4 Ways a Cloud Preconstruction Platform Can Increase Efficiency and Help You Keep Track of Leads

This is a guest post from Followup CRM partner STACK, the only software that offers lightning-fast takeoff & complete estimating in one solution.

When you have a busy sales team, it can be tough to make sure all leads get tracked and followed up on consistently. There are only so many hours in the day, after all. And while your CRM is a powerful tool for alerts and notifications, those are only as effective as the data that gets entered into the system.

One key addition to your toolset can make all the difference when it comes to tracking leads in the preconstruction phase. Here’s why a cloud-based precon platform will help you maintain organization and streamline your process – while also preventing project leads and bid opportunities from falling through the cracks.

1. Fewer steps mean fewer chances to lose track of leads.

Desktop takeoff and estimating software will get your estimating team by, even if it is clunky and time-consuming. But communication between sales, estimating, and other departments can fall by the wayside when things get busy.

If your bidding process involves several steps, in which multiple team members and departments review specs and plans before a final quote can go out, it’s a sign that you need to upgrade to a tool that will make overall operations and team collaboration smoother.

A cloud-based preconstruction platform like STACK uses an open API to integrate with all of your systems, from your CRM through to accounting and payroll software, so that many of the steps in your existing workflow can be eliminated or automated.

2. A single source of truth for all data keeps you organized.

Your CRM is your repository for all important sales data, but are you sure all that data is getting entered where and when it should be? When you rely on employees to manually enter items like bid dates or follow-up contact information, you risk introducing human error to your process.

If someone is in a rush, it’s easy to forget to go back and make updates to the system when things slow down again, and if your team is large with many moving parts, staff might assume someone else is handling data entry that they should have taken care of.

With an integrated cloud platform for your preconstruction tasks, all of your data – from bid dates to takeoff quantities to final estimate totals – can be easily transferred back to your CRM in its entirety, so that it can be your actual single source of truth.

3. Ownership of accounts and projects reduces missed opportunities.

STACK’s bid calendar allows you to assign projects to the appropriate person, which, when integrated with your CRM, can easily alert employees when there’s a new task or a status has changed.

When there’s clear ownership of a task, project, lead, or client, it’s much more likely that your team will stay on top of the outreach and communication required for nurturing relationships and winning bids.

And with assignments, leadership has more insight into employee workloads and performance, and quicker access to information if a lead does get left behind, so they can take steps to repair the relationship and salvage the deal.

4. Collaboration tools make it easier to reassign roles and tasks.

In the world of desktop software, if one staff member is out sick or has an emergency, it’s tough for anyone else to step in and pick up the slack. Colleagues may have no insight at all into which projects that person was working on or what aspects of the work have already been completed.

With all project documents accessible anytime, anywhere in the cloud, it’s certainly possible for another employee to take over where someone left off and determine where to begin. Reassigning someone to a project is a simple click.

Colleagues are also able to help each other with larger tasks and work on projects at the same time in the cloud, so that important deadlines don’t get missed.

Cloud Connectivity for the Win

If your construction company struggles with leads falling through the cracks and getting lost in the shuffle, one sure-fire way to combat the problem is by adopting cloud technology for your preconstruction process.

STACK is the only solution out there that will work with your company for the best fit within your workflow and that will integrate seamlessly with your existing systems and processes. Schedule a demo now to learn more about how STACK can help you to maximize project opportunities and win more profitable work.

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