Southern California-based Alloys Sheet Metal specializes in sheet metal, architectural metal siding, aluminum composite material, and waterproofing. They cater to banks, schools, hospitals, and other institutions. Founded just three years ago by Bryan Lopez, Alloys was struggling to maintain efficiency in their project management due to the use of complex, hard-to-use software with lacking customer service and support.

It’s important in any business to measure productivity and to manage projects effectively, but it’s especially important when you’re a newer business with growth aspirations.

Lopez recognized from the start how important tracking productivity was to effectively managing his projects.

“Being able to track productivity and manage projects is very important,” said Lopez. “If I can’t track my project then I don’t know if I’m making money, and if I’m not making money and we’re losing hours, I’m stuck.”

The difficulty, however, was that Lopez was using two different software platforms to help him with various project management needs — and neither was particularly effective.

“A lot of the software out there is made for GCs, general contractors. They’re not tailored for us. eSUB is.”

Bryan Lopez, Owner, Alloys Sheet Metal

“First of all, customer service was not great,” Lopez said. “The app itself was very complex, very hard to use. And if I had a question, I had to wait for sometimes weeks to get an answer or there were a bunch of different people to deal with, and I couldn’t get what I needed quickly.”

For Lopez, a change was obviously needed.

He began his search online, looking for a new alternative, and discovered eSUB.

“I literally fell in love with everything that I was looking at,” Lopez said. “A lot of the software out there is made for GCs, general contractors. They’re not tailored for us. eSUB is.”

Lopez appreciated the fact that eSUB was easy to use, and didn’t come with a lot of features he didn’t need, and a simple interface that wasn’t crowded by unnecessary steps.

He offered a comparison to how some other, more complex software is.

“They have a lot of stuff that you just don’t need, like for example, there’s a lot of unnecessary cost codes.”

But with eSUB, the focus was on Lopez’ requirements as a specialty contractor. 

“When it comes to eSUB, I feel like everything I need is right there,” he said. “Nothing that I don’t need.”

In construction, time is money. And being able to move quickly, and efficiently through tasks (even when it comes to software tasks) is vital. The last thing you need is to scroll through complex menus where 70% of the features are irrelevant.

“[There are bigger software solutions out there], but they have a bunch of features that I really don’t need,” said Lopez.

Lopez’s experience with eSUB has night and day from previous software companies in some key areas. One important factor for him was customer service.

“I used to work for another company, and they used software very similar to eSUB,” he said. “And every time I had an ‘oopsies’ or a question, it was just a mess. I never I never had like one person.”

So, Lopez found himself stuck in a game of, well, telephone, where he would constantly have to re-explain his issues to try and get a resolution.

“There was always one and then the next and then the next and then the next, and I was always trying to go back and explain.”

With eSUB, Lopez values that he has one contact who is quick to follow up.

“I love the way you guys do it,” he said. “If I have a question, Yvette [Lee, Sr. Client Success Manager], is on the spot. I email or call and she emails back. She follows up with me.”

“Sometimes I feel bad that I don’t respond as quickly as she’s responding!”

Lopez’s experience with eSUB has night and day from previous software companies in some key areas. One important factor for him was customer service.

“I used to work for another company, and they used software very similar to eSUB,” he said. “And every time I had an ‘oopsies’ or a question, it was just a mess. I never I never had like one person.”

So, Lopez found himself stuck in a game of, well, telephone, where he would constantly have to re-explain his issues to try and get a resolution.

“There was always one and then the next and then the next and then the next, and I was always trying to go back and explain.”

With eSUB, Lopez values that he has one contact who is quick to follow up.

“I love the way you guys do it,” he said. “If I have a question, Yvette [Lee, Sr. Client Success Manager], is on the spot. I email or call and she emails back. She follows up with me.”

“Sometimes I feel bad that I don’t respond as quickly as she’s responding!”

Like a lot of newer, growing subcontracting businesses, there are hurdles to overcome. One of the struggles facing Lopez was cashflow. It’s a common theme in the industry.

