Tag: <span>Roofing Technology</span>

Tag: Roofing Technology

How technology can help you not visit a customer’s home until you have the down payment in hand

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By Mike Davis, East Fork Roofing.

This roofing company in Reno, Nevada made the switch to this model three years ago with much success.

In Reno, Nevada, with a metro area population of 500,000 people, the grocery store shelves are empty. Is it the coronavirus that caused this? Or the fact that the stores’ supply chain is over the Sierra Mountains and it snowed 4 feet? Or both?

When asked by a colleague in the industry about what East Fork Roofing is doing to adjust to these unique times, the owner of East Fork Roofing, Mike Davis said they are doing very little differently. When asked why, he responded that since 2017, the company has been using a highly automated, fully satellite approach to their residential roof replacement business. His business rarely interacts with customers in-person and doesn’t visit a single home until down payment is received from the customer. Interested, the colleague inquired further how this is done.

Before Mike explained, he made sure to clarify his favorite part of this process: his company’s estimating costs have been reduced by more than 50%, which has allowed them to use the money they would have spent on estimating for advertising and recruiting – key components to strong growth.

Price-first quoting

He explained the key to make a satellite-based process work is a process called scenario-based quoting or price-first quoting.

Price-first quoting has its roots in the real estate and insurance industries. In real estate, the buyer agrees to a price after a very cursory visit to the property or with no visit at all. Only once a price and terms are agreed to, does any deep investigation begin. The reason this process is used in real estate is to reduce the cost of the process and increase the speed of the transaction. It makes sense when working with commission-only real estate agents that all the fluff be removed from the process.

Often in roofing, we do things that feel good but may be unnecessary: we spend time, money, and effort getting detail before negotiating price. We do this because it is expected by our customers, but expectations for how a business interacts with their customers is shifting, especially now.  When Mike joined East Fork Roofing and started estimating roofs in 2011, the process was: receive a phone call, schedule an appointment, visit the property to measure and assess risks, build the proposal, sell the job, then move on to the next. The work is front-loaded and inefficient, taking a significant amount of time driving from one location to another.  With price-first quoting, you move much of this time and effort to the back side of the sale. With a close ratio of 25-30%, this makes a huge difference in the cost of estimating. The new process is: receive a phone call, get measurements and risk data from satellite imaging, build the proposal, sell the job, collect down payment, investigate the job, adjust pricing as necessary, execute.

Scenarios

This new process introduces some new risks however: knowing how many layers there are, or if sheathing is needed. What about other risks that cause budget overruns? All these are what East Fork Roofing calls scenarios. The idea is simple. Give the customer a base price and explain that the final price is contingent on inspection and give them any scenarios you believe may apply. For example, a 25 square roof is $8,750 for one layer, $1,000 for each additional layer, $2,500 for sheathing. Done. This is something you can implement easily now. Just build these scenario lines with a price per square into your proposals as options. The goal is to build a list of scenarios for the customer to compare against the roofer who gives a flat price and identifies the scenarios that apply. When the customer selects your quote, bill and collect down payment and then send an inspector.

What other scenarios could be included? East Fork Roofing determines scenarios by doing root cause analysis and creating risk categories. When a job goes over budget, by determining how it went over budget and aligning that with a scenario, they can increase their price for that scenario instead of increasing their price for all projects. This leads to getting more of the work you want and pricing the job correctly for those more difficult jobs. Some examples of scenarios are: shake tear-offs, mobile homes, old homes, geographically based scenarios like elevation requirements, steepness of the roof, and differing prices based on permits/dump fees.  If a cost exists because of an identifiable reason that is not general, it can be considered a scenario.

Advantages and disadvantages

In a marketplace where you are the first one to implement something like this, you will have an advantage because you can afford to offer a reduced price and the other roofer goes out and investigates the roof for you and your customer. It also creates an advantage for the other roofer because there is an increased “perception” of higher customer service and that they have “earned” the work. Humans are emotional, so sometimes they will pick the other roofer because they created a higher value and earned price by visiting the property. With the current market situation surrounding coronavirus, the advantage to the other roofer is questionable. East Fork Roofing’s goal is to be priced in the middle of three quotes, not the lowest.

