Let’s face it, in a contractor’s busy day, there isn’t time to deal with issues and mistakes. And while you’ll never be able to prevent every hiccup, there are some steps you can take to reduce the chance of unexpected issues derailing the progress of your projects.

Prove It

To effectively manage jobs (and customer expectations), consider requesting notifications from your supplier as building materials are ordered and delivered. To assist contractors, ABC Supply offers a full notification program that alerts customers throughout the process:

• Order Confirmation: With this process, contractors are able to affirm product orders, ensuring jobs can start on time with the correct materials.
• Delivery Verification: The delivery verification process lets contractors know they’ve received the right products at the right time. As seeing is believing, ABC Supply can send photos of your delivery to ensure it’s accurate and that all materials are on the jobsite, so you’re ready to start the project without delay.
• Protect Deliveries: In addition to delivery verifications, ABC Supply can weatherproof deliveries to avoid any damage or wear to materials, so products arrive in optimal condition. If you work in an area where your products could use extra protection, consider asking your supplier if they can weatherproof shipments before they’re delivered.

Working with a supplier who assists you with having what you need, when you need it, will help keep your projects on track.

Embrace Tech

Yes, it’s time to embrace the digital world (if you haven’t already). Technology can enhance job accuracy, delivery practices and overall efficiency. To start, contractors should take steps to leverage technology that’s readily available to them, like GPS and online mapping systems, real-time weather apps and mobile photos.

Additionally, ask suppliers about the technology they employ. ABC Supply’s tool and equipment catalog offers various options to improve job execution, like infrared cameras with thermal imaging to help locate potential problems in the field. Moreover, ABC’s online platform, ABC Connect, provides applications that bring orders directly into a system, flagging errors before they impact a job. It also includes a mobile platform that allows contractors to work anytime, anywhere. Among other features, the program enables
users to:

• Place orders at any time of day
• Complete estimates
• View invoices

With the ability to manage jobs on the go, you’re able to save man-hours by avoiding manual systems and enjoy more time on jobsites, interacting face-to-face with customers.

I Have a Dream (Team)

At the end of the day, the most essential factor in reducing mistakes is having a good team. As long as your team is well informed, well trained and communicating with each other, your job should go smoothly. Schedule a debriefing when a project is complete. This will allow you to gauge how your team felt throughout the job and what can be improved upon in the future. Potential questions include:

• What went well?
• What should we make sure to do again in the future?
• What issues did we run into and how can we avoid them in the future?

With the right resources, you can take steps to decrease the chance of problems on your job. Learn more about how ABC Connect helped one roofing company establish more accuracy and visibility with its ordering process. You can also get more tips for designing your technology game plan here.