Tag: <span>Aerial Imaging</span>

Tag: Aerial Imaging

How aerial view maps rethink roofing

Posted on

By Nick Bean, Nearmap.

 

The basic skills of building, replacing or repairing a roof haven’t changed much in centuries. Improvements in materials—from thatch and wood shingles to slate and asphalt tiles—unfolded over this time. But rapid changes in technology- including updated aerial view maps –  have helped roofers of every scale radically improve their businesses, and do it quickly.

 

Progressive roofing companies often use a blend of technologies these days. They might combine their standard practices with aerial measurement services to captures aerial views from 15°-45° (a.k.a., “oblique”) angles and top-down (or “orthogonal”) perspectives. Or they might purchase roof-measurement reports or decide to deploy deploys drones to provide visual information.

 

All that is fine—provided the roof of your target customer isn’t obscured by trees, limiting your prospecting to a relatively small area and resulting in inaccurate measurements. As you might imagine, many reports are not based on leaf-off imagery, the best satellite maps lack detail, and drones are typically flown on demand, regardless of foliage conditions.

 

Unfortunately, roofers have tight windows of opportunity to operate. They can become busiest right after a hurricane, a tornado, a hailstorm, or heavy snow coupled with high winds. Your lines may be flooded with calls from damage-sustaining households across a wide area. Even in good conditions, roofing companies are required to continuously prospect, estimate and quote with detailed measurements as they compete for business, one street and neighborhood after another.

 

In a highly competitive business, roofers need every edge they can get. Prospective customers want accurate repair quotes—and they want them quickly. So why wouldn’t you choose a tool that can give them both and, at the same time, enable you to accelerate your business?

 

High-resolution aerial imagery, captured multiple times per year offering leaf-on and leaf-off views, gives roofers exceptional perspective and a distinct advantage over many competitors. If that information can be instantly accessed from any laptop, mobile or connected device, all the better.

 

How does this razor-sharp information help you in your business? After a catastrophe, a roofer’s time is scarce. Every hour traveling from one job location to another eats up this precious time when you could just as well identify new prospects in minutes from your desktop. With high-definition aerial imagery, you can instantly scan thousands of rooftops at a tap or a click of the mouse. With a couple of clicks you can switch from vertical to panoramic to oblique views and swiftly identify roofing opportunities.

 

The most sophisticated visual tools are now available to everyone that let you generate precise measurements of rooflines and areas. Using an oblique feature, you can compare different roofs for accurate estimates of pitch. With some imagery software you can also annotate sections of the images—noting, for example, severe damage in a given corner, the need to pay particular attention to an especially steep area of the roof, or an area of the property with easy access to unload roofing materials. (Of course, you can check these calculations when you visit the site.)

 

Saving countless hours, operating from the convenience of your office, you can create dozens of accurate estimates per day, as well as get a fix on your underlying costs since you have all the visual information you need right at your desktop (or tablet or mobile device). And you can generate a visually stunning, highly accurate quote for prospects: they can see the damage up close and immediately grasp the extent of necessary work. That sort of presentation builds confidence—an advantage many of your competitors probably can’t offer. You build trust and are more likely to get a Yes or No from a customer on the spot.

 

The advantages of aerial imagery include not only leaf-off and leaf-on perspectives. Now roofers can easily navigate from vertical top-down perspectives to oblique angles while measuring height and width of the buildings and roofs. With easy and cost-effective access to rich, high resolution maps, you can work faster and smarter—and thereby increase your business. It’s a vital service whether you’re a large contractor, a midsize organization, or a mom-and-pop outfit with just a couple of employees.

 

Roofing may be an ancient profession. But to stay in business, you need every available advantage—today’s aerial imagery saves time, lowers costs, and may well be your most productive resource.

 

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

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

Posted on

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.

Choosing the right drone solution – a drone buyer’s guide

Posted on

Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are quickly shaping up as the built industry’s can’t-live without, next generation of tools. But not every contractor needs a full in-house team of pilots. And not every sub wants to own their own drone. With so many UAV solutions out there — what questions should firms be asking themselves when evaluating the software, hardware, and professional services out there?

