How Specialty Trade Contractors Benefit from Scheduling Software

How Specialty Trade Contractors Benefit from Scheduling Software

The new McKinsey Global Institute study shows that specialty trade contractors suffer from lower productivity than the rest of the construction sector. Between 12% and 28% less than large-scale building contractors. This lack of productivity greatly impacts businesses and the industry. By not using something like a scheduling software to improve productivity a specialty trade contractor is missing out on making money. From scheduling your team to managing resources, here’s how scheduling software benefits you as a specialty trade contractor.

Integration and Overview

Scheduling software isn’t just about the schedule. A good construction scheduling software can integrate your various data management apps or tools into one project. This means you don’t have to spend a day moving the project into the scheduling software. It also means that all of the information across your different apps will be in one place, allowing for a better overview. And as a specialty trade contractor, having project overviews will greatly benefit your business.

Time Management

Using scheduling software as a specialty trade contractor gives you an overview of projects. The project overview can help you better manage your time and employees. You can see which projects are still open and what needs to be done on them. Having all of the information in one place also saves you time. Because you and your team can easily access your schedules. It also shows clients the timeline of their project. That way they feel involved and in the know about their project.

Data Management

Every project produces information, whether it’s a project status or a change order. And that information is crucial to you, your team, and your client. Using a scheduling software, you can take all that information and store it in one place. You, your team, and even your client can view the relevant information to the project, and if real-time tracking is included you can stay up-to-date. Having the information all in one place also makes it easier to find information in a hurry.

Real-Time Updates

You can’t be everywhere at once, but with real-time updates, you can keep up to date with your projects. If someone on your plumbing project experiences a delay, you and your back office will know. Or if a sheet of drywall cracked on a project, they can submit a change order that’s easily viewable by your office. Having access to real-time updates keeps you and your client informed of a project’s status. This gives you more control over your projects.

Resource Management

With real-time updates comes resource information. Scheduling software with real-time updates lets you see how your team is scheduled and updates to projects. It also allows you to see employee data, like if someone on your team has an area they excel. This information allows you to schedule employees to projects they’ll complete quickly and to your standards. It also allows you to see when you can get to projects and which projects you can take on. Which helps you, as a specialty trade contractor, grow your business.

Cost Management

The same real-time updates also help you, as a specialty trade contractor, manage costs. So if a project is about to go into overtime, you will know. Or if a project is about to go over budget. You can set alerts to know when a project will go into overtime, or over budget, and determine if it will benefit the project. It lets you and your clients make important calls on projects. It also prevents unplanned costs from appearing at the end of the project. And you can use the information to prevent it in the future.

Business Strategy

Having access to old and current project data gives project managers access to troves of information. This information helps them and you better plan for future projects. You can find new ways lead cost-effective projects in the future. It will help with budget allocations. You’ll know which projects are wasting resources and how to prevent resource waste in the future. This will benefit your business.

Scheduling Software and the Specialty Trade Contractor

Knowledge is power, and scheduling software can provide your business with a lot of information. Scheduling software isn’t just a planning tool for presenting your idea to your client or stakeholders. Scheduling software offers a wide range of tools and data to help grow your business and increase productivity. You chose to enter the market as a specialty trade contractor, so let specialty scheduling software help grow your business.