Another advantage is that instead of sending an estimator, you can send a foreman, who is typically in regular contact with the employees. This eliminates the challenges of an estimator proposing one thing to a customer and the field employees fighting with them about it because it’s not feasible. When the foreman or crew leader goes out, they do a very detailed inspection: outlining the dumpster approach, safety issues, applicable scenarios and identifying change requests. The foreman prepares a report complete with pictures. After review of the report by project management, a plan is made and the customer is informed via phone of all the findings.

This step drastically increases the value of the process because it is now affordable to do a detailed planning inspection. An estimator in a typical process can’t be this thorough because it would limit their volume of visits. In the old model, if you add this planning inspection step, you are adding to your unit cost. In this model, you combine the two inspections into one. East Fork Roofing has found that customers love this step because it is a chance for a deeper alignment of their expectations with company expectations and there is limited pressure to proceed if the conversation doesn’t go well. It’s truly win-win. Either party can leave the transaction at this point and a refund can be issued.

If you are going to require down payment before you visit the property, it is East Fork Roofing’s experience that you have to be willing and honorable in returning down payments if a customer does not like any change that you propose after the planning inspection. East Fork Roofing is still old fashion in its contract agreements. Although they have the capability to collect signatures electronically, they require no signatures on projects. If any customer wants to cancel a project, and very little money has been spent, East Fork Roofing will let the customer out of the contract and issue a full refund. Making this very clear on your proposals and having a good reputation is key to creating a safe environment for a customer to send a check in the thousands of dollars to someone they have never met in person. Google “East Fork Roofing Reno” to see their reviews.

Now that you have a basic grasp about how to reduce risks through scenario-based quoting, there are a few more tricks that need to be figured out as you go along. It took East Fork Roofing about six to nine months to work out the details in order to see a full return to previous close ratio. Each pivot will be different for each company but knowing the general idea of scenario-based pricing is the biggest step.

Technology and RT3

From here we will highlight the technology aspect. As a member of RT3, the Roofing Technology Think Tank, East Fork Roofing is driven to streamline the roofing process with forward-thinking technology use.

Due to complexities like steepness difficulty, which can change prices to sheathing, removal of roof, install of roof and additional layers, East Fork Roofing had a hard time streamlining the process of adding scenarios through standard, out-of-the-box software like AccuLynx or JobNimbus, etc.  Manually adjusting line item pricing due to scenario(s) on every proposal leaves room for human error and adds time to the process. Because of this, East Fork Roofing designed their own quoting system on an open-API platform that allows them to change the data with programming and to get data in and out, which most cloud software programs have.

The platform is a Citrix product called podio.com in combination with globiflow.com. Podio.com is a collaboration software, similar in purpose to Slack, but also has database features. The idea is that through Podio, any company can create items like a proposal in a central location, talk about it with their team via web browser or phone app and use globiflow.com to create highly advanced workflows that work with the data.

Workflows are key because they allow automation to happen. For example, one of the simplest flows East Fork Roofing has implemented is an automated phone call checking to make sure the customer received their proposal one day after the estimator marks the proposal sent. The system also sends an email at four days, and notifies the salesperson with a task to phone the customer at seven days.  Another feature in globiflow.com is their external link feature. When the email is sent with the proposal and four days later, it has a link that the customer can click to view a webpage with the available dates. East Fork Roofing uses this external link capability to offer a scheduling discount program, which displays three dates: a high priority date with a premium of typically 5-10% of the project price approximately two weeks out, a standard date three to six weeks out for no additional cost, and a discounted date six to12 weeks out with a discount of typically 4-6%. When a date is selected and confirmed, either through this webpage, or by the customer or sales associate if the customer calls in, a down payment invoice is sent via email to the customer automatically with no additional work for a billing administrator. Since Podio has an open-API, the invoice is also pushed to QuickBooks Online with no additional human effort.