BuiltWorld’s talked to 8 of the leading companies in the drone services industry to find out. Here are a few of their tips.

Remember: All pieces must fit together.

When evaluating drone solutions, you’ll quickly find that each company offers something different. Some provide training. Others, consulting and the drones themselves. And others still, software and machine learning.

But don’t forget: “The drone, flight planning software, data processing software, data management and analytics tools, and pilot operations have to all fit together,” says Dick Zhang, Identified Technologies CEO. “If any link in that chain is broken, your data is wrong.”

The Kespry team also pointed out the same issue: “If you decide to piece together your own system of drone, be aware that there can be significant technical challenges in getting parts of the system to talk to each other. If you have multiple providers, understand who you call to solve the different technical issues you may run into.”

Determine the Value

Making a business case will ensure you’ve made the right investment. Dan Cipriari, CEO at Pointivo, asks clients to consider the ways they can monetize the data they capture with the drone: “Can they use photos to conduct inspections? Generate a 3D model to pull into software? Extract measurements for claims or estimations? Once they understand how they want to use the drone, they can make the decision on who to partner with and how to integrate drones into their business processes.”

BetterView CEO David Lyman suggests trying services before making any capital decisions: “Explore thevarious options for capturing, analyzing, and utilizing data that is compatible with your business and budget. Consider working with a service provider to test the options, even if you think the best long-term solution is an internally owned and operated model.”

Download the complete Drone Buyer’s Guide.

3 Ways Drones Are Used on Construction Worksites

Posted on

Drones are quickly becoming the preeminent solution for delivering aerial imagery for construction projects.

As regulations ease and technology continues to improve, the use of drones for monitoring and reporting on construction projects is steadily increasing. Here are just 3 of the most popular ways drones can be used on construction worksites.

Progress Reports

Rome wasn’t built in a day…and neither were any major land development projects. There are various checkpoints throughout the construction process, which in most cases can take months (if not years).  Leveraging a drone for an aerial progress report allows for real-time updates, so project owners can save time and manage worksites more efficiently.

Inspections

Using drones to complete full-scale inspections significantly reduces the risk factor for workers. Rather than a worksite manager conducting a time-consuming and somewhat hazardous inspection, a drone operator can capture a birds-eye view of the entire area safely & within a much shorter timeframe.

Analytics

Drones can assist in providing accurate estimates, generating cut and fill maps, modifying plans to meet on-the-ground conditions and more …all in a matter of clicks. The availability of rich analytics gives customers a more accurate understanding of their worksite.

This article first appeared on the Drone Base blog and can be viewed here.

Drones Helping Building Owners Assess Damage, Prioritize Repairs and Monitor Job Progress

Posted on
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0502.JPG

National Roofing Partners (NRP) has implemented the use of drones as part of its continued commitment to incorporate the latest technologies into its operations.

Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in the Fall of 2017, leaving the island in the dark and national corporations unable to communicate with their facility managers to determine the extent of damage to their properties. One of NRP’s client, a large national retailer had 12 locations on the island and needed a way to survey the damage to their buildings to prioritize and schedule repairs.

NRP partnered with a drone service and sent teams onto the island to conduct assessments of their client’s properties. By capturing that aerial view NRP was able to show their client the extent of the damage so they were able to evaluate and prioritize repairs. The buildings that had obvious visible damage such as holes in the roof were elevated to the top of the repair list.

Re-roof in progress.

Once repairs were underway on the roofs, NRP delivered weekly progress reports utilizing the aerial drone imagery. NRP Senior National Account Manager Mallory Payne said that the use of drone imagery has provided the client a clear understanding of how the repairs are progressing. “Before using drone imagery, we relied on contractors to send us photos but they were taken on the roof, which isn’t always the best angle for a true understanding of job progress,” explained Payne. “The drone imagery is captured from above and provides a view of the entire roof where is it easy to see exactly what has been completed and what is still left to do.”

The use of the drones in Puerto Rico went so well that Payne says NRP is making it a standard operating procedure. “Previously, we used to send clients progress reports using a drawing of the roof and marking it up with comments as to how the job was progressing,” said Payne. “Now we just send them a link and they can view the photos of the work from any web browser.”

