Category: <span>2018</span>

Category: 2018

How women are changing the roofing industry

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Women currently make up nine percent of the construction industry, which is a small percentage when compared with other industries. Construction has always been a male-dominated field. Even fewer women work in the roofing industry specifically; statistics from 2014 reveal that only 0.5 percent of U.S. roofers are female.

However, an increasing number of women are stepping up to the plate and female workers and leaders are making a difference in the industry.

Filling the Labor Void

The construction industry is facing a labor void for a variety of reasons. Prior to 2006, there was a surplus of workers, but the recession eliminated millions of construction jobs. Though our nation and industry have recovered, the general desire to work in construction seems to have diminished. This combined with the baby boomers’ retirement has created a labor void.

Women are an important part of filling this labor void, especially in roofing. Many women can withstand the physical demands of the job as well as men. Others are making waves in business or leadership positions.

The labor void is a serious issue facing the roofing industry. Maintaining an open mind when it comes to hiring more women will help us gain qualified workers and a fresh perspective.

Relating to Female Clients

Unfortunately, one of the stereotypes surrounding the construction industry (and other male-dominated industries such as auto mechanics) is that female customers can get scammed or overcharged because they have little knowledge of the traditionally male industry.

Having female representation in your company can help set prospective female clients at ease. According to Forbes, women now represent 70 to 80 percent of all consumer purchasing power. In some instances, women respond better to female representation when it comes to a new roof or roof repair. It can add a greater relatability factor and help alleviate the fear of being overcharged.

National Women in Roofing

Since it can be hard to get established in such a traditionally male field, National Women in Roofing (NWIR) was established to help support and advance the careers of female roofing professionals.

The nonprofit organization’s four main goals are:

  • Recruiting
  • Networking
  • Education
  • Mentoring

NWIR knows how much women can continue to benefit the roofing industry. It also recognizes how much intentionality and support is needed in this transition. NWIR welcomes both female roofing professionals and male roofing professionals who support the cause.

Note: This article first appeared on Cotney Construction Law’s blog and can be viewed here.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.

Extending the Life of your Drone

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By Malek Murison.

Drones are not like mobile phones. Ideally, you don’t want to be buying or upgrading to a new model every year. Instead, look at it as an investment in your aerial photography skills: the best way to reap the rewards is to keep your drone in great shape and performing to the max for as long as possible.

Think about coverage

The first thing you should do after buying a new drone is to organize some kind of cover. Things can (and probably will) go wrong at some point. The last thing you want is for your $1,000 gadget’s value to plummet down to $0.

Your best way to stop that from happening is to arrange insurance. Better still, most manufacturers offer coverage for the first year. For example, DJI’s Care Refresh package can be bought alongside a new drone to give you peace of mind and practical support in case you crash or damage your drone.

The company will attempt to get it working again or supply you with a new model.

Keeping on top of pre-flight checklists

Once that first year is through, most coverage policies will run out and regular insurance will be your best bet.

But besides that, you can extend the life of your drone by developing a flight routine based on care and accident prevention.

The best way to do that is to stick rigorously to a comprehensive pre-flight checklist. Keep on top of the status of your drone and avoid flying if there are any obvious problems or faults.

Keeping your drone safe when it’s not in use

As a drone pilot, one of the most frustrating things that can happen is your gear getting damaged when it’s not even in use.

Taking care when charging, installing updates and storing your drone is the best way t stop that from happening. Find as sturdy a case as possible to store your drone, and keep it out of the way of kids, pets and the elements.

Looking after drone batteries

A question plenty of pilots have is how to extends (or at least maintain) the life of drone batteries. Every second counts when you’re up in the air, so keeping your batteries performing to the max is essential.

Most drone manufacturers state that lithium polymer batteries should be stored at a temperature of between 5ºC and 27ºC. The lower the temperature the better, in fact. If they are being packed away for the long term, battery experts recommend making sure they have around 40% of charge.

