Over the last few decades, technology has helped industries of all types to save time and increase efficiency. But many residential roofing companies still use “old school” techniques to run their businesses, such as paper files, taking measurements by hand, and manual reporting. While this might work for now, these processes are not scalable and can be very time-consuming, causing these companies to miss out on new opportunities for growing their businesses. By investing in a business management system like AccuLynx, you will quickly see the time-saving benefits within your company and an increase in both office and construction site efficiency.
Here are six tips on how roofing contractors can improve construction site efficiency with AccuLynx
Tip #1: Speed up your sales process with digital documents and templates
At the start of a new roofing project, there can be a lot of paperwork to complete. If your business relies on paper files, you might find yourself repeatedly writing the same information, such as your customer’s address and contact information, over and over again on different documents. While this might not seem like a big deal, the time spent filling out the same information adds up and provides more opportunities for errors.
With SmartDocs by AccuLynx, you can turn your standard documents into digital templates, such as estimates and contracts. These digital documents can be auto-populated with customer information stored in AccuLynx and are saved to the relevant job file so you can find them more easily. Not only that, SmartDocs has eSign capabilities, which means that your customers can digitally sign their documents with legally binding signatures from anywhere.
While you can create templates in SmartDocs by uploading your own regularly used documents, AccuLynx also has free pre-made templates available. Here are 5 Free Roofing Templates to help get you started. Templates like these and other digital documents allow you focus less on paperwork and spend more time on the job, leading to better construction site efficiency and efficiencies across the project.
Tip #2: Measure roofs in less time with aerial imagery
Taking roof measurements by hand can be a long process and might not always provide the most accurate results. By switching to a process that includes ordering and taking aerial measurements instead of just manual measurements, you can move forward with projects quicker and with more accurate data.
AccuLynx has integrations with two different aerial measurement providers, EagleView and SkyMeasure, so you can order and receive a report right through your AccuLynx account. These measurements can be used to automatically populate your material orders, estimates, and more, saving you even more time and eliminating the need to move from one program to another.
Tip #3: Order your materials directly in AccuLynx
Speeding up routine tasks like ordering materials from distributors will improve your construction site efficiency. AccuLynx integrates with ABC Supply and SRS Distribution, which provides a quick and efficient way to order your supplies.
With these distributor integrations within AccuLynx, you no longer have to pick up the phone or go through another program or website to order your roofing materials. You can view prices and product availability at your local branch right from your estimate. This allows you to put together an estimate quicker, and if you have used aerial imagery to get your measurements, you’re more likely to have a more accurate estimate for your customers.
Tip #4: Enhance your customer service with automations
A large percentage of consumers prefer receiving appointment confirmations and reminders via emails and texts. Having a regular cadence of communication and updating homeowners throughout the project helps to keep everyone on the same page and provide excellent customer service.
Manually sending out these communications can be time-consuming, especially if your residential roofing company has multiple jobs and crews working simultaneously.
Instead of manually sending emails or texting customers, you can set up automations within AccuLynx to send out communications. These automations are based on triggers, such as creating a new appointment and help to improve your efficiency by eliminating a manual task. Plus, important communication to your customers won’t fall through the cracks, and you can pay attention to other areas of your business.
Tip #5: Communicate seamlessly with crews on site
Having real-time visibility into what is happening at a job site is nearly impossible without technology or driving to and from the job site. While the latter is time-consuming and costly, communication with your crews from afar with the help of technology doesn’t have to be. With the mobile Crew App, available through AccuLynx, you can manage your crews from anywhere. It also helps your crews stay on task and work more efficiently, so you can keep projects on schedule.
The mobile Crew App is an extension of AccuLynx that allows you to notify crews of their assignments and track what is happening on site remotely.
From the Crew App, you can:
- update your crew’s schedules
- provide directions to the job site
- see when they check-in and out
- provide detailed checklists
- view photos uploaded showing progress on site.
This improves your construction site efficiency because it helps keep crews on task and projects on schedule without making phone calls or trips out to the job site.
Tip #6: Effectively stay on top of company performance
Reporting is essential to understanding what is happening within your business. Businesses use reporting to make informed decisions, strategize future production and gain a competitive edge.
Spreadsheets are one common way residential roofing companies keep track of their business’s performance. However, spreadsheets aren’t scalable, don’t provide real-time visibility, and can easily get corrupted due to many people working on them. Not only that, keeping accurate, up-to-date reports helps you identify areas where your business can save time and increase performance.
Reporting through AccuLynx makes the process not only more effective but efficient. By tracking your business data through AccuLynx, you can receive updated and accurate information about your business’s performance right from our software. It’s easy to see key performance indicators using our pre-built reports and drill into the details that matter to your business. You can also schedule reports to send to your team weekly or monthly to help keep everyone aware of what is happening within the company.
Improving Construction Site Efficiency With AccuLynx
From the start of the sales process to how you report on your business, technology can help save you time and money. Don’t stick with “old school” operations simply because it is what you’ve always known. Incorporate technology into your day and quickly see how your business grows and efficiency increases. See a short demo today to learn more about how AccuLynx can help your business.