This collaboration platform and workflow management allows East Fork Roofing to simplify the process of building and tracking scenarios and creating quotes. It is now as simple as three forms/items in Podio: one about the customer captured by a call taker, one about measurements captured through Roofsnap.com by an estimator, and one about risk data/scenarios created by an estimator. Once this data is entered, the workflows build the proposal. Currently they have a data entry person entering all the data, and a junior estimator double checking the proposal; this means the project manager/estimator is now only used to approve complicated proposals over a set dollar limit.

East Fork Roofing has built the workflow out for every step of the project: billing, planning inspection, permitting, daily job reporting with photos, scheduling, dumpster management, employee pay entries and timesheets, quality inspections and vendor warranty registration. Throughout the process, the workflows are sending emails with pictures to help customers stay informed without having to call the office for information. The workflows take the customer from initial phone call to cash.

Currently, the only channels of communication available are email and phone with limited SMS. In the works is a Twilio (SMS/Whatsapp/Facebook messenger) integration that will allow a customer to interact with East Fork Roofing throughout the project via any of those channels. Some additional channels East Fork Roofing is looking to add is voice (Alexa, Siri, Google assistant), with plans to implement these into their process over the next few years. Think how innovative it will be when a customer says to their phone or TV, “What is the status of my roofing project?” and it will respond back to you not only with an audio update, but with pictures.

In summary, East Fork Roofing has not changed much with the recent changes due to COVID-19 because they were already a virtual company. However, they are focused on the next technological breakthrough. Now that you have a better idea of one method of implementing roof replacement proposals with reduced risks and of some future ideas, what changes will you implement? What can you do to improve in this regard? East Fork Roofing suggests to request things like this from your existing platforms, subscribing to RT3 Smart Brief, and reading up on technology here at Rooferscoffeeshop.com.

Source: RoofersCoffeeShop.

Fast Company Announces Winners of 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards

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RT3 member Mycocycle, Inc. selected as finalist in Best World Changing Idea NA, Experimental and General Excellence.

The winners of Fast Company’s 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to flattening the curve when it comes to the climate crisis, social injustice, or economic inequality.

Mycocycle, Inc.: Converting Waste Streams into Value Streams has been selected as a finalist in the Best World Changing Idea NA, Experimental, and General Excellence categories.

Now in its fourth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 26 winners, more than 200 finalists, and more than 500 honorable mentions—with Health and Wellness, Corporate Social Responsibility, and AI and Data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent judges selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 3,000 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, and more. The 2020 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Vancouver to Singapore to Tel Aviv.

Illustrating how some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies are addressing grave global challenges, Fast Company’s May/June issue celebrates, among others, an electric engine for airplanes that eliminates emissions from flights—and expensive fuel from the tricky financial calculus of the airline industry; a solar-powered refrigerator that finally frees people in remote villages from daily treks to distant markets, transforming the economics of those households; an online marketplace that connects food companies with farms to buy ugly and surplus produce to fight waste; and an initiative to offset all of the carbon costs of shipping, creating a new model for e-commerce sustainability.

“I am honored and stunned to have Mycocycle recognized in one category, let alone three,” says Joanne Rodriguez, Founder and CEO of Mycocycle. “We have been working hard to shift the narrative on viewing trash as a resource to drive a more circular solution to waste management. Our ‘mushroom’ tech mimics nature’s processes in a controlled environment to do just that. If we don’t drive innovation in this field, we will continue to face a growing issue that is harmful to environments worldwide.”

“There seems no better time to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, resources, and, in some cases, their scale to tackle society’s biggest problems,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have uncovered some of the smartest and most inspiring projects of the year.”

About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With a goal of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.

RECORDING – RT3 Special Webinar #2: This week’s buzz and tactics for running your virtual roofing business

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The Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) hosted their second webinar in its special series geared toward helping contractors successfully navigate running their businesses during the Coronavirus pandemic.