When it comes to charging, the most common way to damage a LiPo battery is by overcharging it. So once your batteries hit 100%, unplug them. Experts also suggest that letting your battery drain to 0% on a regular basis will reduce its life in the long term.

 

Buying new batteries for your drone is usually an expensive process. Taking a few easy steps can help keep yours in good condition.

Practicing in something expendable

The majority of crashes and accidents happen when drone pilots are new on the scene or when complacency creeps in. So the best way to keep your valuable gear intact is to grow in confidence and gain more experience behind the controls.

For those in the former category, it’s a good idea to try your hand at flying something cheaper and relatively expendable. There are plenty of drones for beginners out there that won’t break the bank. You can also check out our post on the common mistakes drone pilots make to learn from the mishaps of others.

Interested in finding a drone that can extend your flight time, too? Check out this rundown of which drones stay in the air for longest.

Note: This blog first appeared on RT3 member Drone Base’s blog and can be viewed here.

Five Strategies for Making Construction Companies Better for Women

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BuiltWorlds recently facilitated a Future Workforce Forum meeting exploring the challenges faced by women in construction. The forum participants heard presentations about the personal experiences of women in the industry, while also engaging in a lively discussion about ways companies should respond to the hurdles that women face. The group came up with five concrete solutions for companies to make themselves welcoming to women:

  1. Qualify female colleagues

Numerous studies, such as this one from the American Association of University Women, have shown that women are often viewed as less competent than their male counterparts. One small way to address this issue is to highlight your female colleagues qualifications when you introduce them.

For example, Jamie Redmond, the Director of Operations at Redmond Construction, related that when she’s in a business meeting, one of her peers informs everyone, “this is Jamie, she leads our operations; she’s a great resource for you.”

  1. Amplify women’s ideas

Men often take women’s ideas and claim them as their own (see Dr. Arin Reeves’ study, “Mansplaining, Manterrupting & Bropropriating.”) In order to combat this issue, Redmond emphasized the importance of repeating a woman’s idea and crediting her for the idea ideas. It’s as simple as saying, “as Jamie pointed out, we should really pay more attention to this marketing campaign.”

  1. Ladies — make yourself a seat at the table.

According to the Harvard Business Review, the way women’s colleagues treat them is almost entirely due to bias and has no correlation with women’s actions. However, in hostile environments, women often have no recourse but to develop a thick skin and hold their ground.

Cathy Osborne, the VP of HR at Leopardo admitted that when she started at the company, the male leaders had a difficult time listening to her. “We had cultural issues because they were not used to having women in a leadership role,” Osborne said. “They’d say, ‘Cathy you don’t know construction.’ I’d say, ‘It’s not about construction. It’s about human capital…’ I have a seat at the table and I’m a business partner.”

  1. Put women in positions of power

Women in power empower other women. For example, as a smart, driven woman, Osborne recognizes the importance of recruiting and retaining female employees. Since she started at Leopardo, the company has “been seeing more strong project engineers, project managers, on the female side.” Osborne also makes sure that male superintendents support her project engineers. In large part due to Osborne’s work, Leopardo is now 27 percent female, not including the trades.

Lauren Enders, a Project Manager at Vortex Flooring, observed that having women run the show benefits everyone. “We have our first female partner,” she said. “She’s really good at maintaining a positive environment for our team… the women in our office make shit happen.” This, of course, means that women in power also empower the men around them.

  1. Make work-life balance a company priority

Women with children often hesitate to take on leadership roles in the field because of the large time commitment demands associated with supervisory positions. Roseanna Bloxham, a senior geo-environmental engineer at environmental consultancy RSK, observed in this article, “it’s really difficult for working mothers to be on site by 8 am, because most childcare facilities are not open at 6am, when they would need to drop off their children. Therefore, after having children female engineers are still tending to go back into desk roles.”

The industry cannot afford to deprive talented women from field leadership opportunities. If you want to attract young parents of all genders into field leadership, you need to implement family friendly policies. Try developing generous paid maternity and paternity leave policies. Look into flexible working options — in the digital age, a lot of office work can be completed at home. Hire assistants for your supervisors who can take on their administrative tasks. You will attract and retain more skilled employees with these policies.

