The Complete Guide to Construction Management Software CRM
and Why it is Critical for Your Company
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A construction project management software CRM is a crucial tool for any specialty contractor. It helps in the performance of a number of functions essential to running a construction business and it can make the difference between the success and failure of every construction project.
Think of all that goes into a single project—completing a bid, ordering the correct materials in the right quantities, making sure the construction crew has all the correct certifications to work on a jobsite, and much more.
Dealing with a ton of paperwork is already a lot of work in itself. Making sure these are all accurate should not necessarily come as another primary concern. Organizing and coordinating these aspects manually is a tedious process and can easily be affected by human error.
This is the biggest reason a construction management software CRM should be maximized. It can automate the accounting, labor management, and inventory management that all specialty contractors need to work on.
On top of dealing with unforeseen circumstances anticipated at construction job sites, construction management should be the least of the worries of every specialty contractor. It does not have to get in the way of how work is done on site. There just needs to be a system in place to automate most of the work done especially on the administrative and documentation aspects of a project.
As specialty contractors already have a lot of work to accomplish even prior the project kick-off, a construction software CRM should come in handy. This way, keeping tabs on crew performance and overall project progress won’t be necessary. In fact, specialty contractors should be at ease that all these and more will be readily accessible anytime and anywhere.
Construction and the Need for a Construction Software CRM
The construction industry has grown so much in the recent years and it has become more complicated to manage and control. Not only do you need to ensure that you have enough workers, you also need to check if you have submitted bids on time, see if all your materials are delivered on time, whether your project is still within budget, and that you are meeting all of your clients’ expectations.
Today, the construction industry still relies on manual and inefficient processes. This is because most of the time, there is no one who monitors the project. Therefore, each contractor will do what they feel like doing and charge whatever they want to charge for it. This leads to a lot of cost overruns and inefficiency.
The construction processes are more or less the same throughout the years. However, considering the advancement of technology, construction processes could have been a lot easier if the use of a construction software CRM were implemented by every specialty contractor that doesn’t even know they need it.
While not every task should be automated, it is a huge help when automating the jobs that can give you more time to be hands on with the more critical aspects of your construction business. If you have a program that can automatically collect crew timecards or check your inventory, you can devote more time to meeting with potential customers and vendors and building relationships with them.
Automation and technology can also reduce the number of mistakes that are made. A report generated by a computer has a smaller margin of error than one calculated by a person. Construction management software offers many solutions for managing people, money, and materials across your construction projects.
Specialty contractors, among others, should be the ones to feel the need for a construction management software to run their businesses. Being the ones to experience the inefficiencies and losses due to poor construction management first hand should be more than enough reason to decide that the construction industry needs an ideal CRM or project management software to run better.
Are you a Specialty Contractor? Do you use a Construction Management Software?
Managing one project is a complex task by itself, but we know you’re probably managing multiple projects at the same time across different stages of the construction process. From pre-construction to project completion, you need to keep track of a lengthy list of contacts, materials, invoices, and labor resources for every project you bid on.
If you’re using pen and paper or spreadsheets to manage all of this information, it’s easy for things to get lost in translation—or even worse: for someone else’s incorrect assumptions about what needs to happen next to throw off your entire schedule. This can lead to delays in getting projects done on time and keeping them profitable for everyone involved especially your company.
Like most construction companies, you are looking to maximize both profit and productivity. These days, there are many technical solutions available to specialty contractors that streamline essential processes and eliminate human error so you waste less time, money, and effort.
Most specialty contractors think that using a construction management software is a waste of time, money, and resources. Others even think it’s complicated without knowing that every working day entails construction management. It’s just a matter of how it’s done and how easy the work processes have become.
If you have read this far, there should be no question about how important a construction management platform is in every construction business. It is a must-have for every specialty contractor and all it entails is efficiency.
The kind of visibility that a construction project management software allows into your workflows is worth an investment.
Specialty contractors can also get a sense of how much time is being spent on each aspect of a project—and that means more profit. The more efficient you run your business, the more money will be available for other things like marketing or equipment purchases that will help propel your company forward over time.
