Construction business owners are in the domain of shaking hands with clients, ensuring everything is done efficiently, and spending time with suppliers and subcontractors. As construction companies grow, and move towards the future, things vary.
Contractors are less engaged with everyday operations, and employees need to interact at various times with critical contacts. This is where communication silos start to take shape. In a more prominent construction firm, it’s easy for communication to break down, endangering the vital relationships on which the firm’s prestige and business have been built.
So how can a construction company ensure all its workers are on the same page when working with construction customers and business partners? This is where software can help.
In construction, customer relationship management (CRM) software is not confined to customer relationships. Managing upstream and downstream relationships, including owners, general contractors, architects, suppliers, customers, and subcontractors, plays a vital role.
CRM solutions consolidate a company’s connections and related communications so everyone can work together to create an experience that provides clients and other project collaborators with a reason to come back to you for job opportunities next time.
Here are some of the crucial technological benefits that will help you manage your construction clients smartly:
1. Keep in touch with customers
Regardless of the construction company’s marketing activities, such as Angie’s List, LinkedIn, phone calls, email, or events, it’s essential to regularly communicate relevant data to current and future clients.
This impacts the future of the construction industry and helps you keep your construction company’s name and capabilities upfront to those who procure its services. Numerous contractors develop emails to advertise a new job, promote appreciation, or complete another profitable project.
Social media is another feasible marketing avenue, but numerous contractors don’t know how to steer these waters. For social media campaigns, a CRM system allows contractors to quickly and efficiently design personalized email communications, build outbound marketing lists, and deliver messages to the right audience at the right time.
Today’s CRM systems operate with all social media applications, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and help businesses reach and engage their clients and prospects more efficiently.
2. Track all types of bids
When it comes to bidding for a construction project, there are so many aspects that you need to communicate and keep track of. For instance, what jobs are on the skyline? Which bids have been submitted? What follow-up items need to be managed? Have contracts been finished?
However, things can readily fall through the cracks, mainly when dealing with a high volume of submissions. And To control this, contractors use CRM software to envision their complete sales channel. The software indicates the status of all bids and quotes to demonstrate what needs attention. It can also track bid outcomes across several years.
When a bid is scheduled, customers can also see how many times they’ve bid on it in the past, if they were thriving in obtaining the job, what their price and competitors’ prices were, and whether the job was promising.
3. Easily access data for the field workers
Today, field workers are the greatest beneficiaries in constructing a CRM system. For instance, service technicians need access to equipment information, service history, manuals, and other technical documentation. In this case, a CRM system can give field teams access to the most updated data and reduce wait time and numerous service trips. Usually, superintendents are in the dark if a general contractor reaches out about an approaching job.
With CRM software, before they see the work order, contractors can view the scope of work cited. If a subcontractor has accomplished a project, and wants to communicate, they can speak with the general contractor using CRM.
Using web-enabled computers and mobile devices, administrators can also add notes and record conversations with vendors, suppliers, and engineers about what’s happening on the job.
Change orders can also be placed in the CRM system and merged automatically into the firm’s project management system so that every team can access the status of change orders. Make sure you have a proper checklist for your teams, in order to enhance overall productivity.
4. Enhancing customer service
Once a construction company wins a job, it must explain to customers why it was the right option. Every day, construction companies strive hard to stay above all client requests and ensure their problems are resolved. With access to centralized client data, staff members will understand what customers’ questions are when they call, regardless of who answers to the phone.
Today’s technology has dramatically changed customer expectations. Clients expect companies to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To overcome this, well designed CRM systems offer a self-service platform where customers can securely access data about their accounts, request service, and give feedback. After a project is completed, it’s essential to know what contractors did right to earn the customer’s loyalty or what they did sinful so it can be fixed.
Bottom Line
In a nutshell, choosing the right CRM solution is crucial. This is where construction software comes into play. It is an integrated, cloud-based platform that works as an ERP, CRM, and accounting solution for construction companies.
Author’s Bio:
Ed Williams is the Director at ProjectPro, an integrated construction accounting software. He holds tremendous industry experience and is a Microsoft Dynamics expert focused on successful implementations.