By Trimble Contractor Workzone.

See how you can make more money and save time in your roofing business.

Any roofing business owner you ask would agree: time equals money. Without profitable projects, it’s nearly impossible for any business to stay afloat. Although many will deny it, technology, or lack thereof, is the culprit for profit loss. For many reasons, the construction industry has fallen short when it comes to technological advancements and without a doubt, it has an impact on the cash flow. Legitimate concerns come about when construction business owners contemplate adopting new technology: Will the cost be worth the benefits? Will it really increase productivity?

According to research, construction executives are more likely to invest in technology if it aids in boosting profitability. In a survey by Vistage CEO Confidence Index, 73% of CEOs at small- to mid-sized construction companies believe that their success is reliant on efficiencies that result in a reduction of time and/or cost. So why is there still such a lag in technology adoption? Truth is, some business owners just wonder if it’s worth it. With this simple construction ROI calculator, you can see for yourself!

One of the most common questions business owners have is how to calculate overhead and profit in construction. There are many ways to do this, but one of the easiest ways is to determine where you lag in productivity. Unfortunately for many construction companies, productivity is lost due to a lag in technology adoption and spending time on paper workflows.

Ready to see how much time paper workflows is costing you?

Check out the ROI calculator by Trimble Contractor WorkZone below for a quick answer.

By Trimble.

A construction daily report app can help you shift from piles of paperwork on your desk to tracking job site operations and managing teams with a smartphone, tablet or computer.

At the end of a long work day, the thought of hours of paperwork can feel painful. Yet it’s also necessary to track crew activities and time as well as the materials they are using. Being able to track how your crew is spending their time is information you need in order to have the right materials on hand and labor levels planned. Accurate information about how long something takes to do, whether by you or your crew, is also a critical part of creating better estimates and submitting bids. 

Gathering logs on paper is one way to document how your crew is spending their time. However, like many things relying on paper, it can become a burden to get the nitty gritty details you really need. What if someone forgets to submit their daily report log? Or what if it’s incomplete? Getting that missing detail is going to take time away from any break you get between the end of one work day and the beginning of another. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. 

One of the best ways to save hours of your valuable time is by using a construction daily report app. With this type of cloud-based app, you can move from a pile of paperwork to a few simple steps that can be done from the front seat of your truck. 

Crew Tracking

When you use a construction daily report app, you can track job site operations and manage teams with a smartphone, tablet or computer, which means you can run your business from anywhere. 

Specifically with a construction daily report, you can have your crew use the app to complete work and site diaries as well as any incident reports. Once your crew has completed their work, they can enter their daily report right from the field, using a smartphone or tablet. 

In addition to saving you time by eliminating paperwork, a construction daily report app can also help with accuracy. It has designated sections where important information can be recorded and reported. For example, you can capture things like the work done that day, the number of hours worked and even lost time, such as having to wait for a late supply delivery. The construction daily report also includes a place for recording comments and photos. All of the crew documentation is in one place. 

Material Usage

Not only can you track how your crew is really spending their time, you can also keep track of materials from your smartphone, tablet or computer. With a construction daily report app, in addition to reporting hours worked, your crew can include materials used that day. Since all of this information is included in the app, you can pull information from anywhere–the field, your truck, your home and even the golf course. With the hours you save from having to review stacks of paperwork, you might even have time to get in a golf game or an afternoon at the lake. 

Building for the Future

Not only can a daily construction report save you time and give you more accurate information about how your crew is really spending their shifts, you are building up data that will help you create better estimates. With easy access to labor and hours reports as well as reports on the materials used for a project, you’ll be able to quickly pull together numbers for similar construction projects. It’s less guesswork and estimation and more “real numbers” that can help you better control your costs–and get the bid to potential customers faster.

More than ever, it’s critical to utilize tools that streamline workflows from the back office to the field and Contractor WorkZone wants to make it easier for you.

Download their small contractor toolkit and you’ll instantly gain access to a whole box of tools, guides and videos to help you perform your best every day.

Original article source: Trimble

By Trimble.

For construction business owners, one of the biggest challenges can be knowing where to start when it comes to increasing productivity.

In today’s technology-driven world, most industries have transformed in productivity performance over the last decade. However, compared to other industries like retail, construction significantly lags in ramping up productivity. This is largely due to a lack in adopting technology.

