With more workers retiring than getting hired year-to-year in Construction and the trades, technology adoption can be a struggle. Older workers bring experience and know-how, but introducing technology-driven processes into the work routine usually takes time.
For most, this means sticking to what’s worked. But for Construction, that’s become impossible to do. Competition is increasing, work is getting done faster, and innovations are skyrocketing — with venture capital firms investing $1.05 billion in global construction tech startups during just the first half of 2018, nearly 30% more than all of 2017.
It’s tricky. But the thing is, technology is moving so fast in 2019 that there are now solutions that make it simple for everyone. A win-win. Head office gets more in-depth, organized, and up-to-date reporting and data, while workers on the job site gain a new and simple tool that requires little to no onboarding
Why Townline Went with SiteMax
Townline started as a one-man team in 1981 working on single-family homes. Over the past 38 years, they’ve grown into a team of real estate professionals that handles all aspects of Development, Construction, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, and City and Public Liaison — adding 42-story towers to their portfolio.
Their decision to go with SiteMax came from a mandate to introduce the best product available on the market; helping move Townline forward as an industry leader.
When looking for a solution, their focus was on finding software that gave office workers all the detailed documentation they needed to move faster and more efficiently, while at the same time, simplifying the amount of admin for the workers on the job site — so they can focus on what they do best: building.
Greg Gerke, Operations Manager at Townline, was tasked with making that decision. When he came across SiteMax, he saw it as the perfect fit for both his younger and older workers.
“I look at all of our systems and operations to try and streamline it. To give the guys on the site the tools they need to be as efficient as possible while we get the documentation we need in the office.
But software decisions in Construction are always difficult. There’s such a wide range of people, ages, and experience levels. The older people generally have the most experience but are the least computer savvy. But SiteMax was easy to use and pick up. I haven’t had anybody in the company yet say it’s too complicated.”
The Results: in the office
“Quality is very important to us. SiteMax enables us to stay on top of quality and helps us make sure everything is being done right every step of the way. It’s simple, powerful, very intuitive to use. I would recommend SiteMax to anyone hands down.”
- Greg Gerke, Operations Manager
SiteMax gave Greg and rest of head office everything they needed from the job site, instantly.
Site reports, safety reports, timekeeping, photos. Everything.
From making sure anyone who visited the site was completely up-to-date in responding to a client request in minutes, SiteMax gave Townline everything they needed. All without having to dig through any filing cabinets.
SiteMax was simple and straightforward enough for every single person on the job site to pick up.
This kind of boost to processes was invaluable and powerful. But what’s even more important to Greg and the rest of the Townline team was the impact it had on their workers. SiteMax was simple and straightforward enough for every single person on the job site to pick up. And for those who handled the day-to-day admin, it gave them an additional workplace benefit that made their jobs easier to manage.
The Results: on the job Site
It’s easy to think changing a job site process could complicate things for the people without technological know-how. But with the right solution, it should simplify all those parts of a job we’ve just gotten used to dealing with.
Here’s how SiteMax instantly impacted the day-to-day of Paul Tronsgard, a Site Superintendent for Townline:
“I manage the day-to-day operations of the job and make sure the building stays on schedule. I currently use SiteMax for several things: daily logs, purchase orders, site photos.
SiteMax has allowed us to more efficiently keep control of all the trades to manage the site more effectively. It’s allowed me to stay in constant communication with our CSO. I’m able to access field reports, photos, incidents all with the touch of a phone.”
With SiteMax, Paul and his co-workers get the most comprehensive field reporting software in the industry — automated daily activity reports, collected from all the day’s forms, and easy-to-access safety reports organized by the job.
What this means is Paul gains a way to reduce the day-to-day admin he already needed to deal with. Now with expectations from clients only increasing and having more subcontractors to manage, SiteMax came at the perfect time.
“In the current market, a product like SiteMax is invaluable. Companies now invoice quicker and we have to be on our toes to make sure that we’re getting all our paperwork in line fast.”
And if any issues pop up, the jobsite-to-office communication functionality of SiteMax allows him to keep last-minute requests streamlined and fast. Cutting back on stress, time, and a bunch of back-and-forths emails.
Bottom line: less paperwork, more building
When it comes right down to it, cutting down wasted effort and having more time to focus on getting the job done right is the whole point of new technology. Sure, inefficient software might do more bad than good. But simple, intuitive solutions designed for job site workers will always help the bottom line.
For companies like Townline, it helps them perform at the highest standard possible; to exceed client expectations and to keep them one step ahead of the competition.
Want to sign up?
If you want to see the impact that SiteMax can have on your business, and join other leading construction firms, there’s no reason to wait. Book a Demo today and begin making the move toward simple, powerful software that makes a difference.