Lopez appreciated that eSUB was flexible with its pricing and could work with him to find a payment arrangement that worked for eSUB and Alloys Sheet Metal.

“…[eSUB] actually knows construction.”

Bryan Lopez, Owner, Alloys Sheet Metal

“We were very tiny, and I had very few projects,” Lopez explains. “I was struggling with cash flow, and eSUB was actually able to [work with me on pricing]. No other companies wanted to do that.”

But eSUB understood Lopez’s situation — because it’s common for businesses just starting out.

“That really helped out our situation,” he said. “Because, when you’re new and when you’re growing it’s hard, right? But [eSUB] actually knows construction.”

Early on for any business the work can be overwhelming. In construction things are always busy, and the challenge of getting “old school” construction workers to adopt new, digital tools can be a big hurdle.

While the end results pay off, the pains of getting guys bought in are real. And Lopez appreciated how easy to use eSUB is in helping to get skeptical crews on board.

“I work with a lot of old school guys. They’re not really tech savvy,” Lopez explains. “They’re really great construction workers, but when it comes to the paperwork side, they struggle.”

So, for Lopez, anything that was going to be too complex would likely only cause additional friction.

“One of the things I like [about eSUB] is that technically there are the same steps to do everything,” Lopez said. “We didn’t have to go through a bunch of menus, and it was just literally simplifying things.

That intuitive user experience not only helped Lopez with managing projects more efficiently, but also helped when it came to getting his crew comfortable with the software.

“It was easier for me to teach my guys first and foremost,” Lopez said. “That’s important to me.” The simplicity, and repeatable steps in the eSUB app, makes the software easy to navigate for Lopez and his crews.

“…it was just the easiest and simplest app to use for my field.”

Bryan Lopez, Owner, Alloys Sheet Metal

“Essentially you repeat everything,” he said. “If you want to take a picture it’s the same process. If you want to do a report, it’s the same process. You just add and select it. It’s nice and easy. Very simple to navigate.”

For Lopez that was the biggest factor in selecting eSUB.

“That’s what made me go with eSUB,” he said. “Because it was just the easiest and simplest app to use for my field.”

And his field crews have become more and more comfortable with the app over time as well. They’ve even come to realize not only the importance of using it to manage projects, but the part they play in helping get things done more efficiently. There’s a sense of pride.

“They’re better at it now,” Lopez said. “And I’ve shown them the benefits and they feel proud of themselves.”

Lopez holds bi-weekly meetings to go over software usage, and to review project statuses, and that’s where the true realization of their impact shines.

When they see their reports, with their signatures held up as good examples of what to do, that pride is on full display.

“It makes them feel good,” he said. “And that kind of motivates them like, ‘hey, I can really do this. I like this.'”

That adoption in the field has benefited Lopez as well, because getting the crew bought in to using eSUB frees up his time.

“It’s challenging especially when you’re trying to work in the business and on the business at the same time,” he said. “But now I don’t have to visit the sites as often because I have all the information that I need available from the office.”

That’s been huge for Lopez to keep a big picture view of what is going on day-to-day.

“I can get it really quick and tell my guys to take a picture, send a report,” he explains. “It’s just easy for me. I don’t have to do it myself.”

Because eSUB makes it easy for his team to use and track all their projects so much more effectively, they’ve saved time which, in turn, has enabled Lopez to take on more projects — and bigger projects.

“I’m focusing on larger projects, and without eSUB it would just be a bunch of hours of work and time for me trying to figure it all out,” he relates. “I don’t think I would be able to manage a lot of the projects that we have gotten.”

eSUB has helped Lopez grow Alloys Sheet Metal’s business over their first year using the software and has them poised for even greater growth in the near future.

“Our first year with eSUB, we probably had $900,000 to a million in projects,” Lopez said. “And right now, we’re going to end up with about $1.9 – $2 million. And by next year, we’re probably going to double that as well. Hopefully.”

For Lopez the increase in bandwidth he’s gained by using eSUB has helped his business thrive.

“That confidence that I can bring on more projects and be able to manage them more efficiently. It’s a good feeling to have.”