There were some kinks to work out in the beginning since the drone flyers that NRP is working with are not experts in roofing, they are experts in drone operations. Payne worked on developing three different types of flights with specific instruction on what to photograph on each project. Those three types include HVAC equipment flights, aerial overviews with individual roof section images captured and project progress flights.

Re-Roof in progress, almost complete.

Since determining the types of photos needed and developing the three flight types, the drone technology has been a key part of every project.

Top Roofing Technology Trends for 2018

Posted on

By: Brad Foster, AccuLynx.

As companies continue to expand within their local markets, the demand for roofing technology to support advances in business management, sustainability, and material trends has increased alongside that growth.

Companies that take advantage of new, cutting-edge roofing technology will be at an advantage as they continue to increase efficiency on the job site, as well as within their organizations through better business management processes.

Drone Technology for Roofers

Drones have taken the world by storm and have become a popular toy for all ages. Their role as a tool for roofing businesses, however, is just starting to emerge. Drones with 4K cameras allow sales teams to take detailed pictures of problem spots and identify safety hazards without having an inspector climb onto the roof, immediately reducing risk before a job begins. These images can be shown to customers to help them visually understand where repairs are needed, as well as to your crew before a job begins to make work more efficient. As drones become more advanced, their potential to be a useful tool increases, and it may be time to evaluate their usefulness to your own company.

 Roofing Safety Innovations

Safety is always a top concern for onsite crews, and steps can and should always be taken to reduce risk on a job. While protocols and careful management can reduce the potential for mistakes, accidents do happen.

Roofing technology trends that have a direct impact on the safety of your field teams can dramatically reduce common risk factors:

  • Companies like Redpoint Positioning are integrating GPS into safety equipment so that they can mark hazards by proximity and warn crew members when they may be approaching a dangerous area.
  • Other companies are putting sensors into safety vests that can detect body temperature and heart rate to tell workers when they’re starting to overheat.
  • Research is also being done to put airbags into the neck of safety vests that expand when a sensor detects a sudden vertical drop. Using computers and sensors built into equipment has the potential to significantly reduce the risk on a jobsite.

Applying Environmental Efficiency to Roofing Materials

The demand by homeowners for environmental efficiency is becoming increasingly important and its effects on the roofing industry are apparent, especially for material manufacturers. Many shingle manufacturers are creating new eco-friendly products that may appeal to homeowners financially as well as the added home benefit of reducing their carbon footprint. Reflective granules allow for shingles to reflect more of the sun’s heat, lowering air conditioning costs in the summer.

Solar panels can be inserted into roofs, but usually do not offer enough weather protection to be used as a significant building material. Building applied photovoltaics are solar panels built for roofing. They are tough enough to withstand severe weather, are tileable for easy application, and come in different types and colors for both commercial and residential uses. Work still needs to be done before photovoltaic systems will be able to completely replace conventional roofing systems, but as time goes on their potential as a green and financially viable alternative to regular shingles only rises.

Offering homeowners eco-friendly options during roof replacement or repair can help businesses increase market potential compared to other companies who do not offer specialty services.

Marketing Tools for Roofers

Companies are constantly bringing in new leads and completing different jobs, often making it a headache to keep track of the necessary information for each customer. Software for roofing companies with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities streamline this process. Newer programs are capable of tracking traditional information such as address and contact information, but also allow for searchable tags like geographical location, job timeline, or communication history.

Integration with programs such as Smart Documents and supplier pricing tools allows you to bring your office with you when meeting a customer. All of your necessary paperwork is always with you, and estimates can be constructed and altered for customers in just minutes. The ability to store customer information in a customized database greatly increases organization and ensures the customer is well taken care of.

Managing a roofing company is difficult; you have to keep track of leads and salesmen, scheduling crews, ordering materials, collecting payment, and countless other important details. Using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to combine all of these systems into a single dashboard will make this process substantially more efficient. Advanced ERP’s will allow you to track a job from lead to completion while offering tools to aid every step along the way. From cloud-based documentation to online ordering tools to Quickbooks integration, ERP’s offer limitless utility to streamline the entire job process.

New roofing technologies are constantly being invented and are changing the industry all the time. Keep an eye out for new innovative products, tools, and software that can be used to help your company grow.

