Smartphones and tablets have made their way into the construction industry, and it’s about time! By
now, most people are comfortable using a smartphone and prefer it over a laptop to perform essential
tasks. The convenience of having a handheld “computer” on the job site cannot be underestimated.
The construction industry is built, no pun intended, on relationships. Face-to-face interactions and
conversations drive projects and create a sense of partnership between employees, general
contractors, and owners. For this reason (and others), some companies may be hesitant to adapt to
the new technology available to their industry.
The good news is that smartphone and mobile construction apps can only strengthen these
relationships. Mobile apps for streamlining construction can help enhance relationships, drive
productivity, and make teams more efficient. Even better, they can help save money and reduce costs.
While there are many mobile apps for streamlining construction, most companies prefer custom app and
software development to better meet their unique needs.
FUSION OF IDEAS creates mobile apps for streamlining construction with all stakeholders in mind.
We’ll explore the benefits of using mobile apps on the job site and why a custom app is the right
choice for your business.
Mobile apps can help streamline project management. With a custom mobile app, project managers and
employees have access to the entire project plan digitally. There is no need to sort through
paperwork and files to get the information needed to move the project forward.
With a custom-designed mobile app, your teams can access information such as schedules, drawings,
budgets, expenses, RFIs and change orders at the touch of a screen.
“Off the shelf” mobile apps for construction often boast project management tools, but they
frequently have unnecessary features that only confuse employees. Worse, they often don’t consider
the unique parts of your business and leave you to still perform many tasks outside of the
app.
There is nothing more important on a construction site than safety. While an app may not necessarily
prevent all injuries, it can make safety information more accessible to every person on the job
site. Additionally, lower injury reports mean less money your company needs to spend on worker’s
compensation claims.
Logging safety meeting times and notes and accessing safety meeting content
Making safety training videos, documents, and contracts available for any employee who needs access.
Inspection logging.
Incident and safety hazard reporting with photo storage capability.
Weather updates (including heat, rain, snow and hazardous weather).
Fall detection.
Emergency contact storage.
FUSION OF IDEAS can work with your safety managers to understand your specific on-the-job safety
needs and integrate them into the app development process.
Ask any construction manager what administrative task consumes most of their time and you will
likely hear “time reporting.”
Employees should be able to enter their time anywhere on the job site quickly. Managers should be
able to approve, question, or reject time immediately. With geolocation technology and easy sign-in
functions, a custom mobile app can ensure workers clock in and out on job sites. If a worker leaves
the job site, the app’s geolocation technology will capture it.
We know that there are many nuances involved in construction time reporting. Sometimes, errors are
due to complicated time-keeping systems, while others are unfortunately the result of dishonest
employees. An erroneous extra hour here or there can really add up. The software in mobile apps can
flag any unusual time entries so that managers can make a quick decision and take appropriate
action.
Accounting departments can seamlessly integrate time reporting software with invoicing systems.
Create invoices from digital timecards and make getting paid from owners quick and easy.
Our team develops custom construction management apps with employees in mind. We want to make daily
reporting easy on the employee and the manager. We’ll learn what frustrations you have with your
current timekeeping and reporting system during our app development process and integrate the
changes into your custom app.
We know that budgets are everything when it comes to a construction project and that having an
accurate estimate keeps things running smoothly.
Construction estimate miscalculations and inaccuracies lead to lost revenue, upset owners (and
general contractors) and hurt morale. Owners often change the scope, so estimators must update their
pricing to reflect the changes. These changes can get lost in the shuffle without the right tool,
leading to thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
Whether you need an easy way to create estimates and budgets of materials and labor, or more
extensive financial tracking, our team can help. With a custom estimating app, you can track every
item, hour, and change. Even better, you get to decide what features your team needs.
Hiring and training new employees and contractors is critical to running a successful project. After
all, the people run the project and physically build the final product!
However, poor hiring and training can result in errors, injury, and a negative first-day experience
for the new employee if not done correctly. No one can afford to lose good employees in today's job
market, especially due to an unpleasant onboarding process.
A custom construction app can be human resources’ and a managers’ best friend when hiring and
training new workers.
Managers and employees have access to training materials anytime and anywhere. Managers can
pre-record videos to welcome new employees and give them the information they need to be successful
from day one.
I-9 and W2 forms can be added to the app so that your team doesn’t have to worry about printing,
scanning and filing those documents.
Human resource and construction managers can walk employees through timekeeping and benefits on
their mobile devices.
New employees can access important safety information and training as soon as they access the app.
Our experts will work with your human resources and management teams to gather feedback on the
existing employee and contractor onboarding process. Our goal is to help you create a remarkable
onboarding experience that helps retain your best employees.
While employees still use texting and calling to communicate on job sites, that communication may
not be the most effective or safe. Owners, construction companies and employees often complain they
are in the dark regarding communication. Sometimes employees delete or miss important emails or
calls and are left to chase down the information on their own.
When managers, employees, and contractors exchange important details related to their various tasks,
it’s best to have a record if there is a need to troubleshoot. With built-in communication, a mobile
app can give construction firms the peace of mind to know that the exchange of information stays
within company guidelines.
The other benefit of a communication feature is that your company can quickly communicate important
changes, announcements, and updates to a broader team.
Communication features on a custom mobile app can help create an experience for your employees that
make them feel included and on the same page. Perhaps you need to communicate an important safety
update, a change to the finish time, or something fun like an early out or a fun event. The team
receives a notification without opening another app, like email, and can then return to their
task.
Again, everyone knows that there needs to be a profit for a construction project to be successful.
Administrative tasks and human errors lead to loss of time which results in profit loss.
With the right tool, your teams can be more efficient, stay on track and use technology to improve
accuracies. Many of the benefits mentioned above ultimately result in cost savings. Reductions in
injuries, more accurate time reporting, less paperwork and better communication can help your
company save money.
Extra money means you can invest back into your employees, purchase new equipment, and continue to
focus on growth rather than conservation.
Our team understands the financial, emotional and educational investments companies make when
undergoing a digital transformation. When choosing a partner to develop your custom software, you
want to know that they have your back and understand who you will serve with the technology.
Construction companies partner with us because we let them lead with their ideas and guide them on
the right solution. We want to create a tool that is easy to use, improves the lives of the
stakeholders and is agile to make room for inevitable updates and changes.
Contact us today to share why you think the time is right to transition to a new (or different)
mobile app. We offer a no-obligation, complimentary consultation and will provide our transparent
feedback on your project idea.
