The Right Tools: How Apps and Software Can Aid Your General Contracting Business
Between bidding for contracts, providing estimates, and handling day-to-day operations, owning a business in the construction industry poses a unique set of challenges. Luckily, technology offers you access to tools and software that can streamline some tedious processes, leaving you with a little more time to grow your enterprise.
Bidding and Estimating
Providing price estimates to potential clients is an important part of a general contracting business, but not all who request quotes will sign you on, so it’s vital to keep this process as efficient as possible to minimize its related operational costs. Construction estimating software is useful as it allows you to create customized templates that include your branding and logo. You’ll then be able to effortlessly add in material and labor costs, account for taxes, and include a proposed payment schedule.
Finance
Having sound accounting practices in place can make or break your business since you’ll need to have all your affairs in order when tax season arrives. While the best solution would be to hire a financial manager or accountant, using accounting software can meet this need during the early stages of your business operations. Aside from the accuracy it provides, these tools offer a number of other practical benefits, including increased security and productivity.
Project Management
Once business begins booming, you may be running multiple projects at once, so it’s vital to make use of tools that will help you ensure that your staff is staying productive while being fully supported by their respective supervisors. There are a number of free and paid tools that can aid foremen in managing their subordinates, keeping track of budgets and tasks, and reporting on each job’s progress.
Human Resources
The quality of your workmanship is of utmost importance if you hope to secure any repeat business, and this can only be achieved by hiring the right people from the get-go. Whether you employ full-time staff or recruit workers on a contractual basis, software can assist with a number of human resource functions, including the hiring process, payments, and management of timesheets.
Inventory Management
Any business needs to minimize expenses, and one of the most effective ways of doing this in the construction industry is by ensuring that your stock and tools are accounted for at all times. The right software will help your managers keep track of which tools are allocated to certain jobs as well as the quantity of specific materials that is available for use. This makes it easy to replace stock or place orders when needed.
Customer Relationship Management
Most clients want to be kept in the loop of how their project is going, so it’s vital that the liaison handling their contract is always up to date on the latest developments. Good CRM software also gives customers access to this pertinent information and allows them to ask questions about the progress of the project without needing to visit the site in person.
A successful construction company has many moving parts, but we’re lucky to live in a time where tools and software that aid important processes are at our fingertips. By using software for accounting, project management, inventory, and construction estimating, you’ll be able to keep track of all the projects you are running and ensure customer satisfaction every single time.
Image by Pexels