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

Drone Photogrammetry Test: Are Automated 3D Roof Measurements Accurate Enough?

Posted on

By Dan Ciprari, CEO and Co-founder, Pointivo Inc.

Roofing is one of the earliest construction segments to begin adopting the use of UAS technology for gathering measurements.

The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has grown tremendously in just a few years. Consulting firm PwC noted in its 2016 PwC Global Report that the global market for business services using this technology is valued at more than $127 billion. The report notes that the largest single application is infrastructure, valued at $45.2 billion. As the use of UAS continues to advance, construction companies stand to benefit the most, as these solutions offer improved safety, lower costs, and better workflow integration to convert data into actionable insights.

Roofing is among the earliest construction segments to utilize UAS technology. When roof measurement reports based on aerial imagery first appeared approximately 10 years ago, the precision and reliability of aerial-based measurements were still unclear. The debate about accuracy continues, even while UAS-generated measurements have shown they can be much faster and eliminate the potential for injury during manual measurement.

Haag Engineering, a forensic and engineering consulting firm, recently completed an independent accuracy study to validate the precision of UAV-based roofing measurement workflows. These processes use intelligence algorithms to automatically extract roof geometry and measurements from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. The results were then compared to manual measurements.

How Haag Engineering conducted the test

Experienced field surveyors independently measured 13 roofs using traditional survey methods, while independent pilots flew autonomous Kespry UAVs over these roofs to capture images and generate 3D models.

The Kespry UAV was part of a proprietary UAS platform, which included autonomous UAV flight and the capture of high-resolution imagery, as well as 3D processing in the cloud. Once the 3D data was generated, it was then transferred to a 3D intelligence platform where computer vision and machine learning algorithms detected the roof structure, classified edge types, and extracted accurate geometry and measurements for the entire roof, and then generated a detailed CAD model.

These automated measurements–which included lengths for each roof edge, area and pitch for each roof plane– were then compared with the manually collected measurements. Automated measurements were rounded to the nearest millimeter and manual measurements rounded to the nearly ¼ inch, even though measurement to the nearest inch is a typical industry practice.

The roofs

Roof pitches ranged from flat to 12:12 and individual roof areas spanned approximately 10 to 62 squares.  The test included 17 buildings, totaling approximately 535 squares (one roofing square equals 100 square feet). Four of the roofs were too unsafe to measure and were verified through conventional reporting. All sloped roofs were asphalt composition shingles, the most popular type of sloped roofing in the U.S. Flat roofs were modified bitumen. All properties were located in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex.

Average variations fall well within industry benchmarks

When comparing roof area (See Figure 1), the Haag Engineering study found that for the 13 roofs that were measured, variations between the manual and automatic measurements ranged from +1.2 percent to -2.7 percent per individual roof. The average difference of 0.6 percent was within the industry goals of +/- 2 percent.  When comparing differences in absolute values, the average variation was 1.1 percent, still comfortably within the +/- 2 percent range.

Automated measurements were highly accurate on edge lengths when compared to manual measurements, and were thus shown as providing highly accurate area results.

It should be noted that these tests used GPS data gathered from sensors on the drone itself to provide scaling data. In the future, accuracy can be improved further by utilizing more precise scaling methods like ground control points (GCP’s) or RTK GPS when the need is required.

Detailed Results

The greatest roof area difference was 95 square feet (2.7 percent of the roof area) while the smallest was just 3 square feet (0.2 percent).  The roof with the greatest difference—#6—was covered by overhanging tree branches along its front edge.

Roof #9 contained a flat roof section that measured approximately 17 squares and was partially overhung by the adjacent sloped roof. However, the automated computed area for this flat roof section was still within 1 percent of the manually-calculated area.

Conclusions

Haag Engineering’s final report summed up the results well: “The automated solution proved reliable for the 13 roofs sampled, as the total area computed 99.4% accurate on average.” These results have proved the UAS can be a viable option to capture accurate roof measurements from the safety of the ground.

Furthermore, UAS enabled much faster measurement than manual means, and much safer. In fact, the original intent of the study was to measure 17 roofs, but 4 of the 17 were too slick and/or steep to reliably measure manually, without better weather and/or a rope and harness. These roofs were easily measurable by UAS.

