How to Streamline Operations in Your Construction Business

Only a very small portion of a contractor's workday is spent doing actual fieldwork. Often, contractors and techs spend most of their time doing non-fieldwork activities such as coordinating tasks, searching for information, and waiting for equipment.

According to research, the construction business is slow towards digitization and streamlining processes, with 40% of construction companies still using pen and paper on-site. Is there anything you can do to make your business processes faster?

Here's what you need to know about handyman business operations and how to serve your customers faster and more efficiently.

The Benefits of Streamlining Operations in Your Construction Business

Operations in a construction business range from building activities and workforce coordination to payment processing. Streamlining these operations is crucial to serve customers better and improve your business's bottom line.

Here're some benefits that should convince you to restructure operations in your construction business:

Your Business Meets More Deadlines

Streamlining operations can help your construction business meet more deadlines. This can be through reducing the number of people information must go through or improving your crew's happiness, health, and morale.

Streamlined operations allow your crew to work more efficiently and handle jobs faster.

Reduced Conflict

Most construction businesses have complex hierarchical management that complicates project approval and coordination since several departments and line managers must run down construction plans and other information before approval.

Such complex hierarchical structures can create conflict, with several crew and department members disputing each other's opinions and decisions. Streamlining operations by creating a simpler management model ensures minimal conflict, leading to work getting approved and worked on faster.

Increased Accuracy

Streamlining operations in your construction business benefits future jobs. Your crew and admins can work with more speed and accuracy since processes are fine-tuned, improving service delivery which is a crucial part of construction businesses.

How You Can Streamline Your Construction Business

Here are various ways you can improve operations in your construction business.

Invest More Time Planning Projects

Project planning is a crucial process in construction businesses. According to data, you can waste up to 90 minutes per person daily looking for stuff you need to keep work going.

Without proper planning, your construction business can suffer significant losses and errors that can hamper service delivery and lead to customer dissatisfaction. You should take enough time to strategically plan your projects, allowing for room and capacity to deal with unforeseen issues if they arise.

This means you should also encourage customers to give your crew ample time to plan and do an excellent job that will satisfy their requirements.

Invest in The Latest Construction Equipment

Using appropriate equipment for your construction work helps improve work quality and ensure you can deliver the project on time. Moreover, having the latest equipment helps reduce your labor needs, keeping your crew size small and manageable.

However, buying the latest equipment can be costly. You can look into various financing options to upgrade or buy new equipment for your business, such as getting business equipment loans or leasing equipment you need for only specific projects.

Work with Durable Materials

The type of materials you choose for your construction projects will directly affect the quality of your service. Durable materials last longer and are more cost-effective in the long run for your clients and your business.

Therefore, you should influence your procurement process to favor high-quality, durable materials over cheaper ones that often need a rework after short use. However, you should not lean toward the most expensive options. Price doesn't always correlate to quality and durability.

Your admins should research the available options extensively to see which will last the longest.

Utilize Field Service Management Software

According to research, the construction industry is one of the least digitized globally. This makes adopting technology crucial to streamlining processes in the industry and improving service delivery.

Field service management software helps reduce project turnaround time, minimize human error, and effectively manage various projects and your crew for effective service delivery.

Field service management software helps improve communication between your crew and admins, keeps you updated in real-time about the progress of projects, helps schedule projects among crew members, and helps manage your accounts and finances through effective payment processing.

Have Fewer Meetings

Meetings can be good or bad for a construction business. Meetings are a necessary tool in management, useful in project planning, establishing the progress of a project, and getting customer requirements or feedback.

However, meetings can be ineffective if conducted too frequently, contributing to time wastage. You should aim to conduct the minimum number of meetings possible with clients, crew, and departments to ensure most time is spent doing useful work.

You can start by creating a strict meeting schedule that everyone must attend, with early announcements of the agenda to ensure everyone comes prepared with what they will present. Also, delegate responsibilities for each meeting to ensure someone is assigned to provide the necessary updates and information for each department or crew to save time.

Shift Your Focus to Sustainability

Sustainability is an important part of modern construction businesses. As demand for new construction increases, construction businesses with ineffective operations contribute significantly to global waste, which is detrimental to the environment.

According to data, the construction industry generates over 146 million tons of waste annually. About 30% of new materials delivered for a project are often unused and discarded, contributing to a significant portion of this waste.

Streamlining operations in your construction business by focusing on efficient work and inventory processes helps reduce wastage and promote sustainable construction. You can also consider switching to modular construction and working with reclaimed materials to reduce waste and contribute positively to the environment.

Invest in a Safer Job Site

The construction industry employs many people. However, despite the industry's growth, data shows that 20% of on-the-job fatalities happened in construction sites.

Most of these accidents can be avoided by streamlining operations at a construction site. For instance, ensuring site assessments are conducted before a job starts ensures workers operate safely away from potential hazards.

You should also enforce strict safety measures, such as wearing the right gear to ensure your workforce is not affected by safety incidents that will taint your business's reputation.

Get an Effective Software Solution

Streamlining operations in your construction business will help improve your business's credibility, customer satisfaction, and bottom line. Get a professional software solution that will help improve your business's operations in the long term.

Author Bio

Garrett Wilson is the President and Co-Founder of FieldBin. FieldBin is a field service management software designed for trade business owners. The software allows professionals in the fields of Plumbing, HVAC, Electricians, Roofing, and Commercial Cleaning to solve their back-office nightmares quickly. Garrett has expertise in Marketing and Project Management, with experience in multiple industries, including cyber security, healthcare, and manufacturing.