With a precipitous decline in skilled labor, the construction industry cannot afford to alienate 50 percent of the workforce. By implementing these five strategies, you will make your company more competitive and profitable.

Note: This article first appeared on BuiltWorlds’ website and can be viewed here.

What are contractors doing about the labor shortage?

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By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

Korellis Roofing and Reliant Roofing are two contractors leading the way in solving the labor shortage by taking matters into their own hands and training the next generation of workers.

Last fall, we wrote an article about Korellis Roofing after they opened a dedicated training center for continued development and supplementing their apprenticeship program. Nearly one year later, they have drawn the attention of Indiana state leaders and recently had a visit from Congressman Pete Visclosky and his Chief-of-Staff Mark Lopez.

The Korellis Training Center utilizes inclement weather days to deliver in-house training for continued development, in an effort to attract and retain tradesmen and women. The visiting officials were given a tour by Workforce Development Manager Dan Stella and watched some of the apprentice training.

Reliant Roofing of Jacksonville, Florida was invited to speak at the International Roofing Expo last month in New Orleans to teach other contractors how to build their own skilled labor force. After CEO Sean Shapiro and President Cameron Shouppe were having trouble finding enough skilled roofers to fill their workforce, they designed a program to train motivated people.

“We started to look for people with good soft skills and a strong work ethic, not necessarily experience in roofing,” Shapiro explains. This strategy has proven successful for them. They’ve even been showcased by the Mike Rowe Works Foundation, a public charity that rewards people who train for skilled labor jobs that are in demand.

The construction industry as a whole is struggling with labor and workforce development and some of the industry’s biggest players are stepping up to address the issue. The Home Depot Foundation recently committed $50 million to train 20,000 new tradespeople by 2028 to fill the labor gap.

Tradesmen International reports that there are 143,000 vacant construction positions available nationwide and says filling the gap is going to take a concentrated effort on all fronts.

With labor being the number one issue facing roofing contractors, as reported in both the RoofersCoffeeShop.com trends report and the Roofing Contractor State of the Industry Report, it’s time to start taking matters into our own hands and developing the next generation of roofing professionals.

Photo credit: Korellis Roofing

Note: This article first appeared on the RoofersCoffeeShop.com blog and can be viewed here.

Top Uses of Aerial Imagery and Web-based Tools

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Contractors are quickly discovering the ways that aerial imagery can help them unlock new opportunities, cut costs and gain a strategic advantage.

Here are the top ways that contractors are leveraging the power of aerial imagery, according to Nearmap:

  1. Search and navigate – The search bar allows contractors to identify specific address, locations or points of interest and then quickly pan, zoom and navigate around the area. Nearmap constantly updates its imagery which means you won’t be sending crews onsite based on outdated information. Verify field reports, surveys, boundary lines and other data sources.
  2. Proposal development – High-resolution imagery can be used in proposals that create a professional presentation where you can emphasize the important details that you want to communicate.
  3. Targeting – identify more leads and target specific areas. The imagery shows unique characteristics of properties
  4. Communication – strengthen what teams can accomplish through better reports, board presentations and annotated communications.
  5. Measurement – accurate measurement data for estimates, quotes, and planning.
  6. Change detection – historical imagery for monitoring change, verifying what happened when, or viewing different times of the year.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on RoofersCoffeeShop.com and can be viewed here.

How technology is changing what it means to be successful in the roofing industry

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By Nate Stein, AccuLynx.

The roofing industry is changing right before our eyes; advancements in new technologies, building trends towards sustainable materials, more safety regulations, and the way we communicate with our leads and customers have all evolved from a simple paper to pencil business model. As these new models continue to invade and improve the roofing and contracting industries, business owners now have a greater stake when it comes early adoption and practical application of new tools and technology as they come on the market.