As UAS technology continues to advance and 3D intelligence platforms become a mainstream solution, construction firms will find an increasing number of uses. Improved accuracy, enhanced safety, lower costs and improved analytics of UAS-generated data will make these solutions increasingly attractive in a wider range of applications.

 

Note: This article first appeared on the SPAR 3D website and can be viewed here.

5 Benefits of Paying for Roofing Measurement Reports

Posted on

As roofing contractors, one of the most important and laborious aspects of the job comes from accurate measurements on all aspects of a roof before a project begins.

By AccuLynx.

Knowing the area of a roof is just the beginning. Sales Reps or inspectors oftentimes need to provide detailed reports on everything from the pitched and flat areas, ridge, hip, valley lengths and make notes on chimneys or other structures before they can even produce an estimate for a potential customer.

Creating an accurate diagram and takeoff takes both time and skill. Hiring the right people, or taking the time to train rookies to perform these tasks can make all the difference when it comes to your estimates, orders and bottom line numbers.

Technology today has provided roofers with several options when it comes to alternate roofing measurement techniques, including drones and roofing measurement software. As a smaller business, you might not see the value in paying additional fees every month for these measurements, when you already pay qualified sales reps to do the job for you. However, you should consider all of the benefits that measurement companies can provide before you write off the cost as too expensive or unnecessary.

One: Increase Efficiency & Estimate Turnaround
When a storm blows through your neighborhood, it’s important to get your best guys into the field as quickly as possible to start providing estimates. A simple roof can take 15-20 minutes to measure, but you always run the risk of inaccurate numbers, handwritten notes, and unprofessional looking documentation when that rep goes to present an estimate to a potential customer.

Ordering a report can take up to 24 hours (though often far less), but what you lose in time between handing over the estimate you can gain in your field sales time between properties, and report presentation appearance. Once a report is finished, they can present a clear, better formatted and consistent proposal that both customers and office staff can read easily.

Additionally, reports can be ordered in advance, so a sales rep can be prepared when he visits a property and talks to a homeowner.

Two: More Accurate Numbers
Roof measurement reports take the guesswork out of complicated measurements. It’s not necessary to eyeball and potentially miscalculate or misjudge – you can walk into a meeting or a home visit with concrete numbers that can then be applied to material orders, and crew schedules, without the need to remeasure.

Reports that come from an independent, verified third-party source eliminates the need to question the motivation of the estimator. Insurance companies know that your employees aren’t trying to inflate the project, and customers can see that you’re not trying to pull one over when you present professional documentation.

Additionally, having that report as part of your official documentation saves time, and can be archived and referenced later, should that customer need more work done in the future.

Three: More Accurate Material Ordering and Crew Scheduling
When you have accurate numbers from the start, you can cut significant waste when it comes to ordering your materials. This creates a money-saving trickle-down effect when you apply accurate supplier ordering to material drop times, crew scheduling and downtime.

Four: Safety
Measurement reports dramatically increase the safety of your estimator or sales reps, eliminating the need for them to climb up on a roof to provide measurements and photos themselves. According to Restoration & Remediation Magazine, “In a situation where a building has been damaged, there are extreme risks involved in climbing a potentially unsafe structure…From a risk management standpoint, the reports help [contractors] be more cognizant of the dangers involved.”

Additionally, “Having the measurements, pitch, and images ahead of time helps us determine the appropriate safety gear to bring to the job.”

Five: CRM Integration
Some reporting software will automatically integrate with your company’s business management platform. Reports that automatically populate estimate fields, and save documentation with specific Job Files saves your sales reps and office staff time when it comes to producing proposals, making payments or even the necessity of having several accounts/logins for all necessary functions.

These reports also provide estimate uniformity so that your paperwork is filed correctly, professionally and that nothing can be lost in the back of a truck or left at the office.

This blog first appeared on AccuLynx’s blog and can be viewed here.