As noted by McKinsey & Company, “construction is among the least digitized sectors in the world, according to MGI’s digitization index. In the United States, construction comes second to last, and in Europe it is in last position on the index.” 

Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that construction faces a $1.6 trillion productivity gap. So how do we overcome that scenario? When it comes to productivity on the jobsite, it doesn’t have to be so complicated. In fact, it’s simply a measurement of the effectiveness of effort. In order to maximize productivity on the jobsite, every piece of what is considered success must work together to efficiently stay within budget and on schedule.

As a contractor, you’re always on the road, moving from project to project and traveling to each job site. You need tools that are on the go and always available, just like you. That’s why Contractor WorkZone has built the Small Contractor Productivity Toolkit just for you

Download the Toolkit Free

More than ever, it’s critical to utilize tools that streamline workflows from the back office to the field and Contractor WorkZone wants to make it easier for you. Download their small contractor toolkit and you’ll instantly gain access to a whole box of tools, guides and videos to help you perform your best every day.

Original article source: Trimble

By Trimble Contractor WorkZone.

As a business, we have one mission -- to provide small contractors with an affordable construction app that increases productivity, enabling businesses to become more profitable.

In today’s ever-growing construction industry, business owners are faced with tough decisions like how to pay for the most skilled labor and where to cut back on costs. With tight budgets and increasing construction costs, it can be hard to justify spending money on a project management app. We understand that contractors have many decisions to make in the day, so we’d like to make it easier.

For Contractor WorkZone, the goal is for construction contractors to increase their productivity all while putting more money back in their pocket faster. What makes that happen? Simply put, an affordable, yet valuable app that costs less than a cup of coffee, but helps you do what you do best.

To make this possible, Contractor WorkZone has recently released a new pricing structure that makes its construction management app more accessible and affordable to small contractors around the globe.

Why the price change?

Contractor WorkZone’s price change was inspired by a genuine interest and investment in the success of the construction industry. As a team, we realize how important it is for construction companies across the globe to cut back on costs while increasing productivity, and we want to make that possible for small contractors. Reality is, construction budgets are tight — but if an app doesn’t break the bank, everyone can benefit from it!

How has the pricing changed?

Users now have access to more features at a lower cost. With this new pricing structure, Contractor WorkZone offers a Solo Subscription Level which is available for free. This includes unlimited projects for an unlimited amount of time -- no trial needed.

In addition to the free subscription level, there are also paid subscriptions available, which allow companies to add more users with more features like Web Access, Accounting, Cloud Syncing and more. At these paid subscription levels, users can trial the app for two weeks prior to purchasing the full subscription, or they can downgrade to the Solo level.

For small contractors, this is an exciting change! Through this price change, we as an organization continue to provide the same great app, the same great service and the same great experience -- at the right price for everyone!

If you’re a small construction contractor looking to increase productivity, download Contractor WorkZone for free in the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store today!

By Trimble Contractor WorkZone.

Disasters leave a marked impact on the construction industry, bringing new projects to a halt and sometimes destroying homes and businesses.

Natural disasters seem to be on the rise. The last year alone saw an increase in the number of severe weather events.  No matter where disaster strikes, it is well-known that the construction industry plays an important role in the preparation, maintenance and recovery of a natural disaster. For construction professionals, understanding the risk of a natural disaster and how to manage its consequences is critical.

According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) the United States has sustained 219 climate disasters where the overall damage costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. The cumulative costs for these 219 events exceeded $1.5 trillion, and you can only imagine how much of that fuels the growth of construction industry.

Contractors are often needed immediately following disasters to help with recovery. Efficiently managing recovery projects means having technology at their fingertips. Thanks to construction management apps and virtual reality, we can now unify resources and adapt plans real-time. Bouncing back from a natural disaster often times depends on the speed of which recovery projects progress, and the communities depend on contractors for this.

For construction workers managing disaster-related projects, consider adopting a mobile project management application to efficiently manage jobsites and recovery efforts. In addition to using an app, virtual reality tools can help contractors easily understand underground conditions that are impossible to access due to floodwaters or obstructed landscape. The combination of these technologies are crucial to the development and innovation of structures and land during and after natural disasters.

At the end of the day, not all natural disasters can be prevented, however; there are important steps that can be done to plan ahead. The design and construction industry can play a major role at mitigating and recovering from these disasters by improving on structural developments and adopting technology to better manage efforts.

Download our white paper to see how your projects might be impacted by natural disasters and what you can do to prepare.