What is a Construction Management Software
There are a lot of things that a construction management software is and isn’t. It comes in many types but the most common type is for specialty contractors.
This means that it is designed to be used by companies that specialize in one area of construction, like concrete work, mechanical, scaffolding, electrical, and plumbing work, to name a few.
Most of these specialized types of construction projects require special equipment and expertise, so these companies have to be very organized to ensure they can handle all the different parts of their jobs as well as possible.
A construction management software CRM helps track accurate project information. This should help solve concerns of specialty contractors when it comes to tracking bids, pricing jobs, sourcing materials and more.
It is the tool that can establish clear lines of accountability within a construction project team. It is easy to identify when construction project management is effective when it contributes to critical decision-making.
A good construction management software CRM is going to make it a lot easier for everyone involved in your project. Utilizing a CRM in construction management means making useful customer data handy and accessible wherever. This way, you and your team can make accurate decisions faster.
As more work are required from specialty contractors, routine tasks also pile up. At this point, a construction management software is one tool that will automate these time-consuming routine tasks. This is where efficiency in the workforce of any specialty contractor increases for the benefit of the project.
A construction management software makes it easy for anyone to navigate from one construction project to another. This is the kind of convenience that specialty contractors need considering the volume of construction projects they have.
Without a construction software, construction project management would not be as efficient. Not to mention that without this kind of workflow system in place, so much time will be wasted on the many inconveniences there are which will also affect the overall progress of any construction project.
Why Every Construction Business Needs a Construction Management Software
A construction management software is an industry tool that can keep a construction business on track. Construction projects tend to be complex therefore creating complex problems. At some point, the cost of one mistake on a large job can run up quickly.
Without a comprehensive, integrated construction management CRM, any construction business will lack visibility and control of the critical details that define success in every project.
There are specialty contractors that know how to use a construction management software wisely and this makes any job go more smoothly and with greater efficiency.
Truth be told, every business, even those not in the construction industry should invest in a good management software. Although, there are certain reasons a construction management software is especially ideal for construction businesses.
Improve Transparency. A construction management software helps to improve transparency in a construction business by providing easy reporting of progress and tasks and ensuring that material costs are kept in check. The information and data that is stored in the software can be accessed by anyone who has access to it, as required. Additionally, this data can be used to identify trends and patterns that can help manage your business processes better.
Easy Access to Information. With a CRM construction management software, it is easy to access the information that a construction project team needs. Construction companies don’t have to waste time searching through documents or hiring employees just to keep track of their business. They can focus on what matters most: building their business and managing projects.
Save Time and Money. A construction CRM allows for better projects time management and overall savings on resources. It also enables better project budgeting, accurate estimates, and subsequent cost control. It eliminates manual data entry, automate repetitive tasks, reduce errors by having a single source of truth for all documents, generate reports and create estimates.
What is the Best Construction Management Software?
A construction management software is your key to a more efficient management of every project you work on, but not all available construction CRM software offers the same benefits and level of functionality.
The best construction management software for your business is one that exceeds expectations in these aspects:
Team Management. Your construction management software needs to help you effectively manage the people involved with your project both internally and externally. Good communication with suppliers and general contractors not only helps your current project go smoothly, but also helps you build relationships that will help your business grow in the long run.
A good construction management software will make it easy for you to share bids, estimates, legal documents, and progress reports with parties outside of your company. It is also beneficial to have an easy way to look back on past projects and bids for reference. You’ll want a software that stores this information and easily retrieves it.
Nothing gets done on your construction site without a crew. A construction management software should help you get the right crew to the right jobsite by serving as a hub for all your scheduling and timekeeping needs.
You need a program that lets your employees submit requests for time off in the same place that you make and distribute schedules. The best option will also keep track of timecards and record actual hours worked on the same platform.
Depending on what is being done, different jobsites may require crews to have different certifications to work on that project. An interface that allows you to check your crews’ certificates and their renewal dates prevents you from wasting money by sending someone to a jobsite where they are not qualified to work.
