Classified info may leak, and any sensitive data can develop legs and compromise the whole system.
But with the best construction techs right now, you can now go a long way to create a paperless project management environment. So, running your reports, invoicing, project scheduling, data collection becomes much easier. On top of that, a lot of time can be saved. You can save up to an hour in construction planning and scheduling daily.
What Can You Benefit from Using Construction Software (Integrations)?
It is already proven that manual tasks efficiently use your resources and time. Even doing double entry across multiple areas is wasteful. But these tedious jobs can be automated using the latest construction software. You and your team can integrate these software applications, giving you access to several benefits:
- Time savings – With a job scheduling software to integrate, data flows seamlessly between applications. It will be easier for you to reduce and eliminate the time spent on data entry and collection. In addition, it allows your team members to devote more resources to many higher-level tasks.
- Reduced data loss – When you transfer information from one application to another, your data gets lost. Typos often occur, more details get missed, and your teams end up with inaccurate or incomplete data, which unavoidably leads to rework and errors on site.
Always keep your solutions firmly integrated so that they can keep your data intact.
- Secure data via the cloud – Integrating cloud-based software solutions directly means there’s no need for you to download and store your data locally. Your construction data stored in the cloud are secured and far from being stolen. The security of cloud providers these days is just as adequate and much better than other enterprise data centers.
- Better collaboration – When your online project management software is connected and your construction teams. Nowadays, construction techs are designed to enable effective collaboration and communication between all project stakeholders. When data flows between various applications your team uses, your crew members can leverage the most recent data using the software tool.
- Inventory management – Materials used in construction are vast. When these materials and equipment are not properly tracked, you may find yourself losing track of where these things are. It is good that construction software tools can make it easier for you to search for and distribute materials efficiently and quickly.
- Mobile Compatibility – Many organizations today are taking advantage of cloud-based software like Pro Crew Schedule. However, most projects take place in the construction sector at multiple locations. It can be difficult for all the teams involved in the project. With Pro Crew Schedule being cloud-based, you and your team can now access all construction data they need, anywhere and anytime.
Project specifications, for example, can be easily accessible in a snap of your hand.
- A Spike in Productivity – The capacity to work in real-time translates into a boost in productivity. A lot of questions can be answered immediately. The information you and your team need flows seamlessly. The capability to work in real-time, alongside the greatly improved processing power of the project management tool, means your field and office enjoy a serious boost in project productivity, allowing for a hyper-focus on work and plenty more of it.
The Right Software Package Saves You – Pro Crew Schedule
You have already set yourself up for success when choosing the best project management software for your construction business. The advantage of software applications like Pro Crew Schedule is that they are simple without sacrificing their powerful functionality. Pro Crew Schedule can be paired with a mobile app. This cloud-based software allows your team to remain highly mobile while giving you total transparency in your field operations and project management environment.
Whether or not you feel ready to make the jump to a scheduling software, it is high time to start playing your cards as a contractor.
We are ready to connect with you and understand your business. We can demonstrate how Pro Crew Schedule is the best software solution you are looking for.
To get started, get a 30-day trial period for FREE!
Key Takeaways
Apparently, manual processes can only take your construction business so far before reaching a critical point. As you know, the trajectories of your business are rarely linear. Over time, technology has already the power to increase your business growth, huge thanks to greater productivity and increased efficiency these construction techs bring!
