Brighton, UK – For a building company, being small doesn’t mean significant reduction in the amount of work that it has to handle when compared to a big building company. In fact, big companies can actually afford to pay for different employees for each role. A small business on the other hand has to have employees who can multitask in order to manage their expenses.Even so, having a construction software programme might seem like an unnecessary expense for smaller builders. After all, why should they pay for a software programme when they’re already paying people to do the same things?
James Sandwick, co-founder of BuilderStorm construction software answers, “With people, unless you have a very reliable team of people who work well together, you need to have managers. You need a person who will oversee everyone else's work.”
This person, according to Mr Sandwick, will either be a dedicated manager or an employee who also doubles up as a manager. “This system can be inefficient for a small building company. I mean, you are either paying a person just to oversee other people's work or you are asking an employee to split his focus in two or more directions”, he says.
He strongly believes that, when used properly, a construction software programme can do the job better for fewer resources. “You have an automated system that already knows the requirements of the industry. It comes with tools you need to run your business smoothly. It even reduces breakdowns that might occur due to human error”, he declares.
When it is pointed out to him that a small builder might still have apprehensions about taking on software that might prove to be too expensive, he shakes his head. “It is fair for a small start-up to be careful about how and where they spend their money. However, BuilderStorm is priced quite competitively”, he replies.
“Still, it is understandable for a business owner to be wary of a new product. This is why we offer a free trial. BuilderStorm is available for a free test run for up to a year. In fact, we have a free package for small business owners. The features are limited and it allows only 5 profiles for the company, but it still has the all features a small builder”
One of the biggest advantages the software offers is almost paper-free operations. All of the company's documents can be uploaded to the cloud storage. Once they’re saved on the BuilderStorm server, they’re accessible anywhere.
“Small builders can be out and about, networking & getting more business, and still be updated on the status of the current project.”, Mr Sandwick exclaims.
The features included in the software can help small builders send out group emails, RFIs, daily diary entries, and more to departments or single employees. They can also build up client satisfaction by sending on-site progress photographs to clients from their phones. They can approve procurements, orders, and job scheduling without having to physically be present.
Another huge advantage that BuilderStorm offers its users in the UK is the fact that it is BIM compliant. Building Information Modelling is a set of guidelines the UK government is phasing in to streamline the building industry.
BuilderStorm is a great way to make a small company started on the path to BIM compliance. To be eligible to apply for any government project, a company must be BIM compliant. For a small builder, government projects are a good way to build reputation in the market.