After getting frustrated with working too hard and having too little to show for it, you finally made the decision to invest in construction software. Now it’s time for you to sit back and watch the profits roll in...well, almost time. First, you have to get your team to buy-in on the new vision you have for your company.
For you as an owner, the advantages of incorporating construction software into your workflow are obvious. But to your project managers, office staff, trade partners, and field staff it may look like just another task added to their already full plate. To help get your team onboarded and get the most out of your new software, communicate the value employees will see from the software and start small while building momentum.
Align your business needs to software features
You purchased construction management software to solve problems facing your business. These problems also affect, although not as directly, your team members, trade partners, and clients. Position your new software not as another to-do, but as a solution to problems your team already encounters. For instance, moving all communication from text and email to an online hub is a way to streamline team and client communication. Or putting all project details into a software means that team members won’t have to spend time searching through files or emails for details or decisions. This framing helps reluctant or uninterested team members see this new initiative as a way to make their day-to-day work easier which can translate to getting more buy-in.
Getting buy-in from different team roles
While all of your team members will see similar software benefits such as better communication and organization, different roles will see different benefits in their day-to-day work. Showing specific team roles the benefits of construction software to their particular job can help get your team to buy-in faster.
For project managers
Show your project managers how your new software purchase will give them the high level details they need to keep projects on track and on budget. Your project managers will be able to easily reference specs and selections information, take and share job site photos, manage the overall project schedule, and quickly communicate with team members and trade partners. That flexibility means project managers can quickly get to any information they need to answer questions, reduce bottlenecks, and meet deadlines.
For estimators
Show your estimators how leveraging your new software will let them use templates to quickly get started with new estimates, easily handle specs and selections, and succinctly manage the bidding process. Using a single-entry estimating system means your estimators can quickly go from creating an estimate to using that information in specs and selections as well as bidding without entering data twice. Using templates and cost catalogs will allow your team to quickly crank out accurate estimates to help turn leads into clients.
For bookkeepers
Show your bookkeeper how your construction software can help keep them up-to-date on change orders, provide real-time costs with a detailed project budget, and effectively manage your purchase order process. A single-entry system allows your team to stop copying over estimates and budgets from one system to another. This allows your bookkeeper to focus on collecting and sending payments instead of double-checking everyone’s math.
For office administrators
Show your office administrators how using your new software will let them handle photo and file organization, keep specs and selections moving, stay on top of schedule updates, and communicate with internal and external team members. This can help office admins quickly find information to answer client or team member questions and keep projects organized.
For sales team
Show your sales team how your construction software can help them track new lead opportunities, track specific lead criteria, focus their attention on qualified leads, and use their new software as a selling tool to clients. With lead customization options and calendar integrations, your sales team doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, they can use their current lead processes in a more efficient way for the overall business by turning leads into clients all in the same system. By leveraging the software as part of their sales pitch, your sales team has a new tool in their selling kit to win over customers with their own online portal to be involved and informed throughout the entire project.
Find quick wins and gain momentum
Approach your new software like it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Frequently companies are so excited about getting the most out of their new purchase that they try to go too big too fast. The results are overwhelmed teams who find themselves frustrated with new software that they haven’t had time to learn. This also breeds mistrust of the software as a potential solution to help make their work easier.
On the other hand, by starting small and scaling up you allow team members to learn and incorporate new features into their workflow without being overwhelmed. After team members feel comfortable with a feature they can add another one and another one until eventually, they have the full arsenal of software features at their disposal. This piecemeal approach also helps build positive momentum in the software rollout. Teammates get to see how implemented features come together in real-time to address problems and understand the interconnectedness of construction management software.