Using Technology to Help Manage Your Business Workflows

As a roofing business owner, you are constantly tracking new leads through your sales teams on a daily basis, and that volume is directly related to new business you manage every year. While the potential to complete more jobs is exciting, keeping track of all your projects can be a headache – not only for managers, but for office staff as well. Scavenging through your rolodex, cell phone or filing cabinet is a time-wasting activity that doesn’t actively help you be more organized. Investing in business management software specifically built for contractors like a CRM (customer relationship management) or ERP (enterprise resource planning) can streamline your customer acquisition and retainment process, while also allowing you to manage all of your finances and document management for your roofing business.

With a cloud-based data system, you eliminate the possibility of ever losing a customer’s information, while gaining unlimited access to the files and documentation your field staff need on a daily basis. Various departments in your business no longer need to refer to different databases, with out of date or conflicting information. All information is stored in one, centralized location, ensuring everyone has the same, accurate data.

ERPs give you the ability to manage the “business” side to your business, with integrations to procure supplies from your local branches, enter data and manage commissions, supplements and financial tracking with QuickBooks, and create estimates, contracts, and other necessary paperwork for jobs with the click of a button.

Business management has come a long way from Excel and carbon copies – roofers that take advantage of software have seen impressive returns on their ROI.

“It’s valuable to look not only at how quickly the company will gain back the initial investment in terms of cost-savings, but also at the number of man-hours the estimating team will save. When software reduces the number of hours spent estimating a project, it frees up time to bid and win more projects—which can multiply revenue many times over. [source] “

Take Flight with Drones & Aerial Roofing Measurements

Gravity no longer limits your abilities as a roofer. With aerial measurements and drone image capturing, you as a roofer have the option to expand your estimating and ordering capabilities through improvements in the way you approach any roof. Companies such as EagleView and SkyMeasure simplify the measuring of roofs. Instead of having your field staff climb on top of roofs all day and manually measure slopes and areas, you can place an order for an aerial roof measurement, automatically populate estimates and produce more accurate paperwork to homeowners and material suppliers.

Drones are also continuing to alter the roofing landscape. Equipped with 4K cameras, personal and professional roofing drones can fly over homes and capture detailed pictures of problem spots, which your sales team can then show to your leads in order to better visualize and explain issues and communicate with homeowners. Better yet, these drones can also be used to snap pictures of potential hazardous spots on roofs, so your crews can be well informed and prepare before they set a single foot on a roof again.

Direct Connections and Integrations with Material Suppliers

How have you been ordering your shingles, nails, and gutter coil up until now? Well, just like most every other roofer out there, you probably picked up the phone, made a call to the sales rep at your local branch, chatted for a few minutes, and then went on to ordering supplies for your roofing project. The all-too-classic happens, when you ordered black shingles, but you received brown ones, and those 1” nails you ordered ended up arriving as 1 ¼” nails.

While mistakes happen, it is annoying and unnecessary in today’s technologically advanced roofing world. Now, you can place orders with your local vendors online. New software tools allow you to browse different products that your supplier offers with real-time prices. From GAF Timberline Shingles to endless house wraps and sealants, you can order anything you need for all your roofing jobs. Real time pricing ensures you get up to date prices, so you can build accurate estimates. With supplier-direct ordering, you won’t receive those brown shingles and 1 ¼” nails you never ordered, and you can show your prospect an accurate estimate of what the project will cost.

The roofing industry is changing – processes that were once tedious, annoying, and time-consuming have been streamlined and automated by software and technology that help your business operate more efficiently across all of your teams. Embracing the dynamic changes happening today may seem overwhelming and impossible to keep up but provide limitless potential as you continue to scale and grow your business.

Note: This article first appeared on the AccuLynx blog and can be viewed here.

4 Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Roofing CRM

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Use of the right roofing CRM saves you time and money.

It is important to employ the right roofing CRM for your construction work. This enables you to streamline your work in an organized way. Because of achieved efficiency, you can save on time, which counts a lot in any project work. At the end of it all, you will realize that your project will not only be successful but will be cost-effective as well.

