When a roofing company starts using a software system, they often have a lot of questions. Customer Resource Management, or CRM for roofers, provides robust solutions to a whole host of business problems—which can make it overwhelming to start using.
If technology could help you with almost everything you do, where do you start? Understanding what you want to use software for, how it can help you best, and what makes for successful usage will help you be a better software user. Here’s how to get the most out of your CRM for roofers.
Step 1: Understand What a CRM for Roofers Can and Can’t Do
Some roofers come to software with incredibly high expectations. Their new system will replace the work of 10 employees, solve every problem they’ve ever had with their business, and instantly increase their sales. When these roofers start using CRM software, it can’t meet these lofty expectations, and so they become disappointed and often decrease their usage or stop using it altogether. But the problem isn’t the software—it’s that they didn’t know how to make the best use of it. The more you’re able to understand what roofing CRM software can and can’t do, the more it’ll be able to meet your needs.
The key to CRM software is in the name: customer resource management. The things that CRM software does best are related to managing customer information, tracking activities, reporting on business performance, and viewing leads. CRMs for roofers in particular are designed to meet the needs of contractors, incorporating roofing-specific customer management tools like production schedulers, aerial measurement orders, and estimate builders. If you have an issue with how you do these things currently, adopting a CRM for roofers will help you improve your processes significantly.
It’s also important to know what CRM software is not. It’s not a marketing tool, and can’t help you generate leads or create ads. The work of a CRM comes after you’ve already gotten the leads, and helps you manage them, turn them into customers, and ensure you meet their needs. It doesn’t replace your employees—it just makes their lives easier by streamlining the work they do. It’s also not a magic bullet. Simply adopting software is not enough to grow your business and improve your processes—you need to combine it with your own strategy and know-how. But when added to your current strategy, it can be a remarkably powerful tool.
Step 2: Pinpoint the Problems You Want it to Solve
Too often, roofing contractors start using technology with only vague ideas of what they want it to do for them. They implement it haphazardly because of this uncertainty, and vacillate between using it and using their previous solutions. It’s hard for them to evaluate if the technology is helping them accomplish their goals or not.
When you start using a roofing software system, take some time to think over the things you want to change in your business and how you want to grow. Is there a breakdown in communication between your office staff and field teams? Is job information getting misplaced or incorrectly documented? Do you spend too much time on administrative tasks and not enough time on the meat of your business? The more specific your goals for a CRM for roofers, the more helpful of a tool it will be for your business. And when you have these specific goals in mind, you can periodically evaluate how software is helping you meet those goals and make adjustments as needed.
Step 3: Get the Training You Need
A CRM for roofers is a complex tool with a lot of moving parts. While all that complexity is there for a reason—it helps roofers manage their businesses more effectively—it can make it hard to get up to speed on the software features you need. Some roofers plunge in and start using software anyway, assuming they’ll figure it out as they go along. Other roofers delay using software because they’re having trouble figuring out how it works. In both cases, good intentions are foiled by a lack of information.
Good training on a CRM for roofers is key to your success as a user. With help from support staff, you and your team can get up to speed on your CRM quickly and efficiently, and make the most of it for your business. AccuLynx offers extensive training for all new users with our dedicated support team, covering the essentials of our software and equipping you to use AccuLynx most effectively. And the support doesn’t stop when you start using it. You can always ask our team questions and get guidance if you run into issues. Choosing a roofing CRM software system that includes a robust customer support team is essential to making the most of your software.
Using a CRM for roofers can be challenging, but when you take steps to understand the software, name the goals you want to accomplish, and take advantage of training, you can make the most of your system. And when you make the most of roofing software, it enables you to accomplish great things for your business.
