Remote working is the great equalizer – many construction companies are having to pull back the in-office work and put on their sweatpants for some laptop time at home.
But many aren’t ready for this yet – how can construction companies quickly master remote work, keep their people safe and become the best versions of themselves.
1. Utilize the best collaboration tools on the market like Zoom and Slack
There’s nothing wrong with Google Meet, or GoToMeeting – and of course, there are other in-business chat programs out there on the market, but Zoom and Slack are great.
2. Don’t be afraid of video calls with your prospects and current customers.
Seriously so much work can be done over these platforms, and almost everyone is getting used to video chats at this time.
3. Now is a great time to get your construction management software (like CoConstruct or BuilderTrend) implemented or tightened up
CoConstruct – Pro from Software Advice: I love the simplicity and the training videos to help you along. The versatility is amazing. Con: The software is pretty good, but at times can feel just a little “clunky” (not refined…especially some of the “choices” and “specs and selections” areas.
BuilderTrend – Pro from Software Advice: Price point is good and customer service was outstanding. The 60-day trial was a HUGE plus. Most other companies offer 10-day trials. Con: It is a little cumbersome to learn from scratch, but every minute spent in learning can save hours later.
4. Use this time to get your best projects up on Houzz and your website
Maybe you think this feels more like ‘marketing’ vs. remote work advice – but honestly, it’s not just marketing to get all of your projects up on your website and on Houzz.
Current customers and people you’ve already started working with want inspiration and capabilities, and the more examples of the work you’ve done for others – the easier it is to sell additional services and add-on’s to projects.
5. Use this time to find structural, consistent ways to build culture beyond the in-person meeting.
We wrote a full post about maintaining a positive company culture during ‘shelter in place’ orders around the country. Check it out if you have the time – but the key points are:
Clear goals and rocks are important.
Do happy hours and have a ‘fun stuff’ channel on slack or similar.
Do a Instagram takeover a day by each employee!
6. Utilize the insane amounts of masterminds, video chats, and webinars out there about digital transformation – here are our 3 favorites so far:
- ContractorEvolve (Get fully remote in 30 days)
- Roofing Insights (And live workshops on Roofing Insights Facebook Live)
- Roofing Salesman (Live discussions on Facebook)
7. Ensure you’re people aren’t risking their health – certain aspects of construction are necessarily slowing down.
My brother said a recent construction project (commercial construction) he’s coordinating with has HVAC, Electrical and carpentry folks in at different times, in a more spread out manner.
So even if you don’t have to work from home – or be completely done with work (in states where there’s no mandatory shutdown) – projects may be a little looser and require better communication, and clearer explanation of timelines.
Wrapping up – embrace the pain, and efficiencies created by remote work
This won’t last forever, but perhaps some of the innovations you come up with during this time will.
Embrace the pain, settle into the new reality, and perhaps you’ll come out even better than before on the other side.
