Construction Software Archives

Contractor Software Helps Win Construction Jobs

December 28, 2017| admin| in category Feature No comments yet

Contractor software is the single best solution to all your construction problems. With various modules and features, you can organize, improve productivity and reduce your costs. It can be easily adopted into your construction business workflows, making your business run more smoothly almost immediately. With these robust features and tools, contractor software will help you win more construction jobs.

Accountability & Tracking

For construction managers, it can be difficult to keep an eye on all the different tasks your employees are working on. With contractor software, you are able to check what work has been completed, who completed it and what else needs to be finished in both the field and the office. The productivity provided by TRUE Contractor Software allows for better tracking, which can lead to an increase in profits and a decrease in costs. In addition, your team can update whatever task they are working on in real-time. This keeps an open line of communication and ensures that everyone is up to date with all of their individual tasks. With better tracking comes better chances of meeting deadlines, making you more likely to win projects in the future. By better tracking all of the moving parts of your construction operation, your firm is better able to control costs and eliminate mistakes.

Advanced Scheduling

Without contractor software, scheduling can be a nightmare. With multiple team members involved in a construction project, it’s almost impossible to keep everyone up-to-date on all upcoming deadlines. Contractor software enhances the scheduling process by allowing managers to input start and end dates for specific tasks. Employees are alerted consistently to remind them of all deadlines, ensuring they don’t miss them. With this tool, everyone is held accountable for due dates. Staying on schedule will prove your reliability as a subcontractor and help you win construction projects in the future.

Better Collaboration

Contractor software increases collaboration by giving employees a central place to share documents, timelines and updates. When many people are involved in completing a single task it can get confusing, especially if employees don’t have a way to communicate with each other easily or refer to team member notes. With this increase in collaboration, crews can get things done faster and more efficiently. The solid collaboration will show through in your project, increasing your chance of winning future construction projects.

Improved Communication

In construction, it can be difficult to stay in constant communication with your field crews, clients, and vendors. Contractor software provides a clear line of communication so that you, your team, your clients and your vendors are always on the same page. TRUE Contractor features allow your clients to give feedback, share documents and review project progress quickly and easily. Your clients will appreciate the transparency and might even keep you in mind for future construction projects or refer you to others.

Even though it may seem time-consuming to adopt a new system into your construction business and train your staff, it will be well worth it in the long run because TRUE Contractor offers you the best all-in-one solution on the market, ensuring happier customers and winning more construction jobs.

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Don’t Pay Too Much for Construction Management Software

December 18, 2017| admin| in category Feature No comments yet

Construction management software allows contractors to boost efficiency and productivity without adding to your workforce. As your construction business becomes more efficient and you ramp up on new projects, does your software subscription become more expensive? If it does, that sliding scale is misleading, which leads to frustration.

Project-based Pricing vs. Flat-rate Pricing

Why choose a construction management software that doesn’t reward your hard work? Why should you pay more for the same software functionality based on each new active job? A flat-rate pricing model with unlimited projects let’s you scale your business with confidence. Knowing that your software vendor supports the success of your business allowing for more predictable growth and you’re not left guessing what the bill will be on a monthly basis. Plus, no more worrying about reaching limits when you have other more important task at hand.

With cloud-based technology, it doesn’t make sense to pay more for the same construction management software based on the number of projects you’re working on at a given moment. Whether you’re working on 50 projects or 5, you’re still accessing the same platform to manage those projects with the same features and functionality.

Flat-rate pricing with unlimited projects gives power back to the users. So, even if you are working on smaller projects, you can still leverage the software to save time and money, which means your process doesn’t have to change project by project. The beauty of flat-rate pricing is the more you use your construction management software, the more you get out of it.

Step Away from Software Surprises & Fees

As a contractor, you have enough to worry about on a daily basis. Break the cycle of implementation and service fees that are often associated with project-based pricing. Strive for predictable, simple pricing with your construction management software, regardless of the size of your company or the number of active projects on your calendar.

TRUE Contractor is priced to support your success. We charge monthly, do not require long-term contracts, and offer unlimited projects for all users. For more information about TRUE Contractor, click here to request a demo.

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Mistakes to Avoid When Adopting Construction Software

December 5, 2017| admin| in category News No comments yet

Construction is an industry that is constantly evolving as advancements in technology are made. Every year there seems to be some new tool or solution that is changing the industry, making jobs take half the time and saving managers half the headaches. Each year, construction software tools become more and more affordable for organizations who need them. With the ever-growing list of benefits that adopting construction solution can bring to your company, including improving communication across your team, collecting accurate data, streamlining complicated workflows, the list goes on, it is easy to see why construction companies are quickly adopting technology to run their businesses more efficiently.

