Roofing software programs?

Is anyone using software to help manage their roofing company? Like sales, project management.
Our company is trying out BuilderTrend right now. Anyone use buildertrend? I feel as if our roofing company could benefit from a software like this.

Here are some others:
Acculynx
RoofSnap
FCS Roofing
JobNimbus
Rooferpro
Contractors Cloud
BuilderTrend
FeildPulse
Xactimate

Any advice??
Thanks

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What is the main problem you want solve from that software?

I have never used any of the above software myself and would love to learn more. Let us know how BuilderTrend works for you :slight_smile:

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Mostly organization and effective communication.

We passed on BT. Its more for GCs with big projects. We will be trying another software early 2019. Ill let you know what we choose to try and how it goes.

I have used Contractor’s Cloud and recommend it to other companies all the time. It is a great system for roofing contractors. It allows you to track all your expenses on a job, separate out insurance starting amount and supplements added to claim. It runs all kinds of reports and is easy to use. I even put together a basic training session for the sales guys to walk them through how to add new clients and upload paperwork in there. You can send emails from it, assign tasks to certain people, and basically do all your communicating through it. It will also sync with your QB so you are not double entering items. Basically, it is well worth the cost and your team has access to it and the files in it from where ever they are 24/7.

I am currently looking into contractors cloud. The only issue that I am having is the per month cost vs the benefit to a 25year old roofing company. We currently use the white board method and job folders. My issues are keeping the small office organized and on the same page. Does anyone use a free or excel type project and customer management?

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use eagle view for your estimate there the best

Seriously? Eagleview sucks big time. Frequently low due to incorrect pitches and missing roof pieces.

Just curious to see if more roofers are taking up the option of using software apps nowadays?

If so, I’d be interested to hear about your experiences…

We have had very good results using eagle view “quick squares”
It doesnt measure the waste, cap or starter.
It is fast and cheap too, like around 20 dollars.
We use our own satellite images to measure the cap. The starter is easy to guess.
We add one to three squares of shingles for waste depending on size of roofs for most roofs.
I end up taking those one to three squares of shingles back to the supply house most of the time.
It makes me smile not being short on material and making more money.

We also do a site visit to confirm everything and especially look for rotten wood,
Multiple layers and logistics issues .

When i did hand measure every roof myself,
i would be short on material more frequently than i’d like to admit.
My crew uses a little more material than i personally would use.
I am a crazy no waste madman.
They are not.

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I use a lot of apps. Nothing has made it possible to tell customers anything close to start dates. It drives people nuts honestly because I wont tell them a date and we’re always behind. If anybody has advice on that let me know.

With RoofSnap, in 20 minutes i can make a highly detailed bid and send it to the customer for signature using docusign… I typically send it out with my iPad from the roof. No paper or math required. I sometimes print the thing out with a mobile printer and leave them a postage paid envelope in case they want to proceed.

From the info gathered on-site I can generate a material order for the delivery and the guys use it as a work order. theres also a sketch report that can include pictures of problem areas or notes to the crew. I hide material pricing from the guys on the work order so they don’t start thinking about money.

EVERYTHING can be broken down into labor and material per item. i.e. Labor per foot of gutter, valley, starter, metal. tearing off wood shake and 2nd layers and 3 tab. If all the numbers are good it’s possible to estimate the labor on a roof really accurately.

On the bid, people are impressed with how every material, manufacturer, and the quantities are listed(if selected) (I have a stipulation that we might substitute comparable products if a specific item is not available)
I sketch the roof, label every line, set the pitch and drop pins for the plumbing boots and roof vents.
With that it’s easy to generate a material order I can email to the supplier.

I have had scabs use my contract as a material order. Idiot left my contract on his clippboard and left it on top of his truck. Another tradesman found it and called me cause my number was on the contract.

Pros:
customizable for any item
templates save time
walk away from the roof with your estimating done,

Cons:
Takes a while to set up all the material prices
takes hours and hours of dedication to learn how to use and setup.

I also use a complicated spreadsheet to figure out how we did on each job using a summary report with labor and material budgets. I almost never complete it.

I track time with Quickbooks Time (gps location “on”) Payrol is super easy and I can see where the guys go during the day and if there are any irregularities visually with how its laid out. For example if one guy clocks in early every day or if they take different length lunches. ALSO, can run reports on each job and it’s total hours and cost of labor.

I track the trucks with Verizon Reveal and I can see exactly where the vehicles are and where they’ve been. I get alerts if they are speeding, when they go to the supply house or when they start the truck in the morning. Also two trucks have dash cams and the trailers have trackers in case they were to get stolen.

Also, Arlo security cameras all over the yard that send notifications and video to my phone when triggered.

All this stuff takes some learning and has subscriptin fees but it saves TONS of time and keeps the guys accountable. I couldn’t imagine going through paper timesheets and tallying up hours. Or doing a paper sketch of a complicated roof. A big one is knowing if my equipment is where it is supposed to be.

Slap,
With quick books time in gps on mode, would that mean you provide every employee with a company phone?

Nah, Obama has been handing out phones here in California for years. Even the bums have phones.

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First we tell them one week if we are slow.
Two weeks if we only have a few jobs sold.
If work gets backed up more than a month,
We start giving exact dates or week i mean.
We have been successful doing that.
If we need to call to change the date,
It is because we want to start a day early usually.
How we do it, is we schedule with the crew(crew leader) first and we agree on the date before hand.
And keep them busy at a dedicated but flexible time every week.
Constantly re-scheduling
with them every few weeks or so
Im no more than a day early or a day late on our roof replacements.
I work as a laborer with my crew all day
Also Making sure logistics are correct and handle inspectors and all
Surprises as they pop up like wood or other supplies

I use RoofGraf for measuring roofs. The price is ehhh… for being in PA where its seasonal i wish they had other options. Its a pretty solid program and the material lists have been accurate.

I use Joist for contracts/invoicing. It takes payments and you can input prices per sq and it saves everything. Syncs to QB and others. Payments go into PayPal business. Notifies you when customers or insurance companies open the emails and view it. Plenty of options for 30 bucks a month with Joist. 5 years with it and i switched banks instead of programs because they had an issue with taking card payments and transferring vs them taking card payments.