Five steps for choosing the right software

Software for builders and tradies is called many things – job management apps, project management software, construction management tech and more – so make sure you know what will work best for you.

Step 1 – understand where you are now

Start by listing your business problems. What are the key issues you’re struggling with at the moment and over the last few months? Work through the challenges you are having in these areas in your business as a starting point.

• Quoting takes too much time and you miss including items in your quotes, over and over again.

• You’re not capturing variations to jobs.

• You struggle to track costs on a job or know if you’ve been charged the correct amount by your supplier.

• Keeping the client updated is difficult and time consuming.

Step 2 – what do you want to achieve?

Next, you need to be clear about the goals you want to achieve. Start by listing the goals you want to achieve. Keep it realistic and focus on what you would like to achieve immediately and in the next year.

For example, I want to:

• Have my team enter their timesheets electronically

• Spend more time growing the business, rather than being on the tools

• Reduce the time I spent on admin and paperwork each week

• Improve budget communication with clients

• Capture variations to jobs more accurately.

Step 3 – what is most important to you?

It’s important to realise that no software will do 100% of what you need. There will be compromises that you have to make along the way.

In Step 3, you need to think about what your ‘Must Haves’ and ‘Nice to Haves’ are. A ‘Must Have’ is a requirement that is critical whereas, if you can compromise on it, it’s a ‘Nice to Have’.

Try to be specific if you can, such as:

• I need to have easy visibility of my Gross Profit for each job (Must Have)

• I want to be able to send SMS messages and emails to my clients (Nice to Have).

Step 4 – identify what is holding you back

Before you implement any new software in your business, there may be other changes that you need to make. Here, you have an opportunity to delve into the changes or support you need to make this change a reality.

• Employ an Office Administrator to help with job admin

• Set my business goals for the next 6-12 months

• Get help to implement the new software with my team.

Step 5 – putting it into practice to find the right software

In Step 5, you put everything together to find the right solution:

• Research and short-list a few apps

• Ask for reviews from other builders (the New Zealand Certified Builders Facebook group is a good starting point)

• Get a demo of the App

• Sign up for free trials, so you can play around with the software and sample jobs

• Score each App against your ‘Must Haves’ and ‘Nice to Haves’

• Get your team on side by explaining how the software is a solution to the problems they face daily

• Create a plan of attack by writing a checklist to cover the critical rollout tasks, assigning responsibilities, and set a realistic completion date for each one.

It sounds great, but I don’t have time!

Tech can revolutionise your business – but sometimes it’s tough to go it alone. With so many construction software options available, it’s important to choose the one that will benefit your business the most. Getting it wrong could cost you money and time.

We know from experience that it takes about six hours of research for each app that you want to review. Seeking independent and expert advice can save you this trouble, and help to give you that competitive edge quicker.

So, whether you’re looking to bring tech into your business, or want help to get better with a system you’re already using, NZCB National Partner Free Up could help you with the process. Give Anna at Free Up a call on 021 0839 6910.