That being said, moving an entire organization into the digital era can often be problematic. For a solution to handle all of the various moving parts of a construction business, there is usually enormous cost associated with it, and that is before you factor in the labor hours involved with training your employees and importing all of your existing data. When it is all said and done, will the construction solution your company spent so much time implementing actually benefit your team?

Choosing the Wrong Solution

When it comes to moving your construction company into the digital age with construction software, it is important to choose the solution that best fits your business. Some business owners will choose the solution that is least expensive or had the best reviews, however it is essential that you take a deeper look and make sure that what you are signing up for is what you actually need.

Contract vs Service

In today’s world there are few construction companies that handle strictly service type work or contract work, in most cases companies handle a little bit of everything. Unfortunately, most construction software companies do not tend to cater to both. Luckily, TRUE does, we recognize that there are many moving parts in a construction business and you have to be able to switch gears almost immediately. TRUE allows your business that freedom. TRUE is the first of its kind that handles subcontractors’ workflows for both the service side of their business and the contract side. When choosing a software solution to help better your business, it is vital that you go with a solution that will handle all of the aspects of your operation, not just one.

Using the Wrong Tools

For a business to truly adopt a construction solution, it is important to understand the different devices it can be used on. Many software solutions, like TRUE, can be accessed from either a smartphone, tablet, or a computer. I’ll briefly go over the benefits of each instrument, and when you should use them.

Laptops & Desktops

For those members of your team that handle large amounts of data, procurement, inventory, scheduling and report, we recommend going for a laptop or desktop computer. Not only will it make it easier to input data, but making changes later on will be easier to spot. Entering data into a laptop will allow you to automatically open the outputted Excel file that is generated when completing an eForm. If you need to work with any complex calculations, and have the convenience of being next to a computer, a big screen will help.

Tablets

Tablets are a great option for many tasks in the field or when you need to access important information. Technicians and project managers are able to create documentation, documents sites and much more because tablets offer a happy medium between the big screen of the laptop, and the portability of a mobile device. Tablets, however, are the most expensive out of the bunch. Chances are, your employees will not want to bring theirs from home, so you may have to provide a company one. If it is going to be outside, you also need to purchase insurance for it, which could run the bill up quite a lot. Regardless, this is the best option if you want something simple, larger and easy to use with more functionality than a smart phone.

Smart Phones

Sometimes computers and tablets are not the most feasible option. For many of our users, a majority of their work happens in the field and this is where mobile phones come in handy. Smartphones are an excellent option because most employees today probably own one. Since TRUE construction software works with both Android and Apple operating systems, all of your employees are covered. Phones also have longer battery lives then the other options, so for people that are going to be on the field all day, this might be the best way to go.

When choosing devices for your team, it is important to think about their workflows, travel and field activities. What is going to suit them best and keep them working not only productively but efficiently?

Adopting construction software is a serious strategic move for your organization and it is important to treat it as such. Not only will you be investing a large amount of money in your new solution but you will also be investing a tremendous amount of time and energy implementing your new tool. Don’t waste what precious time and money you have on a solution that you will want to move on from in a few months because it doesn’t operate correctly on the devices your team has or because it doesn’t properly handle the various aspects of your business. If you need a solution that will function on multiple devices, on different operating systems, and handle both your contract and service work, there really is only one option, TRUE. For more information about TRUE Contractor Software, check out our website on www.docuwrx.com/solutions.

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Avoid Falling into Construction Communication Chaos

November 27, 2017| admin| in category News No comments yet

Construction communication errors can range from simple typos to costly misunderstandings that can put your entire project in jeopardy. According to OSHA overall construction site errors and accidents have declined in the last decade, however, they still credits a large portion of the remaining issues in the construction to communication errors. The good news is that there is a solution to these communication problems, construction software. We have put together a list of a few way contractor software, like TRUE, can help you cut down on construction communication chaos.

The Trickle Down Effect

Change orders are a common occurrence on construction projects, getting shuffled around from person to person, it is no surprise that they can be a huge source of construction communication errors on a construction job. As change orders make their way through the job site, each person along the way presents a new point of potential error. When handling paperwork like this smudges, dirt, and misplacements can make a document difficult to read or can leave it open to interpretation. Was that new measurement 5 feet or 5 meters? A small difference like this can result in big problems for your construction project. Luckily, with contractor software, change orders and other paperwork are much more streamlined and easy to process. When changes are made, the solution updates the order with the necessary changes and the information is instantly available to office and field employees within the solution. Field crews can rely on the software tools instead of their memories, phone calls, or easily misplaced paperwork. No more fumbled papers or guessing what something said. All you and your crew have to do is log in, check the facts, and get on with the work.