Topics include:

Commercial Roofing Technology Expert: Michelle Boykin, Rackley Roofing

  • How Rackley Roofing made their commercial roofing company 100% virtual and an update on how the first full week went

Residential Roofing Expert: Ken Kelly, Kelly Roofing

  • Technology that allows us to work from home and handling employee pay while at home
  • Securing materials for emergencies and for when things open up again
  • Leadership tactics and keeping employees focused and calm
  • Budgeting and cash preparation
  • Where I’m getting my information to make good decisions from

Commercial Roofing Expert: Steve Little, KPost Roofing & Waterproofing

  • Business and financial perspective
  • Update on the government programs and what he’s hearing from manufacturers and the industry

Marketing Expert: Anna Anderson, Art Unlimited

  • Google changes and opportunities with new NextDoor tools, renegotiating contracts for cost savings
  • Digital compliance, remote tools and virtual portholes

Sales Expert: Ryan Groth, Sales Transformation Group

  • How the market is responding overall to their efforts, in lockdown markets and non-locked down markets.
  • Best practices for sales leaders transitioning to virtual management
  • The technology and methods being used for prospecting and conducting sales appointments

If you missed the first webinar in the series, you can watch the recording here.

Webinar Recording: Virtualizing Your Roofing Business in Light of Coronavirus

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March 18, 2020 – During this worldwide pandemic, many owners of roofing companies have questions and concerns about their ability to thrive in this uncharted territory.

In this webinar recorded March 18, 2020 you’ll hear the following roofing industry experts share their insights on how a roofing company can virtualize their business to avoid the inevitable impact of the virus.

Marketing Expert: Anna Anderson, Art Unlimited
Sales Expert: Ryan Groth, Sales Transformation Group
Commercial Roofing: Steve Little, KPost Company
Residential Roofing: Ken Kelly, Kelly Roofing
Legal Ramification Expert: Trent Cotney, Cotney Construction Law

Access the Master Resource Document here. 

 

RT3 member Harness launches free app to help contractors battle COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

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The App will help businesses keep workers informed, safe, & productive during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Harness Software announces the availability of a FREE Safety Meeting/Toolbox Talk App that will enable construction companies to disseminate virus-related information to their remote workforces and help them document employee meetings. This app is immediately available to all construction companies in North America

The app includes access to the latest content from reputable sources such as the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and National Institutes of Health (NIH).  All information within the app will be organized into short talks with emphasis on points relevant to construction workers.

  • The app will be updated automatically as more information becomes available
  • All material will be available in English & Spanish
  • Foremen or Supervisors will be able to quickly capture names and signatures from the attendees of each safety meeting/toolbox talk
  • PDF records of each meeting can be automatically emailed back to the office
  • THE APP WORKS ON ALL MOBILE DEVICES

“Construction workers don’t have the option to work from home.  Companies need easy access to the information necessary to protect their employees and keep them as productive as possible during this crisis.  We are all in this together.  That’s why we’re launching this free resource,” said Tom Whitaker, CEO of Harness Software.  Existing Harness Software customers will also receive enhanced resources as part of this program to battle fear & the spread of the disease.

Find out more and access the app at www.harnessup.com/covid19

High-rise reroof project finds success with technology

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By Karen L. Edwards.

Technology ensured the tapered polyiso system was accurate, kept the project on budget and provided daily progress photos for the owner.

The Regatta at Vanderbilt Beach provides a carefree lifestyle to the owners and residents of the luxury condominium community located in Naples, Florida. Just 700-feet from the white sands of the Gulf Coast, the units offer beautiful views of Vanderbilt Bay and are ideally situated for taking in breathtaking sunsets.

Owners want to enjoy the warm weather of southwest Florida as well as the amenities offered by the community. They don’t want to have to worry about whether the roof will protect their homes and what system is the best solution for the building.