AccuLynx is designed to help contractors see their business more clearly and communicate better — there’s nothing to download or install — you just log in and get to work. Learn more at www.acculynx.com 

Four Key Technologies that Your Roofing Business Should Be Using Every Day 

Posted on

Roofing is an industry that is slow to adapt to change and technologies, and Antis Roofing strives to be a leader in incorporating new technologies that can advance the industry.

By Charles Antis, Antis Roofing.  

In the modern age where efficiency and precision take precedence, technological advances are paramount to keep not just businesses relevant, but the industries that they serve. Technology is not just software or innovative apps that bring the world to the fingertips of the consumer. It is also using services and software solutions to increase the productivity of a company and its employees. To its detriment, roofing is a very traditional industry and as such, many roofing companies are slow to adopt new technology.

Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) is at the forefront of researching, developing and engaging those in the roofing community to find innovative technology solutions to be used within the roofing industry. The organization encourages contractors to embrace technology to scale their business. In the spirit of RT3, Antis Roofing & Waterproofing aims to use current and future technologies to stay on the forefront of these improvements, incorporating new technologies into best practices and attracting and retaining the next generation of roofing professionals.

  • Aerial Imaging – Aerial imaging advancements are the new movers and shakers in the roofing tech business. With aerial imaging capture, property measurement reports are created to assist roofers in their build by providing 3D detailed diagrams of a project. By using property measurement reports and aerial imaging to their advantage, residential and commercial roofing contractors can increase sales closing rates, improve production planning, increase profitability through time savings, obtain more precise material ordering, and have a better understanding of the risks involved with each roof layout. As this technology progresses, it is likely that the imaging quality will only improve, allowing roofers more visibility into the task at hand. It is also likely that larger aerial imaging firms will not be the only ones able to produce such high-resolution images, as drone technology will bring the power of sight to roofing companies both small and large./li>
  • CRM Technology – In any service industry, customers are key; however, when businesses begin to scale, keeping track of those customers is another matter. Enter Customer Relationship Managers (CRM), a software system designed specifically to track and manage customers. Breaking down the entire process from initial calls to completion, CRM is a way to log each customer interaction. Using CRM, roofing companies can see how many jobs they have, monitor job progress, the costs associated with each job, and the number of customers being serviced. Essentially, CRM streamlines the business in such a way that it saves time for roofing companies while also reducing the margin of error, as there are fewer forgotten follow-ups, fewer jobs not completed on time, fewer payments left uncollected and a stronger ability to track the functionality of each job.
  • Mobile Technology – In today’s world, people are constantly attached to their mobile devices, using it as a source of entertainment, learning, and business. The mobile space for roofing companies is not immune to this phenomenon. Mobile technology allows contractors to connect instantly with roofers in the field, ensuring the best and most time-sensitive decisions can be made by the foreman, thus reducing the margin of error which can cost a business significantly. The use of this on-the-go technology can also help attract and retain new customers, which makes it a vital new technology in the roofing business. Many clients want to see what a finished project will look like, as well as the different options they have for materials, design, and cost along the way. By using mobile tablets on the job site, customers can make fast decisions by showing them all their options on the spot. While Antis primarily uses work order information and documentation, including photos, to plan builds with our commercial clients, mobile tablets are worth a mention as they permeate the residential roofing market in its current state.
  • Building Information Modeling – Building Information Modeling (BIM) uses computer programming to create a digital representation of a physical building, before a roofer begins to work on the project. The digital programming allows the owner or building manager to make reliable decisions during the construction process by providing cost and timing information, ensuring projects stay on target for completion. Once the structure is completed, these BIM programs can provide timely notices and schedules for maintenance and repair, as well as budget projections for costs to maintain the facility. This tool is essential for roofers as they partner with other contractors in the erection of a new structure.

As the above technologies continue to advance, improving effectiveness and efficiency in the roofing industry, Antis Roofing & Waterproofing will stay on the forefront of these improvements, incorporating new technologies into best practices. Moreover, by hiring the best minds, retaining quality employees and forging relationships with vanguards like RT3, Antis hopes to inspire the future of roofing technology. As history has shown, those closest to the field are apt to make the most change!

Charles Antis is founder and CEO of Antis Roofing and Waterproofing and a RoofersCoffeeShop.com Influencer. This blog first appeared on RoofersCoffeShop’s blog and can be viewed here.