Tag Archives: Construction Management Software

10 Most Common Complaints that Builders Get

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Unhappy clients can spell big trouble for your business. Just one sour project can snowball into a bad reputation. And of course, we all know that word of mouth spreads like wildfire, especially if the source is extra passionate due to extreme anger.

Prevention is better than cure. So before you run into a big mess, we’re listing down the 10 most common problems that construction clients complain about. Take down notes because these are the issues that you need to avoid.

1. Poor Work Quality

This is the most basic of problems when it comes to construction. The outcome of any project is the main determining factor of whether or not your client is happy with your work. This is where your construction managers come in. There has to be a good system of checks and balances throughout the construction process. It’s also important to ensure that you are getting professionals for your team. Newbies are welcome too, provided that they are well supervised by pros.

2. Failure to Turn Up or Arrive on Time

Business is all about building relationships and that’s why it’s so important to start off on the right foot. The most crucial is on day one of the project. Your crew should be on-site early. Punctuality is a sign of professionalism so it’s a must to reinforce this with your on-site crew.

3. Messiness, Failure to Clean Up

Okay, so with #2 it’s all about first impressions last. What we need to remember is that lasting impressions are important too! Never leave the site in a state of mess. Whether it’s a small home renovation or a brand-new build, a clean-up crew should make the place presentable. It’s also important to clean up at the end of every work day as this is helps motivate the crew for tomorrow’s fresh start. It’s also vital for avoiding work area accidents.

4. Asking for More Money than Agreed

Clients are always on a budget. Period. So unexpected jumps in project cost will surely be met with angst and hesitation. This can be solved by proper planning and adding a bit of a buffer for emergencies.

5. Proposed More Work than Necessary

In simple terms this is called cheating. Please, if you want to stay in business for a long time, always make it a point to provide true value for your customers. These days, it’s so easy to communicate with other people, plus there’s so much research that can be done on the internet. It’s quite hard to outsmart well-researched clients.

6. Failure to Do All the Work Required

There is nothing more infuriating than a contract that’s been fully paid and yet, not fully accomplished. This could be deliberate, or this could be an honest mistake from your end. Again, the key is a good monitoring and reporting system to ensure that all tasks are performed well.

7. Causing Damage to Property

Save yourself from the headaches of a lawsuit, and avoid damaging the property of your clients. It’s as simple as that.

8. Disputes Over When to Pay

Most of us charge based on progress billing or milestones. Make sure that you and your client are always on the same page over these things. Clarify the details of the contract prior to the actual build process and give them constant updates as to the progress.

9. Miscommunication Between You and Client

Are you always hard to come by? How quickly do you respond to their inquiries? Who is their point-person for any issues that may arise? How often do the clients get updates regarding accomplishments and milestones? What is your agreed method of communication? Minor miscommunication can lead to big problems if you don’t have the proper systems in place.

10. Delays Over Completion

Imagine yourself getting all excited (for months) to live inside your dream home. You’ve spent money renting a smaller place for the meantime, or you’ve been living with a friend or some relatives during the construction. You may have also spent money for temporary storage of your belongings… And then right when you’re ready to move in, BOOM! There’s a 2-week delay. Actually, even a week or a few days of delay is enough to infuriate any client. Again, this will end the project on a bad note which is a big no-no!

And there you have it. The 10 most common complaints that builders get from their clients. Make sure to avoid them before it’s too late.

If you think about it, most of these problems can be solved by proper communication, sufficient planning and effective project management– the keys to the success of any construction business. Now it’s up to you to create happy customers!

 

The Importance of Innovation for Your Construction Business

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Innovation is Vital to Business

What is innovation? To innovate means to change something in a positive way, it’s to revolutionize, to transform, to create a breakthrough. In business application, this could be done through developing a product, revolutionizing a service, or even changing the way you do your work.

Why should you innovate or change when everything is doing “okay”? Okay should not be your benchmark. We all know how competitive the construction market is. Everyone is eyeing the same customers and everybody wants to close that deal. If you don’t do your best to stand out from the crowd, you might as well just sit back and pray for apples to fall on your lap.

Growth, Expansion, Success

Once you’ve found a way to apply innovation in your business, it will allow you to create a unique selling proposition to your customers. You can show them how much more you can offer them compared to your competition. When done well, innovation will give you a bigger piece of the sales pie and possibly even market dominance.

Lead the Way

So where does it start? The drive to innovate must come from the top. It’s the CEOs and Presidents that have to spearhead the push for innovation. Their influence will then trickle down to the very people who work in the back offices and even up into the worksites.

Great innovation inevitably requires a lot of internal “selling” of the idea in order to build political support among top management and staff.

If the owner is adamant about implementing a specific change, it will reflect even to the most casual employee.

How Can You Innovate?

Analyze the current situation and find areas for improvement. It all starts with some creativity and imagination. Find problems that haven’t been solved yet. Are there questions that have never been answered? What conventional way of thinking do you believe is not true at all? How can you challenge the norm in such a way that you will cause improvement?

