Businsess Management Systems for Remodelers

People are communicating faster, more often, and in many different ways.  Businesses are processing and storing more information, managing business processes differently and reaching different markets.   Technology and the internet is increasingly playing larger roles in our daily lives, but has not reached many of the small and medium sized remodeling businesses that could benefit from the services it provides.

This article defines 10 reasons of how technology and the internet can benefit remodeling companies like yours.  Specifically how a Remodeling Business Management Solution (RBMS) can help you save time, reduce costs, and take control.  A RBMS is a collection of services, technology, and software used to aide your remodeling company and business processes.

1. Contacts, Leads, and Customers:A RBMS can be used to manage, track, and analyze your sales leads.   Collect vital data and customer details to create detailed customer profiles while understanding customer preferences.  This information is instantly available to sales persons, production, and design.  We can use this information to identify new selling opportunities.  A RBMS can be used to establish a proven and repeatable sales process that allows more success in turning leads into customers.


2. Increase Communication:Increase the communication between Sales, Production, and Design.  Make it easier for customers to communicate concerns or issues with their project manager.  Your staff, customers, vendors, and suppliers all benefit from easy access and communication mechanisms provided by A RBMS.  Project and customer information is available 24/7, anytime, anywhere for authorized individuals.  Communicating is an effective way to prevent confusion.  You and your staff are not behind desks every day.  Use mobile technology to email specs or send contract agreements.


3. Save Time:Produce accurate estimates quickly using a customizable task and price database and pre-configured templates or assemblies.  Customers demand a quick turnaround from service providers.  Generate professional reports, contracts, and agreements quickly.  Less administration time will result in more time you can spend on sales earning more customers or in production ensuring consumer satisfaction.


4. Know your costs:“If you don’t know your costs, you’re going out of business – You just don’t know it yet!”  A RBMS will help in identifying all the costs associated with a project.  Unexpected costs or costs left on the table will directly decrease your profitability.  Integrating a RBMS with your Accounting System will further increase your understanding of your true project costs.


5. Leverage your marketing:Marketing is used to drive sales leads to your remodeling business.  A RBMS can be used to understand your marketing, where your leads come from, and the value of those leads.  How many sales leads were generated?   How many sales were generated from those leads?  What was the profit margin for sales generated from these sales?  Should you be purchasing leads from lead generation companies?


6. Analyze your sales:You must know the strengths and limitations of your sales team in order to lead, develop and retain the right salespersons for your remodeling business.  A RBMS can help you distribute leads, determine closing ratios, sales numbers, and ultimately profit margins.   Understand the extent to which your sales team has met their sales objectives.


7. Promote a professional Image:A strong market presence and staying relevant to customers are as important to remodeling customers as for all business.  Promoting your professional image is an important way for a company to stay relevant and technology is able to help.   A RBMS can consistently produce professional reports, contracts, and agreements with your company information and logo.  Your online presence and capability to communicate effectively enhances your company’s professionalism.  Potential customers will relate the quality of your estimates, specifications, and agreements with the perceived quality of your work


8. Selections and Customers:Customer selections and allowances and how they are managed are likely to determine the overall satisfaction of the customer.  A RBMS can help manage customer selections and allowances.   A customer’s choice can be communicated to the sales person, the designer, the project manager and confirmed by the customer.  You can effectively avoid the mistakes of incorrect or late orders that attribute to low project satisfaction, thereby eliminating negative comments from clients; who will be your best or worse form of advertising.


9. Projects and Resources:Understanding your project schedule, milestones, and resource allocation is about building efficiency in delivering projects and increasing customer satisfaction. A RBMS will help you understand the risks or opportunities that any one project may present.  Your company will ultimately have greater standing and competitive edge with both customers and craftsmen.


10. Tech is coolTechnology is not a fad! – Your customers are going to be there, the question is: “Will they find you?”  How many people do you know, including yourself, who buy things because of technology?  Imagine your RBMS being able to display project photos (before and after) for customers and future customers, or send change orders via email, and even confirm task selections online with your customers.  These services are likely to be the difference maker in selling a project to the increasing number of tech savvy consumers.

A RBMS is an investment in technology that can help your company grow.  It is an investment that can save time, reduce costs, and overall grow your business.  Investment is the key word.  Small business owners, me included, look at technology as a cost as opposed to an investment.   Investments typically assume a monetary or business return.   Do the math.  What kind of return can be realized from any one of the ten items specified above.  We must remember that it is not about where your business is now, but understanding where your business will be in 5 years.

Scott Gerold
ELMS Software
The Remodeler’s Estimating & Leads Management Solution
scott@elmssoftware.com
www.elmssoftware.com