Original article source: Trimble

By Trimble Contractor WorkZone.

Technology can help your business run smoother, but it also delivers the added benefit of making customers happier.

When providing contracting services for a client, first and foremost, a quality end result is the desired objective. No client is going to be satisfied if the work they commissioned is not up to a certain standard or doesn’t fit their needs. In addition to the quality of the job, it’s important to create a positive experience for the client throughout the lifetime of the project. One easy way to do this is through technology.

With apps like Contractor WorkZone, it becomes easy to keep track of everything you need for the project, including schedules, invoices, order requests, project details etc., so that you can stay organized. The more organized you can be, the happier the client.

Here are four ways you can increase client satisfaction through technology.

Quicker updates – Construction mobile apps allow you to stay completely up-to-date with all of your construction project management tasks from the field to the office. Because you and your crew can use Contractor WorkZone to add notes on projects, report issues and successes, and update invoices and estimates; you can turn that information back around to the client to keep them better informed throughout the process. The sooner the client knows about important details regarding the project, the more positive and secure they’ll feel about the work they’re paying you for.

Convenience – Similar to getting quick updates, convenience is a huge benefit provided by technology that can increase client satisfaction. Time is a commodity, and while much of our experience with technology has to do with distraction (think, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) there are real time-saving tools we can use to enhance convenience for clients. Not long ago, keeping your client in the loop might have meant they always had to visit the worksite to see what was going on. While it’s still important to see the work firsthand, you can use your smartphone to snap and send quality photos of your worksite to keep them in the loop more often. You can even use a video call to show them what’s happening with the project in real time. In addition to that, digitized paperwork like invoices and estimates can now be easily sent through an app on your phone rather than by mail, or delivered in person, saving you and your client time and money.

Keeping Track – Technology also allows for better tracking and saving of important documents related to a work project.  Thanks to recent innovations in construction technology, contractors can now easily issue invoices and estimates straight from their mobile devices. Using digitized paperwork will keep you from flooding your client with hard-copies that they have to file and keep track of physically. Plus, it’s more environmentally friendly to go paperless.

Impress Them – Finally, as a business owner you are responsible for your image, and technology can help with that. Not only should you maintain a cohesive online presence with a website and maybe even a social media page that allows you to share your high-quality work with the world, using apps like Contractor WorkZone to seamlessly run your business will impress clients and keep them coming back for more work. A small business that thoughtfully employs useful technology is an impressive and valuable business.

Original article source: Trimble

By Contractor WorkZone.

As you and your employees and subcontractors come to the close of a project, the steps you take to properly close out that project go a long way in determining the overall success of that particular job.

Closing out a project well can leave your employees, subcontractors and perhaps most importantly, the client feeling satisfied, useful and just plain good about the whole process. Not closing out a project in an organized, professional manner will likely make all parties doubt whether they’d want to ever do it again. Here are 5 ways your project closeout plan can make or break your project.

Stay On Time and On Budget – It’s pretty simple. A proper project closeout with an organized punch list like the Defects Pro snag list app helps you properly estimate the work left to do, create deadlines, updates, notes, and communicate with everyone involved to get the work done on time. And since time is one of our most important and expensive commodities, completing work in a timely manner will help you stay on budget and get you on to the next project faster. Very rarely is there a project that goes over time, while staying on budget.

Appearance of The Work – Allowing ample time to finalize the work means allowing time to clean up the work site and make the finished project look presentable. This can go a long way toward making the client happy with your service and limiting any possible buyer remorse. Take the example of buying a car. Would you rather buy a car that’s been washed, waxed and detailed? Or buy the same car for the same price, that’s been left sitting out in the lot covered in dirt and smudges. Be sure to build extra time into your schedule that allows you make your project presentation ready. Pro tip: take quality pictures of your finished work to help get you more business down the road.

Expectations for The Client – The last thing you want at the end of a project is to surprise the client with an unexpected delay, or mistaken work. A proper closeout plan executed on the Defects Pro punch list app allows you to communicate with your team better so you can communicate expectations to the client. A delay or imperfection will sit easier with a client if they feel they’ve been brought in on the closeout process and know what to expect sooner rather than later.

Expectations for Employees – Speaking of communicating with your team, a good closeout plan keeps you in touch with every person involved with the project; from employees of all levels to subcontractors who you might not see as often. Having one place to align with your team on the snags left to solve improves your ability to delegate tasks and complete work faster. Plus, when people know what’s expected of them at the end of a project, they can more easily take responsibility for the work and that takes stress off of you.