The software can be effective over a wide range of construction projects ranging from installation of drainage systems to roof treatment projects. This makes it very favorable especially for a company dealing with a wide range of operations within the construction industry. Now, there are so many systems dealing with this; most of them are designed generically, meaning they may not specialized for the construction work. For this reason, it is important to consider some key factors whenever you are purchasing the software to ensure you do not go wrong.

Consider your specific business needs

To establish the best CRM roofing software that is suited for your business, it is very paramount to, first, define the specific business needs. This means you need to have a very clear vision of what it is that you want to achieve. Some businesses may be after a software that can give them very quick service and able to generate quick data that can be interpreted as useful information. Other companies may want a software that is able to automate operations hence reducing unnecessary paperwork. There are also some that will be after enhanced communication and streamlined operations. Whatever the reason, you should be in a position to define to ensure you acquire the right software.

Ability to keep records in an organized manner

For any contract work to be completed in perfection, it is important to plan and to know the resources you are going to use. This may sound easy but if done without a proper system, you may leave out some very crucial materials. With this in mind, then you can acquire the right CRM roofing software that can meet the needs.

Ability to ensure well-managed customer relations

In contractual work, it is very important to keep records of your clients, their feedbacks and even any important records pertaining to the business relations. This helps in future works since you already have a documented history of their likes and dislikes. This also creates a good image with the client since they feel their services are personalized. You, therefore, need a system that is able to manage all this and also to retrieve this information instantly.

A software that is able to generate reports

Reporting is inevitable in every organization. Reports help in showcasing the work done and also in accounting for resources utilized. It may be tricky if you must design reports from scratch whenever they are needed. You need a software that can generate accurate reports the instant they are required.

With above to consider, you can be assured of selecting a roofing CRM software that suits your organization and one that can give you value for money.

Editor’s note: This article was first published on FollowupCRM’s blog and can be viewed here.

Technology and the customer experience

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By Heidi J. Ellsworth.

 

Consumers are demanding a customer experience that uses technology.  How your company embraces technology will make a big difference in your marketing opportunities for the future.  Amazon, iTunes and Google services are used by consumers everyday no matter which industry you are working in.  So why would roofing customers not look for technological solutions when they are looking for roofing services?

It is becoming more apparent, that the selling model is changing.  The days of demanding that the husband and wife both be present for a sales call is changing.  In fact, in the very near future some of the sales calls may only be online.  Consumers are finding your company in all different ways and demanding a different customer experience that uses technology.   Through referrals, social media and the Google searches, they are taking the time to educate themselves on roofing and the companies that provide roofing services.  It is a changing dynamic.

 

So, how do you adapt to this ever-changing reality?  I say, common sense.  If anything, the explosion of the use of technology is pushing the need for common sense more than ever.  But the basis of common sense is understanding your audience.  Take the time to understand how they are looking for roofing services and what their expectations entail.  It cannot be all technology, we know the importance of relationships but we also cannot live in the unrealistic world of “how it used to be.”  Sales and marketing needs to promote your entire business and needs to highlight how the company is delivering amazing service.  Technology must be a big part of the service process.  If the culture of your company and the business processes are not current with recent technology, customers will know.

 

Now is the time to evaluate how your company is incorporating technology and whether it is making for a better customer and employee experience.  Both groups need to be happy and we all realize that it will not be easy.  Taking the time to educate both customers and employees is crucial when it comes to adapting technology or when making significant changes.  As you review the following buyer behaviors, understand that by embracing technology for the ease of your customers and betterment of the employee experience, you are doing some of the best marketing you can for an improved customer experience for your business.

 

  1. Consumers are doing their research

The day and age of consumers being clueless about roofing is for the most part over.  Don’t get me wrong, there are many consumers who do not research before buying and hope for the best.  But as information continues to not only be obtainable but promoted, consumers are becoming more educated.  In fact, it is your manufacturers who are reaching out to the end user, whether it be residential or commercial, and working on not just advertising to them but educating them on what they deem as the best roofing solution.  You need to be ready for the educated consumer and have your sales team and production team prepared to work with them.