Breaking Down Language Barriers

Language barriers are quite common in today’s world and can come in many forms. With the immigrant workforce growing, new talent joining the industry, and the increase in governing regulations there is more room for communication error than ever before. Maybe you have employees whose native language is not English. Maybe there is an employee who is new to the industry and doesn’t know construction lingo yet or they might just need help understanding an abbreviation or code they are unaware of. With construction software, these communication obstacles are history. In TRUE, each user is able to set their preferred language, users can reference any notes related to a project for clarification, with photos and videos adding further explanation.

Reporting

The latest industry reports show that almost half of construction companies are choosing to transition from paper to reporting software. This is great news because people add the element of human error. By utilizing automated project management software it is far less likely that the same mistakes made by office staff will be made using software.

When a construction project is moving along productively, it may be because they are using a software tool that allows project stakeholders insight into all aspects and progress of a project. For example, daily reports, although often a source of headaches for project managers, they are essential for proper site preparation, material allocation, hiring, accounting, and project planning. These are some of the areas where massive mistakes can arise. Construction technology makes reporting fast and easy. Simply check on any aspect of the project, at anytime from anywhere with no delay. When stakeholders want specifics, they’re a few clicks away and ready to be shared.

Government Agencies

Communication errors are bad enough when they occur within your organization, but when they go beyond your team, it can lead to disaster. If an error in planning or paperwork makes its way to a state agency, federal regulator, or other governing organization, even the smallest oversight can compromise your entire project. By adopting a construction software tool, like TRUE, you can keep a detailed record of information and activity history, so any authority can quickly see evidence of exactly what happened on any of your job sites at any time. When a miscommunication starts to grow into a larger dispute, your firm can quickly defuse the situation before it gets out of control by providing accurate documentation.

Staying on Schedule

One of the worst mistakes your company can make is missing project deadlines; which is why the scheduling module within TRUE Contractor Software really makes a world of difference on for construction project managers. Because of the program’s real-time updates, management can keep their finger on the pulse of their projects; management knows instantly whether a project is on track to hit certain milestones. TRUE makes the schedule totally transparent, which is a welcomed improved from using old-school paper processes for construction project management. Instead of relying on vague guesses, everyone can rely on a robust solution to provide all the tools you need to keep a project running smoothly, on schedule, and without unnecessary complications.

Interested in learning more about how construction technology can help you take your business to the next level and improve construction communication? Try a free 14-day demo of TRUE by clicking here.

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Make Learning New Construction Software Less Stressful

November 13, 2017| admin| in category News No comments yet

As construction becomes more technology rich, workers need to adapt to stay competitive. If you don’t come from a technical background, taking on new construction software might seem like a daunting task. Luckily, DocuWrx has been training users in our construction software for years, and we’ve learned a few tips and tricks to help new software users get started and we want to share them with you!

Identify Learning Objectives

Start by making a list of all the things you need to learn how to do in the software. Include the items that are specific to your position. Don’t try to take on everything at once. Focus on small portions of the software at first. Set priorities for what areas of the software you need to learn in relation to your daily tasks and the parts of the software you will utilize to accomplish those tasks.

Example of List of Learning Objectives:

Using the Time Clock feature
Creating a Contact Record
Creating, Saving and Updating Projects and/or Orders
Navigating the menu and key buttons
Adding a photo or document to a project or order
Creating HR Records
Creating a Schedule

Utilize Help/Training Resources

Identify and take advantage of all the available learning resources you have available to you. Start with the provider’s website or a help module within the platform. Even a simple internet search will surprise you will the amount of online resources available to you.

Play with the Software

Ask your construction software provider if you can have access to a version of the software with fake information, where you can explore without the worry of breaking anything or losing valuable data. Create a fake account to test different features. Be creative and explore the system. 64% of the features in more software platforms are rarely to never used.

For any potential clients who are interested in TRUE, we invite them to participate in a 14-day FREE Trial, to play around and get to know the solution.

Learn as a Team

One of the best ways to learn something new is to learn and practice with other people. Collaborative learning helps fight off boredom, allows people to bounce ideas off each other and improves retention of the material.

Don’t Abandon Your Old System Before You’re Ready

Transitioning to a new system can be overwhelming, you are used to your way of doing things and now you are being asked to change it to something completely different. Don’t change it up all at once, keeping using your current system and slowly integrate the new way of doing things until you are completely comfortable, then scrap the old system.

To view the “Learning New Construction Software” Infographic, click here.

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