Save Yourself Money – All this adds up to you saving money. When you improve the speed and quality of a project closeout, you improve the mood of your team and you get the client to see the value of your service. A proper closeout gets you on to the next project and, with a little luck inspires clients to hire you again or recommend you to their peers.

About Contractor WorkZone

Contractor WorkZone is home to a series of mobile apps specifically built for contractors and small businesses.

Learn more about Trimble's Defects Pro and start your FREE week trial today.

Source: Trimble

By Trimble Contractor Work Zone.

In every industry, most businesses seek to increase their margins, but it takes a little more hard work than just raising prices.

The 2018 Commercial Construction Index indicated that more than half of contractors (54%) expected to see profits rise during 2019. This isn’t going to happen by bumping up your prices. It takes a coordinated effort to maximize all parts of your business in order to put a little extra money in the bank.

There are several things you can do to increase profit margins that will lead to improvements in the quality of your work and increase the value that you offer to customers. Price increases will naturally follow, leading to greater and greater profit margins. Here’s where to start:

Expenses – Expenses are a part of every business and you’ll never eliminate them, but you can be more efficient and reduce some of them. Take a look at the expense of time. Obviously, you need to spend a certain amount of time and resources managing your business. But there are ways to cut back on wasted time and money when it comes to things like paperwork. Using Contractor Workzone, can help streamline your operation and speed up the time it takes to do things like: make estimates and purchase orders, create quotes, sign agreements, keep track of work notes, and communicate with your team.

Buying Material – Cutting down on material expenses is another way to increase profit margins. Look for opportunities to get creative with how you buy and use material. But beware of using material that is so cheap it sacrifices quality, which in turn can harm your reputation and by extension, your profits.

Finding Partners – Partners can save you time and money and increase the quality of your work. A good supplier can save you money in the long run if they are a partner who works with you to provide guidance, streamline your efficiency, and help you become a better contractor. The same goes for finding solid subcontractor partners who can bring value and professionalism to your projects as opposed to speedy, but shoddy work.

Thinking ahead – Planning is critical when it comes to making more money. Anticipating road bumps and obstacles that your project or business might face helps you to recover more quickly or avoid them altogether. One way to help this is using a construction management app. Instead of relying on paper for all of your business workflows, you can easily have all of your business plans on a mobile device. It’s also important to think ahead about opportunities to grow and improve. Planning to take advantage of a new trend or field of work can maximize profits for years to come.

Efficiency on the job site – Being efficient on the job site is also key to increasing margins. Implement a system of working that maximizes productivity and organization and allows for a neat, clean job site. This can reduce and/or eliminate workplace injuries, mishaps, mistakes and the time it takes to deal with all those issues. The more efficient and organized your job site, the less time it’ll take to complete quality work that increases profits.

Get started maximizing efficiency and increasing margins when you learn more about Contractor Workzone and start your FREE 2-week trial today.

Source: Trimble

By Trimble.

It’s warming up, and that means busy season for many contractors—especially in the roofing industry.

Whether you’re excited to take on the challenges of a heavy workload, or dreading the long days to come, staying on top of your management tasks and communication with clients and workers is key to surviving the season. Try these tips to help keep you sane.

1) Prepare – Use what time you do have in the calm before the storm to head off some of the challenges and difficulties you know you’re going to face. Declutter your paperwork and organize it on the Contractor Workzone app. Make game plans with your employees and automate as many tasks as you possibly can. This means: direct deposits, bill payments etc. Even doing something as simple as cleaning out your truck can help you reset and prepare.

2) Prioritize in the short term – Once the busy season comes, you’ll have a thousand different paperwork and other management tasks to complete every day and limited time to complete them. One tip offered by productivity experts when it comes to small tasks is: if it takes 5 minutes to do, do it now. If it takes longer, schedule time to work on that bigger task at a time that’s better for you. The great thing about construction management apps like Contractor Workzone is that many tasks that would normally take longer than 5 minutes, can be done much more quickly, right from your phone. Things like invoicing, putting together quotes and purchase orders, and sending and receiving subcontractor agreements.