For example: Business depends highly on technology. At the same time, technology also enables new business opportunities. It opens windows to new ways of operational efficiency, sales opportunities, or even progress analysis. Maybe you can utilize tools that your competition isn’t using. Maybe you can attack each project in a way that hasn’t been done before.

What about work collaboration… There are a lot of useful tools for innovative collaboration. All you need to do is explore them and test it out to see how your build process can be improved. Find ways to shorten the build time or maybe handle more projects at once.

You should also look into software that’s specifically-tailored for your type of business. These types of tools have been designed with your specific operations in mind. Construction scheduling software is a good example of this, especially knowing how big a role organization plays in project coordination.

Innovation is no lucky accident. It has to come from a dedicated push and a disciplined process which will stem out to all parts of your construction business. If you do it correctly, it could spell market dominance and thousands of dollars in increased revenue.

So today ask yourself, how can my construction company push for innovation?

 

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Tips for Handling Multiple Projects

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Home builders are often working on more than one project at a time. In fact, that’s our goal isn’t it? To have a constant stream of projects and the capacity to take on all of them at once.

The problem is that oftentimes, we are quick to commit to new projects even when our companies are not yet that equipped to handle the onslaught of tasks and deliverables. So in this post, we’re focusing on practical tips on how to effectively juggle multiple home construction projects.

1. Preparation is king

Before you start on the construction of a home, it’s of utmost importance to be as prepared as you possibly can. Gather all the information that you need. Make sure that you’re complete with all of the permits and paperwork. Ensure that you and the client are on the same page in terms of expected results. Check if you have sufficient manpower to take on the project. Double check the financials. Set project milestones. Finalize your expected project completion date. You don’t head out into a war without the proper tools! Preparation 101 is the first step to any project.

2. Don’t leave broken windows

We’ve mentioned earlier that you should set milestones for each project. Window installations? Roofing? Waterworks and piping? Electricals? Make sure that they are set at a reasonable schedule. It’s a given that plans will change as the project progresses and schedules will have to adjust, but when we say don’t leave broken windows, it means, don’t leave problems unattended. No matter how small an issue is, make sure that it’s properly addressed. Even the smallest problems will snowball especially when we’re dealing with multiple projects at a time.

3. Set up a monitoring system

So you’ve already set a schedule and sometimes they need to be adjusted, now the key is to make sure that everything is constantly monitored. Set up a monitoring or report system that is accessible to key people in the project. This is good for accountability and quick status updates.

4. Proper information dissemination

Deadlines are often adjusted and we always have to deal with various delays in delivery or completion. Vendors or contractual employees can change in the middle of a project. Clients almost always change their minds about the most trivial details. As a project manager, it’s your job to ensure that these changes are properly communicated to the rest of your team. Don’t monopolize the information. Share them and gather everyone on the same page. This is crucial when you’re doing more than one project. We don’t want you getting confused either.

5. Delegate!

No man is an island. You are not Superman. There is no “i” in team. Delegate!

When you’re trying to juggle several projects at a time, you need to ensure that tasks are distributed to the proper key persons. A good leader knows how to instruct and motivate his followers. Your company will not grow if you refuse to let go of the reins. Let your people do their job. In fact, do your best to train people so that they can take over some of the high-level tasks as well. That way, you can focus on getting new projects and further expanding your construction business.

To check out the best tools for multiple project management, check out SAM and VIC.

The Better Construction Manager: Why You Should Stay Organized

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What Makes a Good Construction Project Manager?

A single home construction entails hundreds, if not thousands, of tasks. No task is too big or too small. Everything has to be done on time – in a way that is best for both the homeowner and the contractor. And when several projects happen at the same time, chaos can break loose if you’re not prepared for the challenge.

So wait, how can you be prepared? What separates the best construction managers from the lousy ones? The answer lies in one word- Organization. Being organized.

Benefits of Being Organized

But why is it important again? Why can’t we just wing everything and let the dice fall where they may? To remind you, we’re listing down the top benefits of staying organized.

Focus – An organized person removes clutter, distractions, and hindrances. Basically, anything that isn’t helpful gets put away in its proper place. The result? Laser-focus. Once you declutter, whether it’s your work desk, email inbox, tools cabinet or your mind, it’s much easier to think. It’s easier to focus on the task at hand, as well as the bigger goal.

Double Productivity – You can even triple it! With less time and mental resources wasted, you will have more time for more important tasks. You will have more brainpower left to properly delegate your team, think of solutions to pressing issues, or even stay ahead and craft effective contingencies.

 

Positive Business Image – Who would you rather work with: a frazzled project manager or a calm one who is always on top of his or her projects? If your team sees you being all organized and in charge, they will be inspired to follow suit. Clients who see how organized you are will also correlate it with professionalism. This can roll over to positive recommendations which can lead to more projects.

Lower Stress Levels – A clean desk, an organized calendar of activities, a carefully planned week, teammates who know exactly what they need to do, and more time on your hands… all of these equate to less stress! An organized manager is not only more successful, he or she is also much happier. Hey, if there’s a way to delay the onset of more wrinkles, we’re all game for that!

Want to find out more about how you can coordinate your projects with ease? Click here to learn about SAM- The Superintendent’s Automated Manager. It’s time to be the better construction manager.