Money Management. Your client wants the project done within (or preferably under) their budget, and you want to make a profit. A construction management software with advanced accounting features will help you both get what you want. The program you want will be able to start helping you manage your money in the pre-construction phase by helping you calculate an accurate estimate and then making it easy for you include that estimate in your bid.
As you work on the project, you want a program that integrates payroll so you can track your labor costs. Ideally, you will also be able to send and receive invoices in the same place and keep digital records of them as well.
With all this information collected in one program, it is easy to keep track of the cost of the project and get real-time updates on your projected profits. The more accounting functions you can automate, the less you will need to pay someone else to do them for you.
Materials management. You know your customer GCs put a lot of thought into the exact materials they want used in their project. If you don’t have those materials available to work with, it can delay progress and negatively impact a project’s profitability.
You can manage your construction materials with a project management software. Construction work and materials may vary based on GC specifications but with a construction software, it will be easy to digitally keep track of your inventory.
The more detail it can show you—what quantity you have in stock, the cost, who your supplier is—the more prepared you are for any project.
A high-quality inventory management solution will do more than just keep track of what you have, it will allow you to place orders and arrange delivery to the jobsite as well. If these functions are fully integrated into the same program, you can automatically receive materials into your inventory to accurately reflect your supply instead of manually entering invoices by hand.
Some programs have the capability to work with design software to manage construction projects and automatically generate a list of materials and quantities for any project.
Construction Routine Tasks Simplified by a Construction Management Software
Managing a construction project can be a time-consuming and stressful process. Navigating the bidding, contracting, schedule and budget process, tracking changes and managing multiple versions of plans, and more.
It is not a guarantee that a construction project will be free of complications but with an efficient construction management software to use, tasks are simplified and done in a timely manner.
Those who own or work for construction businesses know the struggle of dealing with a long list of routine tasks.
These are a few common ones that a construction management software CRM can definitely simplify in the process:
Materials Inventory & Delivery. Material delivery and inventory management data is often one of the largest headaches for construction operations. When it comes to this, construction businesses especially managers need real-time information. With a Construction Management Software that tracks every detail related to getting materials on site, it’s easy to manage everything from inventory management to delivery and installation.
Bid Preparation. Bid preparation has traditionally been a repetitive and complex task in construction. Despite the simplicity of the task itself, it can be quite time-consuming for contractors and developers since it requires going through an extensive and detailed process to ensure that nothing is overlooked.
Billing. In construction, the process of collecting and disbursing funds to all parties requires a lot of paperwork. This can be simplified by a construction management software CRM in managing all financial aspects such as billing, cash flow, payroll, purchase order and more. This helps to reduce delays in payments and make sure the project advances steadily according to plan.
Change Orders. Construction change orders are inevitable, even when the big picture is clear. It’s also a part of the business process that can be automated. This is to avoid the time-consuming task of creating and tracking them and therefore freeing up time so the construction project team can focus on solving problems rather than finding ways to manage them. Especially that paperwork is required to validate change orders, automating the process would save time for both specialty and general contractors.
Manpower Monitoring. This is a key component of the construction industry that relies heavily on accurate data. If this task is not simplified with a construction software CRM, it would be time-consuming especially if there are multiple active projects involved.
There is no better way to let specialty contractors know that a construction and builder management software is not just a tool, it’s an essential part of every construction business.
It makes all the work revolving around any construction project more efficient, more profitable, and more competitive.
A construction management software may be customized based on the top problems of specialty contractors. It can be customized for pre-construction to completion.
BidBook Construction with Salesforce helps you coordinate the entire pre-construction process. It is optimized for bid management and allows you to track your progress.
BidBook helps you maintain relationships with suppliers, contractors, and owners by offering you templates for email and SMS messages and allowing you to organize your contacts into groups by project. Upload your estimates and contracts and collect eSignatures on the same platform.
BidBook runs on a cloud platform so you can easily access your project data across multiple devices. The package is made up of over 30 different modules that you can choose from to customize your construction management software package.
Learn more about BidBook and request a demo today.
