Most people who get into business want to get to the point where they can safely put their companies on autopilot. Otherwise, they find that they’re constantly giving up their time and energy to them.
Unfortunately, this approach is challenging in the construction sector. Putting these businesses on autopilot is notoriously difficult (compared to say, a software company).
So, how can you put your construction firm on autopilot? What do you need to do?
If you can make your reporting automated, that’s often the first step to increasing efficiency and ensuring you can get more done throughout the day.
Reporting takes up a lot of administration time, which is why so many construction firms don’t bother with it until the last minute. But modern solutions bypass all the legwork, producing reports and documents seemingly overnight.
Numerous tools also help with document management. For example, a lot of firms use the free version of DocuSign to apply signatures, or premium options, like Bluebeam, for more involved projects. These solutions allow brands to quickly process documents and get them out of the door, reducing the risk of administrative delays.
Next, you’ll want to explore a tool for tracking construction inventory. These allow you to see what’s on its way to the work site, and what you still have in your warehouses.
These tools are handy for procurement managers because they provide them with a high-level overview. They can see what’s missing from your business and what to do about it, given what’s already in the system. You can also keep tabs on supplies so you don’t forget what you have (which is a leading cause of people wasting money).
Another angle to come at the problem of managing construction companies is to streamline your HR. These days, there are plenty of automation tools that can do a lot of the grunt work for you, so you don’t overload yourself or the people on your team.
Numerous platforms offer streamlined HR. These solutions deal with time-consuming jobs, like onboarding new staff and managing benefits. These tools reduce the need to perform repetitive tasks that can leave a lot of staff feeling burned out by the end of the week.
Once you have a robust HR system in place, you can focus more on leadership. You don’t have to worry so much about intervening when things inevitably go wrong, since software does most of the heavy-lifting for you and avoids mistakes.
You can also put your construction firm on autopilot by using drones for site monitoring instead of using inspectors. These units are essentially eyes in the sky, allowing you to see your work site from different angles and whether it is progressing as intended.
What’s nice about modern drone technology is how useful it is for creating 3D models. Drones can scan entire areas and tell you whether your building matches the plans. You can also use it for monitoring the status of various parts of the product, cutting the need for manual inspections substantially.
Another approach to putting your construction firm on autopilot is to start using modular construction options. These provide you with more control over the build phase, reducing the risk of unanticipated disasters later on.
Modular construction is nice because you can control every part of the build process. Then, all you need to do is the groundwork when you get to the site, and construct the rest of the building in large pieces.
Modular construction is advancing quite rapidly these days, and the designs are improving. Units no longer look like demountables. But with that said, some firms won’t be able to use these because of challenges on the consumer side.
You can reduce your workload further by automating client communication. Getting rid of the constant back-and-forth here can free up your time enormously and enable you to get on with projects that will help you the most.
These days, you can get AI-integrated CRMs to do most of the heavy lifting for you. These can send courtesy messages and respond to standard queries. They can also send out emails to prospective clients when the data suggest they will be most amenable to conversion. Deep learning systems can parse the data and provide you with this advantage over your rivals. You don’t always have to plan it yourself.
Automating your construction firm’s accounting is also probably a good idea. Getting software to do the basics can free up time and make everything more accurate.
Today’s accounting tools also make heavy use of AI. Software solutions have natural language and visual processing, allowing them to take in information quickly from recordings or receipts. They also have the ability to track your business bank account and lift information from there, pre-populating your expenses and balance sheets before your accountant’s final approval.
Ultimately, software prevents the need to perform bank reconciliations on a Friday night with your team members when all everyone wants to do is just go home.
You also want to ensure that you use proper project management when you want to put your construction firm on autopilot. Often, this is the only way to create a set-and-forget business.
Project management is where someone takes over tracking, communication and scheduling for you. Instead of you doing it, the project manager gets on with overseeing the entire operation.
Project management software is one of the most powerful tools to automate tasks and timelines. It also reduces manual oversight significantly, helping to keep teams aligned.
Lastly, you might want to look into bidding and estimating automation software. These are special tools that perform various calculations for you, telling you whether you should buy.
For example, you could use them for quantity takeoffs and cost calculations. You can also use them to create quick proposals, potentially saving you many hours of your precious time.
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