Being a small construction business owner isn’t easy at all. Just think about how your small construction company can compete with the large construction businesses. In the industry overtaken with large corporations becoming more complex, it takes grit and extremely hard work to stay competitive with the big guys. The large construction companies possibly have tons of advantages, including more money, a big workforce available to help, and others. Yet, a small contractor like you may already facing minimal profit margins and has difficulty finding employees.
However, it’s crucial to keep still and be competitive. In fact, the key to ensuring future construction projects and large profits is staying competitive! And the key to staying competitive is, guess what? It’s technology! In this blog, discover how these latest techs can significantly change the ins and outs of your business.
1. Lean In and Be Open to Existing Construction Tech
To show enthusiasm to learn, grow and adapt in a technological era is considered one of the best ways to keep your construction business in the competition. It doesn’t need to be about what your small business is doing, but how you use available technologies.
Using software solutions designed for project management for construction, for instance, is a way to make more of your construction projects more efficient and can be done within time and budget. It does move the project management to an online space. Moreover, training spaces for Virtual reality, GPS in equipment, and BIM are all existing construction techs that can help bring updated safety and efficiency to a project.
Something as simple as the eagerness to learn and adapt to new techs opportunities can keep your business ahead of the game.
2. Implement a Cloud System and Digitize Documents
There’s a good number of cloud-based applications that can make it easier for your construction company to manage paperwork, documents and important files. Having a digital and organized system to keep company documents and reports sorted can make budgeting much easier in the future for you and your team, making it accessible for everybody across the company network. And most importantly, your company can also be protected from any legal issues down the line because you have everything well-sorted together.
· Having a digital collection of the previous projects together with all associated documents can help in bidding and budgeting in the future.
· When data and documents become more digitized, it’s easier to sort through, take learnings and analyze for the future.
There are many benefits to moving your small business online. From securing data and information to making your business more visible and transparent to clients, using the digital space for your construction business is absolutely a great move.
3. Get Your Construction Business Online
Google searches and having a solid online presence are also equally important than ever. As you may already know, construction is an industry that typically runs off personal relationships and connections. In fact, over sixty-three percent of people go to discover and learn about a specific company and view reviews before inquiring about services. Word of mouth isn’t enough anymore when it comes to marketing. Today is the day that your company has to be available online.
Additionally, the more ways you become accessible to people, the more businesses and services you can get by default. Being and staying competitive doesn’t have to mean winning all the largest bids and projects. It can simply be about staying relevant in your present space.
Whether it’s through Google My Business or a company website, it is the time for your business to get online. In fact, social media is an effective way to increase awareness and gain exposure.
4. Embrace Robotics and Autonomous Equipment
The construction industry has been facing a labor shortage for many years. It would not be getting better anytime soon. While advancements in techs might appear to be more suitable for large construction companies, independent contractors and small businesses could reap benefits from autonomous equipment and robotics in the future to help keep their business competitive.
Another good reason for a small construction company to embrace robots and autonomous equipment is that such advancements will make job sites much safer. While safety must always be a priority, small businesses are really in a unique position to push safety messages as much as possible.
The majority of business owners today are always on the ground, interacting with employees on a daily basis.
5. Use a Construction Scheduling Software Tool to Retain Customers
Your relationship with your customers is so meaningful. The latest techs available out there can help make managing relationships much easier than ever. Leaning on a specialized software designed for scheduling in construction isn’t about taking authenticity out of the relationships, but allowing your company to provide better service to their clients and ideally provide a service that is not possible by larger corporations.
Project management tools help track clients’ conversations and requests, keep track of projects, deals, payments, contracts, and more, all within the digitalized system. For your small business, leaning on specialized technology will help in setting your customer service capacities apart from what large companies can do using the same tools.
Furthermore, having this subcontractor scheduling software as your tool in creating a more personalized experience can keep your business very competitive with huge companies that might have more resources in any other way.
Which Technologies can Improve Your Construction Business?
Take a closer look at the following options below. Are there anything that stands out to you as a good fit for your construction business?
1. Boost efficiency and safety with AI (Augmented Reality)
In virtual reality, AI makes it much easier for your construction teams to visualize any project better and prepare crew members for it. Effective project leaders use 3D models to map out the whole project before even building it, allowing the team to spot issues even before they arise.
AI reality helps with safety onsite, as it calls attention to vital features in the environment, like potentially unsafe conditions and high temperatures.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Whether you’re gunning for larger or smaller jobs, AI can help you. There’s no reason for a construction firm to turn into AR.
2. Unearth actionable insights with AI and Data Analysis
Data provides a significant opportunity for you to make more and more well-informed decisions that boost the safety and efficiency of construction projects. A contractor in Boston developed an algorithm that analyzes images from the job site for safety hazards such as workers not wearing PPE. He’s the same contractor who developed an algorithm that can go through ten years of scheduling data to precisely forecast delays.
This kind of AI and data collection offers you the opportunity to do tons of activities. Also, your clients, building owners and subs can be updated and can experience a better way of planning.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Construction firms are experiencing massive growth. But if you already have a construction management solution, you most likely already had some built-in data analysis and AI features. These features include integrations, reporting, and more. It is just a matter of engaging with such features.
3. Boost collaboration onsite with Subcontractor Scheduling Software
Communication is vital to team productivity. And technologies in today’s time offer you far better ways to keep in immediate contact with your coworkers. It is especially crucial in these modern times where you’re most likely juggling various completion deadlines and managing multiple job sites.
Pro Crew Schedule is a great cloud-based collaboration tool that can offer you real-time communication through different channels. Get started with a 30-day FREE trial and start exploring this collaboration software!
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Is your firm constantly dealing with angry stakeholders, missing deadlines and other issues? A simple collaboration tool will help you solve such problems almost immediately.
4. Slash turnaround time and project costs with cutting edge technology
One of the best ways to further optimize your workforce is to constantly give them a helping hand so they can spend more extra time with other tasks. You can able to do that with drones, robots, and 3D printing. Drones can help you secure job sites, inspect projects, conduct land surveys, and keep you closely connected to the construction project even when you’re far away.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
If you’re ready to jump from being an average small construction firm to a bigger player who is prepared to take more lucrative projects, drones are an excellent choice for you. Make experiments with drones onsite. Ensure to invest in a drone that conducts surveys and pilot projects, helping you save money spent on labor. If successful, expand the roles of drones in the projects.
5. Map out your whole project with BIM
There are many different software tools available in this present time. As of 2021, there are 639 options in the construction software directory, and the majority of these software solutions are continually updating their feature set. One of these new construction techs is Building Information Modelling (BIM). With this software, you can create entire projects ahead of time, mapping everything from structure to the tiny details that trip you up mid-project.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
If you’re an established small construction company, consider using BIM software. BIM allows the tasks project manager to spot issues before they occur and create better designs, optimizing your workforce.
Key Takeaways
Staying competitive in this era of technology isn’t about having the greatest, latest technologies to show off. It’s really about embracing what technology is available out there and setting your construction business to get ready to change with the times.