That condo association turned to RT3 member Target Roofing & Sheet Metal for help. One of the Regatta’s high-rise condominiums needed it’s 15,000-square-foot roof replaced. Rast Bryant, sales manager at Target Roofing & Sheet Metal explained that they decided to install a complete GAF roofing system using GAF EnergyGuard PolyISO, Liberty SBS Base Ply, GAF Ruberoid Mid Ply and Ruberoid HW Plus Granule Fire Rated Cap Sheet.

The project had some unique challenges. The flashing on the existing roof extended 34 inches up the wall and the entire old system needed to be torn off, including nearly two feet of lightweight insulating concrete that would be replaced with an insulation system that provided better R-value and drained correctly.

Once they reached the deck, it was time for the EnergyGuard PolyISO to be installed. Rast said that putting together the layers of insulation was similar to putting a puzzle together since the pieces had to be tapered to the existing drainage system to ensure it is promoting positive drainage. “Technology wise, we used a computer software called The Edge Estimating Software to help us design a taper package that is not only the most cost effective but was designed to create the proper flow to the drainage systems,” Rast explained.

Once insulation was adhered to one another and to the deck, crews installed the first ply of the modified bitumen sheet. Once the cap sheet was torched down, granules were placed over the areas of bleed out to ensure optimal performance.

Target Roofing & Sheet Metal used technology to assist throughout the project. “We used our project management software to track the project as it progressed. This platform created daily progress photo reports for us to send to our customers, tracked our materials and labor to ensure we stayed on budget, and helped us determine what percentage of completion we were at in order to adjust our overall company project schedules accordingly,” said Rast. “This platform also tracks product and labor warranties, annual maintenance scheduling and more for post-job follow up.”

Watch a video recap of the project from start to finish.

How to help your crew adopt a roofing app

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By Kathryn Brill, AccuLynx.

You’ve read about the benefits that new technology like roofing apps can bring to your business. So you’ve decided your team should get on board and start using technology to deliver more efficient and streamlined service. You’re excited to start reaping the benefits of the roofing app you’ve selected—but the process is just beginning.

Roofing apps like the AccuLynx Crew App save many roofers time and money. Not only do they help crews deliver better and more efficient service, these apps integrate with your project management software to help your production teams stay organized. But one of the most difficult parts of new technology adoption is getting the rest of your team on board. Whenever businesses use a technology for the first time, it can be challenging to get buy-in from the entire team. In particular, getting your crews to use a new app often takes time.

How can you help your crew adopt their new roofing app and ensure they’re using it effectively? Here are some techniques to help you—and your crew—out.

Make it Easy to Use

Successful technology adoption starts before you purchase a subscription. When you’re evaluating a software or an app for your crews, think about how they’ll be using it, and what barriers might hinder their successful usage. Whether or not you select a technology for your team should be influenced by how well you think the rest of your staff could use it.

This is true for all software, but it’s especially true for anything your crews might work with. Will the app function correctly out in the field, or will they be stuck waiting for a buggy app to load? Is it simple to use or does it require a lot of training? Is it easy to find the things they’ll need, like job instructions or directions to the site?

Before you pull the trigger on new technology, take a moment to walk through it from the point of view of a crew member. The easiest app to adopt will be the one that is intuitive and straightforward to use, and that contains all the elements your crews need to support their work.

Be Mindful of Language Barriers

Many crews communicate more effectively in Spanish, not English. Some may not speak much English, if any. In order for these crews to utilize a roofing app, this has to be kept in mind. An app that assumes the user is a fluent, native English speaker is not going to be a helpful app for your crew to use. In fact, it likely won’t get much usage at all.

Fortunately, some new roofing technology is able to help you overcome these language barriers and communicate with your crews. For instance, the AccuLynx Crew App has a Spanish-English translation function that enables bilingual usage of the app. Data in English can be translated into Spanish in the app for your crews, and anything they enter in Spanish can be translated to English. With features like these, your crew will be able to comfortably use an app, no matter their English fluency.