3) Create habits – In that same vein, finding and creating habits that help you be productive is key to keeping up during the busy season. Whether that means setting aside time to complete your short term tasks each day, or waking up early to get work done before the day begins, sticking to productivity habits helps you to maintain a consistent workflow and lets your employees and clients know what they can expect of you.

4) Prioritize in the long term – It’s easy to let the amount of work you’ll experience this time of year overwhelm you. It’s a lot to handle. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t focus on growing and improving your business holistically. If possible, try to set aside some time towards focusing on your business goals. If you’re too busy to do that, write down your ideas and goals as you have them and come back to them later after the work slows down.

5) Communicate – Of course, it’s impossible to keep up with the huge summer and autumn workload of a roofer without great communication between employees and clients. Communication during stressful periods of time is all about letting others know what you expect of them and letting others know what they can expect of you. Luckily, you can use Contractor Workzone to easily send emails, keep and allow access to meeting notes, site instructions, work and site diaries, incident reports and more. Keep everyone in the loop and you can keep up during or even stay ahead during this busy time of year.

Learn more about Trimble.

Source: Trimble

By Contractor WorkZone.

After managing a long, detail-oriented home construction project, you’re ready to close things up and move on to the next job, but there’s one last task to complete, a construction punch list.

When it comes time for this sometimes daunting task, it’s not as easy as it may seem to complete. Because the construction industry is lagging in technology adoption in comparison to other industries, your current punch list process might not be as efficient as it could be. Or maybe you don’t even use a punch list? If that’s the case, it’s time to get up-to-speed and be more efficient when it comes to home project closeouts.

For home construction projects, it can be difficult to know where to start. Due to the complexity of different items that make up the home, you might feel lost on what takes priority and who needs to be involved, but we’ve made it easy for you!

In this interactive infographic, you’ll learn more about common punch list items throughout a house to help guide your next home construction walkthrough.

Browse through the home and use your mouse to hover over each item as it’s highlighted. This guide will help you create a list, room-by-room of what needs to be checked before closing out a project.

Some common punch list items may include but are not limited to:

Appliances

Most appliances are located in the kitchen area of a home and may include the following punch list items:

• Refrigerator is on and cold
• Dishwasher is connected to water and running
• Tested the garbage disposal
• Gas/Power is properly hooked up to the oven and stove

Electrical

The electrical snag list items are usually scattered all throughout the home, and require proper attention to detail. Those items may include:

• Receptacles are working, free of paint, and are colored correctly
• Switches work with proper polarity
• Light fixtures have light bulbs and are colored correctly
• The breaker is tested and properly labeled

Entries & Exits

The entries and exits of a home are often overlooked when it comes to construction punch lists, but the following items are important to check before moving on:

• Adjust any hardware on the doors
• Locks are installed and work correctly
• Doors open and close without getting stuck

Exterior

You may be focusing solely on the interior of a house when it comes to punch list items but don’t forget the following exterior areas:

• Ensure the trim is installed with tight joints
• The siding is left in good condition with no chips or dents

Floors

The floors are one of the most important parts of a home construction project and it’s important to check-off the following items:

• The grout is touched-up on the tiles
• The floors are thoroughly cleaned of all construction debris
• Ensure there is no squeaking or warped carpet

HVAC & Plumbing

Although this part of the house is not always visible from the main living spaces, they shouldn’t be forgotten:

• Air conditioning is working and zoned
• Heating system works and is zoned
• Thermostat works properly
• Water heater is set to a non-scalding temperature
• Check for leaks on the supply and drain line
• Ensure hot and cold settings are correct
• Faucet is properly running

Walls & Ceilings

It’s very obvious when there’s a chip in the wall paint or missing air vents. Don’t forget to check these items off your list:

• Paint is touched up and drywall is patched
• Vents are installed correctly

Windows

Nothing leaves a customer more frustrated than a stuck window. Always have the following items included in your punch list:

• Windows open and close smoothly
• Window locks work properly

Roofing

Although the roof is on the exterior of the house, it’s just as important! Don’t forget these things:

• Check for any obvious damage that might need repaired
• There’s no buckling, cupping or curling
• No loose pieces
• The slope looks to be correct
• Overhang is not too big/too small

During your next home construction project, it’s important not to write-off a construction punch list as an unnecessary phase in construction. Whether you’re old-school and still use paper, or are using a digital tool like Defects Pro, leveraging a comprehensive snagging list like the one in this graphic will help wrap-up a project, the right way.

View the actual interactice graphic.