Clone of 5 Reasons Your Construction Company Should Go Paperless
Technology has positively impacted all industries and the construction industry is no exception. 3D imaging gives you a new perspective on how to design and build a project.
Digital blueprint apps allow you to manage every aspect of your project without even setting foot on site. And document management systems let you share important information to different members of your team.
In spite of this, most construction sites across the country still rely on paper to get basic tasks done. The typical contractor is buried underneath a mountain of invoices, blueprints, timesheets, and more.
This is inefficient and puts your company at risk. 70% of businesses would fail within 3 weeks if a flood or fire destroyed their paper files and documents.
The Case for Going Paperless
28% of managers and 32% of employees in the construction industry are reluctant to incorporate technology. This is because many people don’t recognize the operational benefits of going paperless.
Here are five reasons why your construction company should go paperless:
Productivity
Construction productivity is lagging behind most other industries. The U.S. Department of Commerce found that productivity in the construction industry has remained stagnant since the 1960s.
This is because most construction sites use paper to manage their processes and deliverables. Technology allows you to access the information you need within seconds, not days.
By incorporating digital tools, like mobile construction management software, managers can minimize wasted time and increase productivity on site.
Accountability & communication
GPS capabilities and timestamping features allow you to keep track of what your employees did and where. Notifications can update you on the status of a form immediately after it’s been completed.
And your mobile dashboard acts as the headquarters for all of your company’s activities. You can store all of your data in one location and know exactly what’s going on at all times. This not only holds your employees accountable, but it also allows for seamless communication.
Save money
Printing costs continue to be a major expense for construction projects. One construction expert concluded that 37 million blueprints are printed every year.
Plus, blueprints are difficult to read and tedious to keep track of between the office and on site. And statistics show that the cost of rework from mishandled documents add up to about 5% of the total construction costs. By going paperless, you’ll get rid of unnecessary costs and save money.
Risk management
Paper-based safety inspections are unreliable and actually increase your company’s liability risk. With paper, it’s nearly impossible to track whether you’ve been regularly performing safety inspections.
And if an issue does arise, it can take days to find the right information and get it to the right person. Mobile construction management software lets you create standardized systems for collecting important information.
You can create mandatory fields so that inspections cannot be completed until all the necessary information is filled out. Automatic time and date stamps verify that your safety inspections were performed on time.
And GPS features prove that they took place at the correct location. Plus, you can easily access this information in the event of a lawsuit.
Get paid more quickly
When you use technology to keep your project on track, the milestones are completed more quickly and there is less lag time. Plus, everyone involved in the project is notified when something is completed so everyone stays on the same page.
Plus, mobile and cloud technology makes it easy to quickly invoice customers and receive payments. This means you don’t have to waste time sending contracts back and forth and waiting for a response. You get paid faster and customers are less likely to receive late or inaccurate invoices.
Final Thoughts
The construction industry has been slow to incorporate mobile technology, which is why it continues to lag behind other industries in productivity. And that’s unfortunate because mobile technology is helpful and easy to use.
It will increase your company’s productivity and cut the typical costs that come with paper processes. Transitioning to a paperless business takes time but it can be done.
Get in touch to learn more about how Raxar can help you transition to a paperless, more efficient company.
