Here’s some great apps that can help you grow your company.

Welcome to the end of 2016! If this year were a flight then we definitely experienced turbulence!

As you come in for a landing to end the year chances are you are evaluating how 2016 is finishing up. Maybe you have started to look ahead to 2017. What will the new year hold for you and your construction company? How will you increase your business’s chances for  success in the New Year?

Part of building a successful construction company is taking the time to plan for the future. Planning requires reflecting on recent performance. Ask yourself what has worked well and what needs improvement. Honest evaluation will leave you with a list of items that need to be worked on so that you can continue building your construction company.

Contractors are constantly evaluating their tools and equipment as they complete their projects. They have close proximity to their tools. They know quickly if a piece of equipment is working correctly or if it is starting to wear out. The equipment is replaced quickly when it starts to wear out. Leaving it in place can impact the construction company profits.

You need to evaluate your technology and applications that your construction business uses. Just as you evaluate your equipment you need to evaluate the technology that the company is using. Using a technology that is worn out can have a negative effect on your business just as using a worn out piece of equipment can.

5 Apps

Consider implementing some of these apps into your business in 2017 to help increase your success in contracting.

1. Docusign – the old way of submitting proposals to customers is long and drawn out. The old way involves submitting proposals either via mail or email. Customers have to print out the attachment and sign the document. They either need to scan the document and email it back or forward a copy via regular mail. There are multiple steps in this process. With Docusign your client can receive the contract and sign it electronically. The contract is automatically sent back to you so that you can move forward with your project. This eliminates a lot of steps and saves significant time.
2. Dataforma – work order and service management is a critical component for many successful construction companies. Success in contracting requires companies to take care of their customers. If companies don’t support their customers than their competitors will. Dataforma provides an outstanding service department management system. Construct-Ed features courses on the Dataforma system. Click Here to review Dataforma’s courses on Construct-Ed.
3. Harness – success in contracting means that you need to lead a safe company. Unsafe companies lead to higher insurance costs and high employee turnover. Managing safety for your construction company can be a burdensome process. Harness provides a very easy-to-use app that helps construction company managers organize safety related information. Manage forms, training records and documents with a smart device.
4. Xero – keeping good financial books is essential for success in contracting. Operating a company without good financial books is like attempting to drive a car with both eyes closed. Financial statements help construction company owners need to know how their company is performing. They need feedback from their companies on a consistent basis. Xero is an internet based accounting platform that allows business owners to access their financial statements with a simple internet access. This puts critical information at your fingertips.
5. Construct-Ed – construction companies need to have well trained employees in order to complete projects. Without a full team of skilled trades people, contractors cannot meet their deadlines and deliver projects. Construct-Ed delivers a world class elearning platform dedicated to the construction and home improvement industries. Content is delivered by professionals with extensive experience in the industry. Topics include accounting, marketing, trade skills and leadership.

Construction businesses exist is a unique external environment. A business’s external environmental factors are those things that are beyond the business’s control. The business still needs to react to those factors. One of these factors are the changes in technology for the industry. A successful construction company needs to implement technology into their business. These apps are examples of advances in technology that will impact the construction and home improvement industries in 2017.