In this blog we discuss the common challenges of running a structural trade business. Do you know the management info you should have access to across every site to make sound business decisions?
There is a common theme for bricklayers, concreters, steel fixers, painters, P/T contractors, Concrete pumpies, scaffolders and form workers. That is, if you are running a successful business, then you are running multiple job sites at the same time.
How up-to-date is your info?
We have a challenge for you! Ask yourself, do you know how every single job is progressing right now?
Do you know how much you are spending on labour and materials per job? Or overall?
Every single contractor struggles with these challenges. We hate to break it to you, but if you answered “not quite” to the above questions, then you don’t have control of your business.
You don’t have access to real time job site information and analytics. There is no way to know exactly what is happening within your business at all times.
You’ve missed the boat!
Often the best case scenario is that by the end of the week, you realise what has actually transpired at a job site.
By this time you could have blown the budget on overtime, or used materials that were not originally accounted for. You are already a week into it and it is way too late to make changes in how you have allocated labour or materials.
You’ve missed the boat and you may have even spent money that you didn’t have! You run over the budget for the week, month or quarter and can’t see a way that you can claw the over spend back.
How accurate is your info?
We are out and about talking to structural trade business owners day in and day out. We know that businesses are being run on spread sheets, carbon copies, text messages, e-mails and phone calls. It is a mission to keep track of your info and it’s accuracy across multiple devices and hard copies! It is impossible to know with any certainty whether the information you are getting from your job sites is accurate.
We have even seen carbon copies delivered to a head office covered in mud where it is hopeless to try and make out the hand writing!
How quickly can you access your info?
Remember that daily log form that you couldn’t find? (It’s probably sitting in a supervisor’s Ute somewhere….) Imagine now you need that very form to remedy a site problem. No matter how hard you try or how many phone calls you make, you can’t put your hands on that form.
We have seen job sites where photos for one project are stored across 5 mobile devices and two cameras. Collating them turns into a nightmare!
How much time are you wasting?
Best case scenario after many wasted hours and effort you finally locate that form. Worst-case scenario your time and effort has resulted in a zero outcome.
How many hours are your admin team spending collating carbon copies? Or trying to read dodgy hand writing? How many hours of data entry are they putting into spreadsheets built to attempt to manage 60+ workers and multiple sites
There has to be a better way!
Neo Intelligence is a purpose built construction operations management app for structural trades. It is an easy to implement and use app managed on an iPad. It helps you manage daily log sheets and site diaries with the ability to add notes and progress photos. You can then save them to a central location. It completely streamlines timesheets, resource allocation and company QA forms. It helps you allocate, track and control workers, equipment and materials across multiple job sites. What is more you can run detailed reports on project progress and targets at the click of a button.
Sound too good to be true?
It’s not. Our Neo Intelligence app was built by tradies for tradies. We developed it to solve the paperwork and bottle necks in our family concreting business. We know it works! And our customers agree.
So if you thought you were in control of your business, but have realised that actually you are not. That you are wasting time with slow access to inaccurate and out of date info, then why not get in touch for a free demo of our app?
We offer comprehensive training to help your tradies adapt to new tech. Even your most old school tradie or foreman can use it. And what’s best is that it practically pays for itself.