Train Your Leaders

Your crew leaders and foremen are your allies in implementing any new tools. If you have these leaders on board, it’ll be easier to get the rest of the crews using the technology. They’re a bridge between you and your crews, so use them strategically to help with roofing app adoption in the field.

Get crew leaders up to speed on the new app and teach them the ins and outs of using it. But go beyond just the training basics. Walk them through how to troubleshoot the app for a crew member that’s having difficulty working with it. Make sure they’re equipped to answer questions about why, how and when the crews are using this new technology. You’ll have a smoother transition when you give leaders the tools they need to assist in implementation.

Create a Culture of Consistency

One of the biggest barriers to technology use is internal expectations. Is the whole office using the software in the same way? Is there a clear sense from leadership as to what the technology is for and which old processes it’s replacing? When are crew members expected to be up to speed on these changes?

If you want your team to adopt a new roofing app, you’ll have to stay consistent and clear. Use the technology yourself the way you want it to be used by the rest of your team. For example, if you used to communicate job instructions through text messages, but you want crew members to use the app to view instructions, make sure you stop texting notes about the job and start adding them to the job files within the app. When you tell your team to use a new process, but you continue to do business the way you always have, teams are left scrambling, wondering what you actually expect of them. Consistent internal usage of your new technology will go a long way towards adoption of that technology by your entire team, from leadership to office staff to crew members.

Make the Benefits Clear

Why did you want to switch to a new technology in the first place? The reason is usually some pain point that has been plaguing your business. Maybe job details have been falling through the cracks, or it’s been difficult to reschedule your crews when weather hits. Maybe you’ve been having trouble documenting all the work done on a job site in one place. Whatever the case, this isn’t just another piece of technology—it’s a possible solution to an issue that’s made work more difficult.

Onboarding your crews to a roofing app is easier when you focus on the benefits of the new technology. These crews are likely experiencing the same pain points you are, and this tool will make their lives easier, not just yours. Adopting a new technology can be an annoying process—it’s hard to make a change from something you’ve done for a while, even if there are flaws in the old system. By framing the change in terms of what it helps and why it’s important, crews will take ownership of this technology usage and be more willing to make the switch.

Ultimately, technology only works to benefit your business if the entire organization is on board. Since roofing crews change all the time and often have little contact with the rest of the business, it can be especially difficult to help them adopt a new technology. But with a few strategies—and selection of a roofing app that is intuitive to use—you’ll be able to make the transition much smoother. And you’ll see the benefits go beyond your crews and extend to the entire office.

Stay up to date on the latest roofing industry trends when you sign up for the RT3 Smart Brief e-newsletter. 

Source: AccuLynx

Streamlining estimating and leveraging technology on the roof

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By Karen L. Edwards

After seeing a new technology at the International Roofing Expo, this company adapted it to fit their needs, improving estimating and eliminating errors.

Have you ever heard of a Technology Innovation Specialist at a roofing company? Meet Lisa Garcia. She is that specialist at Tremco Roofing and Weatherproofing Technologies, Inc. (WTI). Lisa recently completed the rollout of a unique technology application that has streamlined the company’s estimating, reporting and ordering processes and she did it nationwide in just two years’ time.

It began in 2017, when company Vice President Mardee Billingsley was attending the International Roofing Expo (IRE) where she met the team from RoofSnap. RoofSnap offers a mobile app designed to let contractors use aerial imagery of steep slope roofs and outline the roof area to obtain accurate measurements. While geared toward the residential contractor, Mardee recognized that there was an opportunity to use this on commercial roofs. After she returned from the IRE, she needed to find someone who could bring her vision to life. That person was Lisa.

Lisa wasn’t a stranger to technology or Tremco. She had been at the company for 12 years and spent time teaching contractors about technology. Developing an app for commercial estimating and determining the number of materials needed for a job was a natural next step. Lisa was able to meet with the RoofSnap team in person several times since their office was a few hours’ drive from hers.