 

  1. They are researching your company 
    This statement may seem antiquated, but if you do not have a website, you need one. Consumers are looking for information on your company and it will start with your website.  But, it will not stop there.  They will check social media, reviews and industry information.  This is where being a part of an association can make a large difference.  Showing how your company is involved and validated by the industry is very important.  Make sure your online reputation and resources are up to date and spotless.

 

  1. They are self-qualifying 
    In the past we have talked about qualifying customers. Today, they are self-qualifying.  They are educated enough to look at your website and online resources and understand if you are a good fit.  This is why it is so important to know your customers and understand the audience you want to attract to your business model.  Then, make sure you are sharing the information that will convince the end-user that your company is a good fit.  The traditional way of obtaining 3 bids is dying on the vine due to time.  Consumers want to spend their time online qualifying the right contractor.  It might come down to two but very easily it can come down to that one company that really told the story online.  If the customer experience continues to be great, they will most likely not shop around and pay potentially higher prices for quality work.

 

  1. They want to be educated not sold 
    Time is what it is all about and if the sales process pressures the consumer, they are as likely to back away. They want to be educated so they feel they are making a good decision.  There is also a strong impression within the younger generations that a processed sales procedure is not good.  They see it coming and they rebel against the process.  They want to feel respected which means your sales team taking the time to provide strong, honest information about the roofing process.  As much of that information that can be online ahead of the sale, the better to close the sale.

 

  1. Referrals are golden but reviews are the last word
    Reports show that an overwhelming number of people are influenced by online reviews. That is why the customer experience from the first touch, all the way to the final inspection is so important.  You need that customer to not only write a complimentary review but to be an active advocate or brand ambassador of your company.  They will spread the word about how you are the roofing company to use.  That will not happen if the roofing experience is bad during any part of the experience.  Make sure all of your employees understand how important it is to deliver the highest level of customer service, no matter what their position in the company.

 

We have been seeing the growth of marketing technology in the roofing industry for the past couple of years but get ready for an explosion in 2018.  We are now looking at exponential growth as consumers start to demand the use of technology and like-minded sales processes in the buying process.  As you work on your 2018 marketing plan, be sure to include technology and how you are going to use it as a marketing tool.

 

Note: This article first appeared on RoofersCoffeeShop.com and can be viewed here.

The rise of AI in construction

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These days, when people hear the term Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), they typically react in one of two ways:

  1. They imagine talking robots and movies such as The Terminator, The Matrix and Ex Machina.
  2. They start shuffling in their chairs uncomfortably and freaking out about having no clue what the term means.

But thankfully, A.I. doesn’t have to be so complicated. And it’s so much more (and right now, a lot less scary) than world-dominating robots and talking machines.

In fact, A.I. tech is already infiltrating the built world. From design, to project management, to jobsite safety, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is transforming the way we construct our world.

It comes at the perfect time – Statista.com is projecting a 27% increase in construction spending in the coming years due to grave infrastructure needs. Simultaneously, the construction labor force is shrinking. Leveraging A.I. will be essential to keeping up with demand.

When you consider the possibility of having machines design buildings and monitor the jobsite more closely than ever before, it rapidly becomes clear the positive impact that A.I. can have on the industry and that it will no doubt have a place in its future.

So, with all of that, we wanted to provide you with a roadmap.

BuiltWorlds recently partnered with Microsoft to put together a six-page research brief titled “The Rise of A.I. in Construction” to help you make sense of this new technology and its potential impact on your business and the broader industry.

Inside the brief, you’ll learn:

  1. How to describe A.I. to your colleagues and friends
  2. The differences between A.I., machine learning, and deep learning
  3. Case studies of A.I. technologies that are revolutionizing the design process, scheduling and productivity, project management and jobsite safety
  4. Fresh perspectives on A.I. from built world thought leaders and predictions for the future

Access the research brief.

Note: This article first appeared on BuiltWorlds’ website and can be viewed here.