Elissa Arms, Content Writer, Raken
In the construction industry, projects often last several weeks or even months. Most customers expect to receive periodic updates as work is completed. Keeping your customers informed with detailed, accurate field data boosts overall satisfaction and generates repeat business. You’ll establish better client relationships built on trust.
In the days of pen and paper reporting, collecting information from the field and sharing progress with external stakeholders could be a long and time-consuming process. Thankfully, modern technology makes customer engagement much easier.
There are three main benefits to actively engaging
with customers:
■ Reducing the risk of disputes
■ Preventing rework
■ Increasing overall customer satisfaction
Keeping customers involved in the building process helps prevent miscommunications that could lead to costly disputes or rework. Projects proceed more smoothly when all stakeholders have a good idea of what’s going on at the jobsite. Construction companies that deliver regular progress updates build a reputation for being trustworthy and competent.
While increasing customer engagement is a noble goal, it can be difficult to balance better communication practices with the day-to-day tasks of completing a project.
Data needs to be collected from the field and organized in a clear, easy-to-understand format before it can be sent to customers. Expectations must be set for both the type of information field teams should capture specifically for customers and how and when
that information is communicated. If any part of this process is overly complicated or requires a significant amount of time to complete, there’s a chance the negative effects of your customer engagement strategy will outweigh the benefits. It’s important to choose the right tools to help your team communicate effectively with customers.
Digital daily reporting helps your field and office teams more quickly and easily collect and prepare jobsite progress updates for customers and it can help you improve your internal reporting processes as well. There are many options for digital reporting software on the market. Look for the following features.
Your field team is busy with construction work all day. In order to enhance the data they collect through daily reports, you’ll need to give them the right tools.
Digital reporting software with a user-friendly interface, mobile data capture and voice to-text recording capabilities makes collecting high quality field data simple. Some applications also provide prebuilt checklists and report templates that streamline
reporting even further. With these kinds of features, field contractors can quickly record jobsite progress without adding extra stress to their workday. You’ll receive more accurate insights that will keep you and your customers better informed.
Some digital reporting software allows for the recording of visual data. Being able to share photos and videos of the jobsite gives customers the clearest view possible of how a project is coming along.
It can be difficult to communicate progress with text-only reports, particularly if your customers are not well-versed in construction terminology. Photos and videos close the gap between what customers know and what they can clearly see.
What’s better than more accurate project insights? The answer is more accurate project insights in real time.
Your chosen digital reporting technology should utilize cloud storage so data can be shared between field and office instantly. With real-time updates, your project management team can stay on top of any potential changes to project budgets or schedules and clearly communicate them to customers with little delay. They’ll appreciate that you’re keeping them as up-to-date as possible and that you give them advanced notice when adjustments will need to be made.
With digital reporting, you have the opportunity to automate what once was a manual process. Some software automatically publishes branded reports you can easily download and send to customers, saving you additional time. There’s no need for complicated documents or spreadsheets.
Additionally, if you use project management or accounting software for your construction business, there may be a digital reporting solution that integrates with your current systems. That means seamless data sharing, for even better project visibility.
Consistently sharing detailed updates with your construction clients improves customer satisfaction and establishes your business as a trusted resource. Improving customer communications reduces disputes and mitigates risk by keeping both parties aware of progress and invested in the success of a project.
Just like technology helps many of us communicate better in our personal lives, it can also enhance professional communications, including with customers. Implementing digital daily reporting software that streamlines both the collection and sharing of information is the best way to keep customers engaged and informed.
Elissa Arms is a content writer at Raken, the cloudbased software built to streamline updates from the jobsite to the office. Raken helps boost productivity and visibility with real-time field data, photos and documentation, all while saving time on workflows such as daily reporting, time tracking and safety management.
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