Many apps and software can help a general contractor's business grow. These tools help with everything from calculating complex measurements to estimating job material and labor costs and creating branded professional proposals. While each app or software has its own unique benefits, they share one common goal: to make your business more efficient and productive. Read on for insights from the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce.

Project Management

Project management apps can help you stay organized and on track. They provide a central location for all project files, documents, and communications. This allows you to track completions, deadlines, and budgets.

Many project management apps also offer task lists, calendars, and other tools to help contractors stay organized and on top of their projects. Automate your schedule with email reminders for upcoming tasks, meetings, and deadlines.

Building Calculations

The Katy News notes that building calculation apps can help you estimate the material and labor costs of a project. They often include a library of common building materials and their prices. These apps can also help calculate the square footage of space and the volume of a room.

The right software makes it easier to develop custom pricing plans and lets you create and save estimate templates to improve performance and reduce time spent on planning. As a bonus, some programs allow you to add your company logo to all estimates and invoices and email copies to clients, which is an excellent way to improve your branding.

Digitizing Documents

General contractors spend most of their time in the field, not in the office where they keep all of their important business documents. That’s why it’s so important to have PDF versions of client contracts and invoices, project plans, and employee schedules that you can access when you’re on the go. Making PDF versions of your hard copies is simple if you use a PDF scanner. Simply use your tablet or smartphone camera to snap a shot of a document to have it upload to a PDF, which you can then download to the cloud so you can access it remotely.

Accounting

Accounting software is another critical tool for general contractors, points out Revenues and Profits. This software type helps businesses keep track of income and expenses. It can also generate financial reports, like profit-and-loss statements and balance sheets. This information is essential to help you understand the financial health of your business.

Bidding

When bidding on projects, you need to submit accurate and competitive bids. Software to help with proposals can help provide access to project databases. This information can help you understand the scope of work and the materials required for a project. Bidding software can also help generate bids based on historical data.

Managing Employees

Employee management software can help you track employee time, attendance, and performance. This information can help you identify areas where employees need improvement. Employee management software can also help you stay compliant with labor laws. This can be valuable if your company has workers in multiple states.

Invoicing

Invoicing software can help you automate the invoicing process. This type of software can generate invoices based on time tracking data. It can also help you manage payments and track late payments.

Help Your Business Succeed

The right tools can make a big difference in the success of your business. By automating tasks like invoicing, digitizing business documents, and simplifying complex processes, apps and software can help you free up time to focus on what you do best: running your business.