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Improve Client Satisfaction with Your Construction Estimating Software

Article Summary: Phillip P Gilliam is the President and CEO of Discover Software Inc. Phil 58, currently lives in Florida with his wife and youngest daughter, is a native of Ohio. He went to Wright State University and has over 37 years experience in marketing, construction estimating software, business management, construction and finance. http://www.easyestimating.com

In the construction estimating business, there are several vital principles you should practice that pave the way to positive results for both your company and your customer. Make sure that all of your "communications blueprints" are smoothly in place before you start a job.

The most effective way to do this is through your construction estimating software system that is dynamically linked with all of your processes; customer relationship modules, accounting, billing, inventory, job costing etc.

Open and frank verbal and written contact with your customer is particularly important from the moment you start working together. Make sure that you pay strict attention to every aspect of the project and communicate potential problems or missing items etc from the time that you open the bid until you finish the job. You know the questions to ask that your customer may not think to consider.

You should immediately, dynamically link your customer preferences to your construction estimating software after determining their exact needs so that your customer will see their project unfold in a way that is familiar to them and is close to, if not exactly, the way that they would want the project managed if they were in directly in charge of the crews.

Properly handling change orders is one of the most critical facets of utilizing your construction estimating software to properly communicate with your customer. Every project has a least a few.

For the protection and well-being of both you and your customer, every proposed change to the project should be agreed upon, detailed, price estimated, printed, and then signed by both parties immediately.

Construction estimating change orders not processed correctly can make or break you.

Although this is sometimes inconvenient, investing time to document that you and your customer are both on the same page will save you a great deal of headaches, and often money, in the long run.

Moreover, if all of the information is dynamically linkable to your inventory control, accounting software, job costing modules etc, your construction estimating software system can easily, rapidly and accurately distribute the information on the change orders and other alterations to the job to all parties with the simple click of a button.

Shipping errors, bad weather and sub-contractor schedule glitches happen. At times, owners may believe that everything is wrong with their project. Because the construction process is unfamiliar to them, many may assume that others' projects always flow along smoothly.

If the owner and the contractor are both mutually respectful, troubles can be worked out successfully. Fill in your customer regularly. Be up front when things go wrong. Customers are often not involved in the day-to-day workings, and often feel they are in the dark. Be ready with solution options if you have to present problems to an owner. The owners will most likely feel grateful for your resourcefulness.

Relax. Let the owner know that there are always going to be some problems with a job, and allow them to gain assurance in your confidence to be able to correct the situation by showing them in your behavior and your general demeanor that you have everything under control.

Every wise contractor realizes the business name is on the line with each job. A bad experience with an owner can damage your reputation, while a good experience will increase future business opportunities.

When a contractor submits a construction estimate on a project, it is implied that the contractor will furnish the tools, materials and labor documented in the estimate, and that the quality of the workmanship will be equal to or greater than current industry standards.

What isn't stated is that not everyone will go about meeting those standards in the same way. A construction crew is made up of people with varying degrees of raw talent and developed skill. Remember, no two contractors will be alike, and as a result no two contractors will necessarily run a job exactly like your liking, so learn to occasionally "bend with the wind”.

If your customer's needs, and terminology is integrate from the inception of the project into your construction estimating software, presenting your value to your customer can become an integral part of your construction estimating process.

Also, consider carefully who you ask to be a part of your company. A single individual that does not think and respond properly to your customer can undo whatever benefits that you may reap from your well tuned construction estimating software system.

The owner wants the project done as quickly and as well as possible, and under budget. Failing to use your construction estimating software as a tool to communicate properly with your client and to improve profitability on the job is like trying to build a house with a hand saw and driving your work crews to the project in a Yugo; it is by no means the most profitable and efficient way to do business., to complete the project and make a profit.

Always try to meet in the middle. Step out of your contractor shoes now and then to see the project from your customer's perspective and communicate on that level. When you make your customer happy, you reap the rewards.

Also, realize that keeping your customer informed of the progress of his project, even if the information is a problem, is always better than letting him find out on his own.

For this reason, your construction estimating software / job costing system should have percentage complete capability for each of the steps of the job, to allow you to review any problems with scheduling and completion and also allow you to work together with your customer on a timeline that will bring the project back on task.

It is a must that your construction estimating software allows for dynamic linking to your job costing system that accommodates percentage completion calculations. With this capability, should not hesitate to review the project with your client directly on your laptop on the job costing screen.

You can do this freely knowing that at any time you need, you have the ability to turn the laptop around, click on your actual construction estimating software bid and "massage" the costs, materials, labor etc. to provide an acceptable solution to the project problems to the satisfaction of your customer and yourself.

Article Source: http://www.upublish.info

About the Author:
Phillip Gilliam
Phillip P Gilliam has been helping professionals in construction estimating software, marketing, finance and business management for over 37 years. Phil has a wife and three daughters and resides in Florida. He attended WSU in Dayton, Ohio and obtained a CmfgE in Robotics. He presently is the CEO and President of Discover Software Inc. http://www.easyestimating.com