It’s true folks, the IoT (Internet of Things) has arrived, and it’s showing up all over the construction industry, and fast. Smarter productivity, operations, new equipment and tools are the conversations taking place in staff meetings held in construction companies across the globe. But, with so many choices and options, we have to ask ourselves – is all of this new technology really worth the trouble? After all, with every new piece of technology, we have to train new employees, create new SOPs, and everything else that comes with new tech adaptation.
One thing is true: it doesn’t make sense for any company, from any industry, to just sit by and watch when it comes to implementing new technology. There are too many opportunities to save significant money by improving processes, and the competition in our industry is becoming more and more a factor to be considered. The question then becomes, what technology is worth the trouble?
There are a few factors to consider when selecting and implementing new technology in your company:
- Identify what is NOT currently working first. This is always a good place to start. Avoid the overwhelm of everything that is available to you, and focus on what systems need the most improvement in your company and start there. Prioritize and strategize based on what will make the most overall impact and the highest return on your investment of both time and money.
- Keep it simple. Look for apps and programs that make life more simple, not more difficult. The biggest mistake that construction companies make is to juggle too many apps and platforms at once. Workers are logging in and logging out of different systems to access data, which is clearly slowing down productivity. Avoid losing time and money by selecting new tech systems that can multi-task. Your bottom line will show up in a much more healthy way, training time will decrease, and your employees will thank you.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate. Set your employees up for success by offering top of the line training, but also ask for feedback. Collecting feedback is the most effective way to find out what the current issues are that need to be resolved, and if the new technology tools that you are implementing are truly effective or not. Introducing new technology is always a culture shock, bringing along with it a pretty hefty amount of overwhelm. It will only work if you prepare your team for this and go to extra lengths to accommodate for the learning curve.
- Take notes. One of the most recognized innovators of all time, Thomas Edison, is noted as to have said, “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Watch closely to make sure that what you have implemented is working in your favor, and if it’s not, shut it down and move on. Sure, it is expected that there will be a period of transition where things aren’t perfect, but there should be some realistic expectation of how long that transition period will last before the benefits start to become noticeable. Not keeping an eye on things could be costly.
The overall goal is to make smart investments into your company and reap the rewards of a “smart” connected construction jobsite. Adopting the right new technology will end up saving you tens of thousands of dollars a year. Keep in mind that there are effective multi-tasking tech tools specific to the construction industry within your reach and available to you without costing a fortune. For instance, eesyQ was designed with a busy construction site in mind. A mobile inspection compliance tool, eesyQ enables your company to customize your daily walk-around inspections, provide valuable reporting, allow for equipment tracking, and communicate with outside service and repairmen in just two clicks. With eesyQ, you will decrease your equipment downtime, optimize your revenue per hour, and ensure high quality safety measures for your employees at a fractional operational cost of less than seventy cents per day.
Click here to schedule your free demo and see how “eesy” it is to implement into your team’s daily routines and how it will impact your bottom line.