Since Covid-19 shutdowns in 2020, material shortages and delays have caused disruptions in roofing and exterior projects across the U.S. Today, the industry continues to struggle with supply chain issues, impacting job start dates and creating disturbances in crew’s and customer’s schedules.
Some contractors are taking extreme measures such as renting or building warehouses to stockpile orders to combat these problems. However, there are easier, more effective ways to keep your jobs on schedule while dealing with supply chain issues.
AccuLynx roofing software has direct integrations with material suppliers that can help you avoid schedule disruptions and mitigate the impact of material shortages and delays. Here are three ways you can use digital material ordering through AccuLynx:
See real-time pricing and material availability by branch location
AccuLynx currently integrates with roofing material suppliers, ABC Supply and SRS Distribution, and Beacon Building Products. With these integrations, you can see your company’s unique, real-time material pricing and availability by branch location right from your AccuLynx account without having to pick up the phone or access your material supplier portal or account.
Having this information at your fingertips can help you write more accurate estimates and ensure you won’t need to provide price corrections that could impact your profitability. You can also provide more transparency into what is happening with a customer’s project by suggesting products are already in stock. Instead, you can see what alternatives are available, present them to your customers, and show them alternative colors or styles they are okay with. This insight into product availability can move projects along and help avoid any delays.
Access tracking and delivery information
The AccuLynx material supplier integration provides you with key status information, such as shipping and delivery updates, from virtually anywhere.
Having this information ready can help you keep your customers updated on project timelines and help manage your crew’s schedules more effectively. You can share your material order (without pricing) with your crews through the Mobile Crew App to give them the information they need about their jobs. Through automations, you can set up triggers for your crews and customers to receive emails and texts about important updates, like once the order is shipped or delivered, so that everyone is on the same page with the status of the job’s materials.
Predict future material needs
It is likely that material shortages and delays will not disappear anytime soon. To minimize the disruption to your jobs, you can use AccuLynx reporting to start tracking your material usage and spending right in your AccuLynx account.
With the Materials Report, you can run reports on what materials you purchase, including types, quantities, and colors, to create predictions for future jobs. You can also track how much you spend by the supplier and make adjustments accordingly. For example, if you order a lot of a specific type of shingle but have noticed the price has continued to rise, or the availability has started to decline, you can adjust your cost projections or project start dates to account for that.
Read: 6 Strategies for Handling Roofing Material Shortages
Order Your Materials Through AccuLynx Supplier Integrations
While supply chain issues are out of your control, putting processes in place to help you create accurate estimates can make a difference to your day-to-day production schedule. By investing in a CRM system that integrates with your material supplier, you will gain more visibility into your orders, which will help you create more accurate estimates and allow you to get ahead of delays.
Interested in learning more about how you can order your materials through AccuLynx’s integrations? Check out a quick demo today!