“This was an app originally developed for shingle roofing, so we had to create our own system for commercial roofing,” explained Lisa. “They did a lot of development for us to make it work.”

Figuring out the coverage rates for the products and developing the formulas that the app would use also was Lisa’s responsibility. “I am not a big fan of math, but it was good to be able to accomplish this because I not only learned a lot, I proved to myself that even though I might not like math, I was still capable of doing it,” said Lisa. “I had to teach myself how to use Photoshop so I could get all the product photos into the app.”

In about four months, the app was ready for use. They selected 10 supervisors from each of their regions around the country for a pilot program. While feedback was good, it wasn’t long before they realized that the supervisors weren’t the best pilot group since they weren’t always the ones preparing estimates. A second pilot was conducted with those who do the most estimating and the results were great.

By using the app, estimators are able to use the aerial imagery of the building to obtain measurements, drop pins to indicate potential problem areas, select the products and automatically determine the amount of product needed for that building. “This app has really standardized all of our reports,” Lisa said. “Everything is consistent, branded, professional and the finished product is a very nice report.”

The company has rolled the use of the app out over the last year and Lisa said she just finished the last training in July. Feedback has been positive overall. “It’s really helped our estimators be more accurate and more efficient,” Lisa concluded. “It’s been convenient for those estimators who no longer have to put up with traffic in urban areas or who don’t have to make a 200-mile drive to see a building in our more remote areas.”

As the roofing industry advances, consider working for a company that is leading the way in terms of implementing technology not only in their product development but on the roof and in their processes as well.

Stay up to date on the latest roofing industry trends when you sign up for the RT3 Smart Brief e-newsletter. 

Source: RoofersCoffeeShop. 

Florida contractor invests heavily in technology and departmentalization to boost customer service and production

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As two major roofing contractors were shut down this year by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Central Florida roofing contractor, Calloway Roofing LLC believes there are just too many instances where a good contractor can fail because they lack the business systems and organizational infrastructure necessary to properly manage their day-to-day operations.

Drew Calloway, 40, came across Brandon Gaille’s statistics on roofing industry complaints where the Better Business Bureau cites more than 50% of all complaints were filed for unsatisfactory workmanship and another 25% for the inability of the homeowner to reach the contractor. These stats are troubling as Drew believes that the roofing industry needs to embrace technology and adopt automation systems that can help bridge and improve the communications gap with customers.

This year, Drew took that philosophy and put it into a written commitment and signed a 5-year marketing and back-end business systems contract with Knowledge Transfer LLC that enables the company to focus on installations and communications with their customers within the company’s newly established Inspections, Servicing, Estimating, Production, and Billing departments. Through this departmentalization, the company can prioritize each segment of the process and go a step further and include all roof-related line items that the homeowners may be entitled to—that may otherwise be left out. And as Building Code required roof items now become a part of the scope of work, Calloway Roofing leads the industry by including, as a standard practice, the optional roof materials warranty registration, which can transform a basic roof installation warranty into a 600-month registered lifetime warranty.

Chad McPherson, designated Sales Representative with ABC Supply, says, “Calloway Roofing is doing things we hope to see others follow. It’s certainly a ‘best step’ in the right direction.”

Through the embrace of departmentalization and the powerful company Knowledge Base that followed, Calloway Roofing now mills through the rigorous demands of roof construction while keeping their customers updated and systemically in the loop. A philosophy, adoption rule and direction that all roofing contractors should pursue.

As a resident and family man in Minneola, Florida, Drew says, “When a homeowner gives me their signature, I feel compelled to give them a contract that includes a written guarantee that their roof will be a registered roof installation and that they’ll hear from us regularly and throughout the process.”

About Calloway Roofing
Calloway Roofing LLC is an Orlando, Florida based roofing and building contractor that believes every roof should be a registered roof installation and not optional. Homeowners receive no-obligation storm and roof inspections, followed by full information about the entire process in addition to a free copy of the inspection photographs.

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