Yet, like the carpenter who jambs a nail gun while framing a wall, we have a job to do and can’t pack up our bags and give up. We have choices. The frustrated carpenter can buy a better framing gun or go back to hand driving 16-penny nails. He knows, though, that over time he will be more efficient using the latest nail gun technology.
And like the carpenter, we as business owners also know that our investment in technology will pay off if we persist. So, enough talk about our technology failures. Let’s talk about our successes.
A Fully Equipped, High-Speed Wireless Office
Everyone in our office has a computer. That may not sound like much, but I know there are many of you out there resisting the investment. Don’t.
The computers in our office are for our administrative and sales staff as well as our two production managers. Each location has a high-speed DSL connection to the Web and each has a color printer (marginally more expensive than black and white printers but infinitely better print capabilities). Three of the computers are laptops for use by those who take their work on the road. And everything is wireless.
That’s our hardware setup. Here’s how we use it.
Technology Makes Us More Efficient, Professional and Profitable
All our proposals and bookkeeping are kept on the computers. This makes our paperwork look more professional, easier to store and more accessible than handwritten alternatives.
We use QuickBooks Pro for Contractors for our accounting. QuickBooks Pro makes our job costing and balancing our checkbook each month quicker and more accurate. There is no program easier to learn or more reasonably priced than this.
We use homemade Excel spreadsheets for all our scheduling. While there are numerous scheduling products on the market, we like to keep it simple, and using Excel gives us exactly what we need.
And our Web site? Take a look: www.BrothersStrong.com. Yes, it is a marketing tool, but is also management tool we use to streamline the selections process (through our password-protected “Preferred Partners” section).
So, while we are back to using paper calendars again and often resent the notion that we need to use more technology in our workplace, we know deep that down inside, like you, at the end of the day the odds will pay off.
Using technology on our terms enables us to build a stronger, more efficient and more profitable business for our employees, our business partners and our customers to enjoy.
Michael Strong, CGR, is vice president of Brothers Strong, Inc. in Houston. The company was voted as the 2003 Houston and Texas Remodeler of the Year. For more information, contact Strong via e-mail.
What’s the difference between a PDA and a VPN?
Should you use estimating software? For sound advice on making the most of technology in your business, go to Computers and Information Technology on the NAHB Web site at www.nahb.org/biztools. It's your guide through all the acronyms, applications and options of computerizing your business.
NAHB Has More Than 160 Resources to Help You Run Your Business More Profitably
Go to NAHB's Business Management Tools Web pages for instant access to more than 160 timesaving, moneymaking and cost-cutting business resources to help you run your business more profitably. Get guidance on accounting and financial management, business strategy, computers and information technology, customer service, human resources and more.
Resources are added weekly, so bookmark www.nahb.org/biztools to go directly to these vital business management resources.
The NAHB University of Housing Offers Designation Programs and Other Courses
The NAHB University of Housing offers CAPS, CGR, CGB and a variety of other professional designation programs and business management courses that set builders and remodelers apart from the competition. To learn more about NAHB’s designation programs, visit www.nahb.org/designations. For a complete list of all current education offerings, click here.
Who Will Be the Next Remodelor of the Month?
The Remodelor of the Month (this link is accessible to Remodelors™ Council members only) award program is underway. Don't miss your opportunity to be named the Remodelor™ of the Month.
The program groups local councils from different states into designated months. There will be two “wild card” months that will allow the council’s members-at-large to participate in the program. A winner will be chosen each month and that winner will then be automatically included in the nominations for the Remodelor™ of the Year award.
This is a great opportunity for local councils and members to get involved and submit their “best of the best” members to compete with other councils. The national Remodelors™ Council will send out press releases and highlight each winner in ReNews, the Remodelors™ Council e-newsletter.
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