This Fourth of July, as America celebrates a young 242 years as a free nation, you might be tempted to think of other things you’d like to break free from — debt, social drama, jury duty or perhaps work-related stress. If you’re a contractor still using too many manual processes or having to do even more work because of outdated technologies, that last item might be foremost on your mind, and it might be time for a change.

In many cases, contractors are using a generic enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that’s not designed for the construction industry. While this type of software keeps your whole team in one system, it often fails to meet all of your needs. Contractors commonly complain of inadequate cost control, disconnected billing systems, inefficient approval workflows and more.

It’s also common for construction businesses to adopt software piecemeal or at the department level. The problem with this approach is what might work for one department might not work for everyone. In this case, you often end up with data in multiple software programs that don’t talk to each other. And as JBKnowledge’s 2017 Construction Technology Report notes, many companies have to rely on spreadsheets or other manual processes to move data between them, which takes extra time and effort and impedes data visibility across departments.

Furthermore, work in the field, invoices and billing in the back office, analysis of current project data and progress and many more processes get held up as legacy software programs don’t have the power or functionality to move workflows in real time.

Here’s the thing: It doesn’t have to be this way. You can declare your independence from subpar software and put your business on the path to a more efficient, cost-effective and successful future.

Integrated Construction Software Boosts Productivity

What’s the alternative to software that doesn’t cut it? Integrated software designed specifically for the construction industry. A construction-specific ERP has the features contractors need to significantly improve productivity, both in day-to-day work and throughout entire projects. This type of software platform:

• Uses construction-specific data, terminology, forms, fields and processes
• Effectively tracks and manages construction equipment and materials
• Automates processes throughout the organization and project teams to significantly reduce tedious and redundant tasks
• Boosts collaboration across entire project teams — from the office to the jobsite and beyond — through intuitive tools, dashboards and workflows
• Is scalable to contractors’ current and future needs

A construction ERP designed for a business like yours means you can avoid all the headaches associated with trying to make generic or outdated solutions fit your processes.

Construction-specific software can eliminate many headaches for contractors.

Consider the Cloud

What’s better for your organization’s productivity and profitability than a construction-specific, integrated ERP? Consider one that’s cloud-based. Why? Because most business taking place today is being done in the cloud.

From real estate to healthcare to education to financing, leading businesses have realized significant advantages to moving their operations to the cloud, and construction is no exception. Cloud-based construction ERPs not only secure and back up your data; they reduce hardware and IT costs, ensure access to data in real time, enable collaborative tools to instantly share that data and save significant capital costs through more intuitive role-based subscriptions and features.

Cloud-based software also fuels more dynamic uses for mobile technologies like smartphones and tablets — crucial tools for enhancing collaboration and productivity in the field. Field teams can access critical data via their mobile devices or update the back office in real time by collecting and inputting data on the jobsite by using simple touch forms, scanning items, taking photos and even using Bluetooth or other technologies to input data automatically.

The ability to work with data in real-time that cloud-based construction ERPs provide enables faster, smarter decision-making, which leads to quicker projects, with less risks and higher profits.

So, don’t wait. Declare your independence from software that’s holding your organization back. Explore Viewpoint’s software solutions to find what your business needs, and if you have questions, get in touch. We’re happy to help you find the ideal solution for your company.