Just a decade ago all business in the construction industry was conducted entirely through paper. Now you have the ability to report time, make change requests, dispatch service calls, and much more. Technology over the past decade has only served to enhance the construction industry, mobile apps in particular. In this blog post we’ll look into three areas where mobile apps have changed the game.
Time Reporting Made Easy
In the “Olden Days” time cards was the main way construction workers submitted their hours into the front office. This has been a common practice for all industries for many years. Over time technology changed the way employees can enter time. Whether it be swiping a badge or entering the info via computer, technology has changed the way time is being reported. The construction industry has been one of the last to incorporate technology into time-reporting practices. Part of this is due to reality. Contractors work in the field, not an office, so a working computer is not readily available to them. Enter in mobile apps. Now all you need is a mobile device and an internet connection. With a mobile app like TimeLinc you can deploy a specific list of jobs, cost categories, employees, and equipment to specific devices in the field. Now you can obtain the most accurate information. No longer will an employee have to spend time reading and sorting through time cards, and that’s if they’re legible!
Dispatching Service Calls? No Problem!
Imagine being able to dispatch service calls in the field. Wouldn’t that be great? Fortunately technology allows this dream to become a reality. TechLinc for example is an app that can work wonders for service techs. One of the biggest advantages now is being able bill instantly. TechLinc creates a digital invoice, can capture a digital signature, and then email the invoice to the customer instantly. Before you would perform the job, obtain the customer’s signature, and then send the signed work order to the office. So before you can even bill the customer you have to wait for the signed slip to arrive. Finally after receiving the slip you can mail out the invoice to the customer and when the invoice is received the customer pays. This entire process can take well over two weeks to complete. With TechLinc you have the ability to bill the customer the same day the work is performed. Now isn’t that amazing?
Change Requests Now Just A Few Clicks Away
So you’re working a job and along the way you have to make changes to that job. The way you bill a customer for that is through a Change Request. You write it up, get the customer to sign and then send it to the office for review. After the office reviews the Change Request they then mail out an invoice to the customer. This process could take weeks to complete! With mobile apps like ChangeLinc you no longer have to be at the mercy of the Post Office. ChangeLinc allows you to generate T&M Slips, can capture a digital signature from a customer, and then email out the invoice instantly. Like TechLinc you can dramatically decrease the time it takes to send out an invoice. Increasing your ability to bill.
Mobile applications have changed the way construction companies do business. Just 5 years ago these functionalities were not possible, so imagine how different things will be just 10 years from now. One of the biggest advantages is that only a mobile device is needed. Construction workers do not normally have access to a computer on-site, but they each have a mobile device. With that mobile device, they can now do more than ever thanks to the emergence of mobile apps.
The STRUCTUREmobile FieldLinc suite has a collection of mobile apps that grant you key functions of STRUCTURE while in the field.